TI Fluid Systems Well Prepared to Support IRA-Compliant Battery Production

  • TI Fluid Systems is in a strong position to support North American customers in fulfilling the battery eligibility requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
  • With 26 facilities in North America and a commitment to local supply, TI Fluid Systems is uniquely positioned to support its U.S customer base with battery and other BEV heating and cooling products
  • The IRA was formally enacted on 18 April, and aims to encourage investment in domestic energy production and promote clean energy

AUBURN HILLS, MICHIGAN, USA (23 May 2023) — TI Fluid Systems (TIFS), a leading global supplier of automotive fluid systems technology, is well prepared to support its North American customers with Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) compliance.

Owing to its 26 facilities in North America and commitment to local supply as part of its Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives, TI Fluid Systems believes it is uniquely placed to deliver thermal management and fluid handling solutions for battery electric vehicles that contribute to North American OEM customers’ opportunity to comply with the IRA.

TI Fluid Systems is currently manufacturing fluid handling products for battery cooling for multiple major North American and Global OEM customers. In March 2023, the company further underscored its commitment to this market, announcing a significant investment to build its next e-Mobility Innovation Centre (eMIC) in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Working in collaboration with U.S-based customers, TI Fluid Systems will design and develop the next generation of EV thermal products at the eMIC to support the automakers EV battery efficiency and boost IRA-compliant battery production.

Hans Dieltjens, President and CEO of TI Fluid Systems, said, “The Inflation Reduction Act is a piece of legislation tackling climate change and driving uptake of green energy in North America.

“At TI Fluid Systems, we too are committed to creating cleaner technologies for a greener automotive industry and a better world. Our strong R&D and manufacturing presence in North America, coupled with our prioritisation of local sustainability efforts, places us in a strong position to develop thermal technologies that will help our U.S customers meet the eligibility requirements of the IRA.”

The IRA was officially enacted on 18 April 2023, with the aim of accelerating investment in clean energy solutions and domestic manufacturing capacity in North America.

The legislation has a significant impact on U.S. car buyers and vehicle manufacturers, with a tax credit of $7,500 offered for each vehicle that fulfils the IRA requirements. To meet the eligibility criteria, 50% of a vehicle’s battery components must be manufactured or assembled in North America, while 40% of the essential minerals used in the battery – such as aluminium, cobalt, lithium, nickel, and graphite – must be extracted, processed, manufactured, and assembled in the U.S.

To find out more about TI Fluid Systems, visit www.tifluidsystems.com.

 

About TI Fluid Systems

TI Fluid Systems is a global innovator of thermal and fluid system solutions for the full range of current and developing vehicle architectures. Serving all major automotive manufacturers, with more than 100 years of automotive supply experience; TI Fluid Systems operates across 28 countries with a commitment to improving efficiency, performance and sustainability worldwide.

Brand New: The 2023 TI Fluid Systems Brand Expansion

We are extremely excited to share that TI Fluid Systems has adopted a new look and feel to better reflect the business as it stands today.

For several years, our brand has distinguished us as a global leader in automotive fluid systems technology. However, in the same way that our products have evolved over time, so too must our brand, with our new identity better reflecting our position in today’s automotive sector, and speaking to the exciting future that lies ahead of us.

The most prominent feature of our brand, our logo, will not change. We have made changes to our colour palette and typeface. Check out some of the changes here.

As you can see, the main colour of our new brand is blue, which has actually been present in the TI Fluid Systems colour palette for several years, and is accompanied by two new secondary colours. One of these is cool turquoise, a colour that reflects the company’s innovation, flexibility, and fluidity, alongside warm orange, representing energy, scale, and speed. We believe this set of colours symbolises the characteristics that make TI Fluid Systems a leading figure within the automotive fluid systems technology sector, and ensure its success in the future.

Our updated brand identity was established by teams from all over the global TI Fluid Systems team. Following a collaborative process, where teams across many of our locations gave their input and ideas, we are proud to have developed a brand identity that will take us into the future with a clearer, more impactful and more modern identity. It was especially rewarding to see the unity within our team; no matter where they are in the world, each team did their bit to develop the new brand.

You may have noticed that our branding isn’t the only change we’ve made of late; we have recently updated our website, too. The website – https://tifluidsystems.com – has been restructured to be more up to date and accessible for its visitors. Take a look and see our new brand in action.

TI Fluid Systems recognises top performing manufacturing facilities

Owing to exceptional performance throughout 2022, 13 manufacturing plants within our Fluid Carrying Systems (FCS) and Fuel Tank and Delivery Systems (FTDS) divisions have received internal recognition for their achievements.

TI Fluid Systems has awarded a coveted FCS Quality Award to ten FCS plants across the global business in recognition of their exceptional manufacturing performance, while three FTDS plants achieved the equivalent accolade known internally as Global Benchmark level.

The FCS awards are based on performance against KPIs in critical areas of plant operation, from compliance with internal and external waste reduction targets to customer satisfaction, quality, and improvements made in Cost of Poor Quality (CoPQ).

Plant performance levels in these key areas are assessed using a tiered system, with gold, silver and bronze awards. Four facilities – those based in Qinhuangdao, Yantai, Bekasi, and San José Chiapa – received the highest honour. Close behind was our plant in Montornes del Valles, which received silver-level recognition, while plants in Brindisi, Gravatai, Incheon, Hillsdale, and Nanjing were all awarded with bronze status.

On the FTDS side of the business, plants were ranked on how well they performed against our highest internal standards and KPIs. Those that exceeded their expected performance achieved the Benchmark level. The three plants to achieve this were based in Changchun, Guangzhou, and Lokeren. A special mention must also go to the Changchun plant for not only achieving Benchmark status within the business, but for gaining recognition from Toyota for delivering no defective parts throughout 2022.

Setting ambitious but attainable targets and empowering our plants to succeed is an important part of our strategy at TI Fluid Systems. So, too, is recognising hard work and high levels of performance, so it is encouraging that many of our global plants are not just meeting but exceeding their targets. This year, we will be developing a common awards system that will continue to recognise the great work that our fantastic teams all across the business have been doing. In the meantime, we are delighted with the performance of our FCS and FTDS teams – congratulations to everybody involved!

TI Fluid Systems Finalizes Plans to Enhance Auburn Hills Headquarters and Build Next e-Mobility Innovation Center

  • TI Fluid Systems has finalized its plans to enhance its corporate headquarters and build its next e-Mobility Innovation Center (eMIC)
  • The company has renewed the lease at its Auburn Hills location, with the new terms paving the way for a 48,000 square feet extension of the site
  • The new eMIC will follow the successful blueprint laid out in Rastatt Germany, with the additional capability of an injection molder

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan, USA (March 14, 2023) — TI Fluid Systems (TIFS), a leading global supplier of automotive fluid systems technology, has finalized plans to expand its corporate offices and build a brand new next e-Mobility Innovation Center (eMIC) at its headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

The plans were made possible owing to TI Fluid Systems’ renewal of its lease at the Fieldstone Industrial Complex. The terms of the renewal enable TI Fluid Systems to expand its presence by 48,000 square feet, providing the space to build its next eMIC, as well as expand and modernize its existing corporate offices. The existing Auburn Hills Tech Center will be closed and its capabilities moved to the new space.

Construction of the state-of-the-art Auburn Hills eMIC forms part of TI Fluid Systems’ strategic roll-out of five such centers across key global markets to cement the company’s position as a trusted thermal management technology partner for OEMs all over the world. The first center, located in Rastatt, Germany, opened in April 2022, with further projects in China, Japan and Korea planned for completion in 2024.

The Auburn Hills eMIC will follow the successful blueprint of Rastatt, uniting six core competencies – virtual engineering, design, processing, prototyping, product testing, and vehicle testing – under one roof and harnessing the power of digitalization. This will enable TI Fluid Systems’ engineers to efficiently design, develop, simulate and visualize thermal management systems and components for electrified vehicles, streamlining product development cycles for customers.

The new facility will feature three vehicle lifts and 30 electric vehicle charging stations, as well as housing an injection molder. With the equipment onsite TI Fluid Systems will be able to produce prototype components using 3D-printed plastic tools created, as well as fully functioning injection molded parts.

Hans Dieltjens, President and CEO of TI Fluid Systems, said, “Building a brand-new e-Mobility Innovation Center is part of our long-term mission to embrace change and encourage innovation. It is in these facilities where we will develop our next generation of products and technologies to support our customers’ shift to electrified vehicles, and so we are very excited to take on this ambitious project.

“Having our corporate offices on the same site as one of our state-of-the-art eMICs is an important step in the development of TI Fluid Systems, and we are looking forward to welcoming our customers to our updated home before the end of the year.”

About TI Fluid Systems

TI Fluid Systems is a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered thermal management and fluid storage, carrying, and delivery systems primarily for the light duty automotive market. With more than 100 years of automotive fluid systems experience, TI Fluid Systems has manufacturing facilities in 104 locations across 29 countries serving all major global OEMs.

For more information, visit www.tifluidsystems.com.

Developing the next generation through the TI Fluid Systems Scholarship Program

Last year, we launched a global Scholarship Program to help provide career pathways and assist with educational expenses for high-performing university students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields of study. 2023 is the first full year of the program and we’ve seen encouraging progress across all participating markets, with 32 scholarships already awarded and plenty more to come.

The Scholarship Program is aimed at underrepresented minority groups and students from low-income families, and is initially being rolled out in five of our key recruitment markets – USA, Germany, Poland, Mexico and China.

In Poland, two female students, Monika Swieciochowska and Klaudia Piwowarczy, were recently awarded two-year scholarships at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, while Zuzanna Szczelina and Kinga Mycek have been selected at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. All four of these students were chosen by their universities on account of their outstanding academic performance.

It’s a similar success story in China, where we’re working with three universities – close to our facilities in Shanghai, Changchun and Tianjin – to support 26 students as part of the initiative. Our Chinese team partnered with the universities to select female STEM students from low-income families or with excellent academic credentials.

There’s still work to be done in Germany, where the goal is to bring seven students onto the program. Currently, there are two female students from The Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and Stiftung der deutschen Wirtschaft enrolled, with the next selection planned for the end of the first quarter of 2023. Scholarship participants in Germany will also benefit from extra-curricular experiences, including a tour of the Rastatt E-Mobility Innovation Center and the opportunity to attend engineering networking events.

In the USA, work is also well underway. We have partnered with NACME (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering), with a view to providing three students a place on the Scholarship Program. To be eligible, students need to meet the minimum GPA of 3.0, and will be interviewed by three TIFS representatives to assess their suitability for the program.

Finally, we are making great strides in Mexico, where our goal is to provide 20 scholarships for top performing female students from low-income backgrounds. We have already struck up partnerships with two first-class institutions, the Technological University of San Luis Potosi and the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, with each university committing to 10 scholarships each. The application process in Mexico is ongoing, so watch this space for news of the successful students.

Investing in the next generation of talent is critical to the ongoing success of our business, so projects such as the Scholarship Program are a positive step in securing our future. It is also especially important that we provide opportunities to underprivileged and underrepresented groups to ensure TI Fluid Systems is a diverse and inclusive place to work.

Celebrating Black History Month

The month of February is observed and celebrated as Black History Month across the US and Canada. To mark the occasion this year and to ensure that TI Fluid Systems joined in the celebrations, the US/Canada Diversity and Inclusion Committee organized a special program on the afternoon of February 23rd at the company’s corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills.

The guest of honor was Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr., a Detroit based historian, musician, storyteller and teacher, who spoke about African American History in the US, accentuating the narrative with music.

Introducing the special guest, Hans Dieltjens, the President and CEO, made the point that TI Fluid Systems is committed to the practice of Diversity and Inclusion across the globe. “This celebration of Black History Month is a good event, not only to recognize the value of African American employees at TIFS, but also to appreciate and celebrate the courage, persistence and valuable contributions of the African American community to the US and the world,” he said.

Rev. Jones opened his narrative with the observation that American history is black history and vice versa. Starting with his fascination about black spiritual music as a young boy growing up in Detroit, Rev. Jones informed and entertained the audience with tales of the African American experience in America, from the 17th century all the way up to the present.

Rev. Jones said that music was the thread that knit this nation together, with black slaves using whatever objects they could, fashioned instruments like the banjo, to make music. Their music was not written down and was handed down from generation to generation. As each generation grew and expanded, their own experiences transformed the musical landscape of America, giving rise to new forms of music such as the Blues, Country Music, Jazz and Rock n Roll. He shared the stories brave pioneers of the emancipation, the underground railroad and the civil rights movement, like Harriet Tubman and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He recounted the influence of black musicians such as Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry and Mahelia Jackson.

Rev. Jones was joined by his daughter Arnecia in singing several of these historical songs in multiple musical styles. He accompanied his own singing on multiple instruments, switching between guitar, harmonica, banjo and violin. Rev. Jones rendered a spontaneous song about TI Fluid Systems, called TI Fluid Systems Blues, which he made up on the spot, to the great delight of the audience.

Thank you to everybody involved in making this important event a roaring success and a wonderful celebration of the African American community in our business and in the wider world.

Embracing change at the 2023 Global Management Meeting

At the beginning of February, we held our 2023 Global Management Meeting in Ettlingen, Germany. The three-day event was attended by various leaders from every region and division within the business, providing an ideal opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and share updates and ideas.

Due to Covid-19, the meeting hasn’t taken place since 2019, so it was particularly special to reconnect 60 senior members of the TI Fluid Systems team under one roof. But not just any roof – the summit began with a tour of our state-of-the-art E-Mobility Innovation Center in Rastatt. Attendees were able to get a real sense of this unique facility where we design, develop, simulate and visualize thermal management systems and components for electrified vehicles.

Day two saw President and CEO, Hans Dieltjens, welcome everybody to the summit and explain that the TIFS Mindset of ‘embracing change’ was to be a key theme of the event. Delegates were then brought up to speed on business strategy from a technology and commercial point of view, followed by comprehensive business updates.

The final day of the summit began with an insightful presentation from Arun Kohli, Author of “Effective Coaching and the Fallacy of Sustainable Change”. The guest speaker addressed the group on the concepts of leadership and embracing change, which led nicely into the management roundtable discussion on the same topics. Following a Q&A and open discussion session, the team was given an update from various subject matter experts in Safety, Environment, Quality, Purchasing, Program Management, IT, HR, and Marketing departments to conclude the summit.

The consensus among attendees this year was that they were especially pleased to have the opportunity to see their friends and colleagues from other departments across the world. Collaboration is such an important component in any global business, and events like this are what it’s all about. We’re already looking forward to next year’s summit!

The Women’s Empowerment Network

Over the years, we have found that improved connectivity between members of staff and senior executives has had a profound impact on the synergy within the team. This has certainly been the case with the Women’s Empowerment Network, which was established to help foster closer relationships between women who work at TI Fluid Systems on all levels through networking, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.

The network has several key objectives. Firstly, it seeks to cultivate an inclusive and supportive environment for the personal and professional growth of our female employees, whereby their standing in the business is considered solely on the basis of their abilities and aptitudes, and not their age, gender, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic origin. The network has also been regarded as a catalyst in encouraging and creating opportunities for open communication, with members implored to speak with others within the network. To aid with this, the members have been provided with a network of contacts that they can call upon. These contacts offer more than just a social purpose, offering advice and opportunities, accelerating professional development and for social connections.

With members in the United States, China, Japan and areas of Latin America, the network has groups all over the world. Recently, members of the United States group met at our corporate office in Auburn Hills, and for many, this was an opportunity to introduce themselves to others within the team. Female directors and executives were on-hand to discuss why the network was so important to them, before those in attendance were split into small groups to take part in some team building activities. The event was received extremely well by those in attendance, with many pleased to have met more women within the team and having more support at work as a result.

Opportunity is what TI Fluid Systems offers. We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive workplace culture where diversity is valued, and diversity of experiences is appreciated.

Over our 100-year journey so far, we have recognised that our strength as a global automotive supplier is directly tied to the talent and diversity of our staff, management and Board leadership. Our current workforce consists of over 25,000 people worldwide, and while there are currently more men employed at TI Fluid Systems than women, we are proud that the gender split at the company is shrinking. Going forward, we will continue to strive to create a safe and inclusive workplace culture for all of our team.

TI Fluid Systems in the media spotlight

In October last year, we invited guests from the German and UK media on a behind-the-scenes tour of our e-Mobility Innovation Center in Rastatt.

Our esteemed guests were treated to an introduction to the facility by Hans Dieltjens and Johannes Helmich, followed by a journey through our six core competencies. Engineers at the site did an admirable job of demonstrating our innovation and technical expertise, and the journalists were even able to get ‘hands on’ with a component assembly exercise.

Hosting an event such as this was a first for TI Fluid Systems, but as we forge ahead with our Take the Turn strategy, it is increasingly important that we tell the world our story. We have therefore been delighted by the coverage so far, which does an outstanding job of introducing the facility and explaining what it means for our business and the future of e-mobility.

For a succinct video summary of what went on at the event, have a look at this video that the team at the Institution of Engineering and Technology created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D4WajcRsB0

We’ve also seen some extremely insightful and informative write-ups, in both English and German, from the likes of Automotive WorldATZAutomobil-Industrie, KÜS Magazin and Engineering & Technology:

Automotive World

Engineering & Technology

KÜS Magazin

Automobil-Industrie

ATZ

We’re still expecting further coverage over the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for updates.

Thanks again to everyone involved in making our first ever media event a huge success.

TI Fluid Systems: 100 years in the making

100 years. If you take a moment to contemplate how long that really is and how much has changed in the past century, perhaps you’ll be able to acknowledge just how impressive it is for a business to endure for so long. Such durability requires so many understated attributes; innovation, resilience, flexibility, and application, to name a few.

2022 has seen us proudly commemorate our 100-year anniversary. We will celebrate by holding a series of commemorative events across our locations around the world and publishing a limited edition centennial book that takes a deeper dive into our illustrious history.

We’ve experienced our fair share of industry challenges since we were founded as the Harry Bundy Company some 100 years ago, but the aforementioned attributes have stood us in good stead on our journey. From Harry Bundy himself to our current President and CEO, Hans Dieltjens, we’ve been extremely fortunate throughout this journey to have consistently had a team that embodies these values, which today are reflected in all we do.

In the past 100 years, we have been faced with and shaped by five automotive megatrends, all of which have brought with them significant upheaval to the sector and have required an innovative response. The first of these was fuel, second hydraulic braking, third air conditioning, and then emissions reduction. The TI team of today are currently dealing with the fifth and most recent development, the electrification of the vehicle powertrain, and are tackling this with great success. Our Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer, Dom Milicia, noted that: “Electrification is a disruptive change in the automotive industry and will reward companies with an innovative attitude. As leaders in automotive fluid handling, it is a huge opportunity for TI Fluid Systems to adapt our technologies to rise to the challenge.”

Our strategy to maximise this opportunity is called Take the Turn. Under this strategy, we are already enhancing our capacity and capabilities to meet the changing demands of customers all over the world. Take the Turn is made up of three elements: Technology – our focus on vehicle electrification; Transformation – our commitment to a more sustainable business; and Talent – our investment in people and learning.

Over the last 100 years, we’ve endeavoured to build close relationships with our customers, and, as Hans Dieltjens acknowledges, it is these relationships that will see us move forward into the electrified age. “Building strong relationships with our customers is something that we have never compromised on in our 100 years of trading, and this will continue as we enter the next phase of our development as a company.”

Ultimately, the last 100 years have been about building towards the future. While it’s an honour to celebrate a century in business, our thoughts are immediately on gearing up for what comes next. As the curtain comes down on this centenary anniversary, we vow to build on the last 100 years in the next 100 years.