Dräxlmaier Group

In May 1958, Lisa and Fritz Dräxlmaier Sr. entered the growing automotive market. The first order placed with the Lower Bavarian company was the production of 50,000 wiring harnesses for the Goggomobil by Hans Glas GmbH in Dingolfing, Germany. Soon after, a second product division was established. Dräxlmaier now supplied the entire vehicle equipment (including instrument panels, door panels, seat coverings and rear shelves) for the compact car, which was built until 1969.

As a result of continuously increasing orders, Dräxlmaier installed its first systems for welding door panels and forming thermoplastic sheets for the production of instrument panels in 1960. To accommodate the new equipment, the company’s first own factory building was built in 1964.

In 1966, BMW became a new customer.

Production of the Goggomobil with wiring harnesses made by Dräxlmaier Group

In 1968, the growing number of orders prompted Dräxlmaier to expand its Vilsbiburg site. As part of the expansion and renovation, the company set up its own mold and tool production, and installed its first computer system. In the same year, construction began on a new production and administration building. Audi and Volkswagen were supplied with products made by the Dräxlmaier Group starting in 1969 and 1971, respectively.

With a production site in Tunisia, international expansion began in 1974. In the following years, numerous other locations abroad were opened, including a production plant for wiring harnesses and interior components in Niagara Falls, Canada (1976).

Production and administration building, Brückenstrasse, Vilsbiburg (1970)

Within 20 years, the business premises of the family-owned company kept expanding. The number of employees also increased continuously during this time. Ten became 1,300 employees.

The worldwide production network also expanded. A production site was established in Braunau am Inn, Austria (1978). Four more foreign subsidiaries followed.

In 1982, the company produced components for Mercedes-Benz for the first time. In 1983, Dräxlmaier used a mainframe computer for the first time and switched 100 workplaces over to electronic data processing.

In 1987, an automated high-bay and small-parts warehouse is built at the Vilsbiburg site.

With the construction of the automated high-bay warehouse and the small-parts picking warehouse in 1987, the foundation for supply chain management was created. Since then, the material flow and all essential JIT/JIS processes have been controlled from here.

In 1997, Dräxlmaier developed a functionally integrated door module for the BMW 7 Series.

The expansion into Eastern Europe started in 1993 with sites in the Czech Republic and Romania. In the same year, another plant was opened in Tunisia.

With the order to develop, manufacture and supply the complete cockpit for the Mercedes-Benz CLK, the company became a system supplier for interiors in 1994. Two years later, in 1996, the production network was expanded through the setup of new plants in America and Mexico.

In 1997, the Dräxlmaier Group adopted its new, international name.

In the same year, the company was nominated for the first "Functionally Integrated System" (FIS) installed in the BMW 7 Series. This resulted in the development of the first interior module to integrate all electrical and electronic functions included in a car door into one comprehensive system.

Dräxlmaier Technology Center in Vilsbiburg, 1998

In 1998, the company moved into the new Dräxlmaier Technology Center in Vilsbiburg. The next year, the Dräxlmaier Group produced a full-leather interior as the first system supplier for the Mercedes-Benz CL Coupe. This was followed by the production of the complete interior of the BMW Z8. For both models, Dräxlmaier developed and supplied the supply system.

In 2002, Dräxlmaier developed, produced and delivered the complete wiring system and interior for the Maybach luxury sedan. In addition to a second location in Landau an der Isar, Germany, a Dräxlmaier plant was built in Shenyang, China, in 2003. Since then, Porsche, Jaguar and Cadillac have become part of the company's customer base.

Additional locations were opened in South Africa (2005); Thailand, Spain and Mexico (all 2006); and Moldova (2007).

The Dräxlmaier Group introduced a natural fiber composite material for vehicle interiors in 2008. The door panel developed for the BMW 7 Series is made of biocomposite material.

Another Eastern European location followed with the opening of a production plant in Serbia in 2008.

In 2009, Dräxlmaier received an order for the high-voltage electrical systems of various Mercedes Benz and Smart models with electric drivetrains, hybrid technology, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell drivetrains. Dräxlmaier was also responsible for the complete interior and the electrical system of the Porsche Panamera.

In 2011, the first-ever door panel with visible natural fibre was developed

In 2011, Dräxlmaier developed the world's first door panel with visible natural fiber. This was first installed in the all-electric BMW i3 in 2013.

The company expanded its existing production facilities in Shenyang, China, in 2012 and built a fully integrated production plant in Kavadarci, Macedonia. Another Dräxlmaier Group site opened in Leipzig, Germany, in 2013.

Another customer was acquired in 2014: Tesla.[9]In the same year, the company's logistics network was expanded with the facilities in Zwickau, Germany.

QESTRONIC Advanced Technologies GmbH from Geisenhausen, Germany, was integrated into the Dräxlmaier Group in 2015.

In Langfang, China, the supplier opened a new production site for interior components in 2016.[10]

In cooperation with the Technical University of Munich (Germany), a research and development location was established on the Garching campus in 2017.[11] A new production site for interior components was opened in Livermore, USA.[12] The automotive supplier set up the first highly automated battery production facility in Sachsenheim near Stuttgart, Germany.

DRÄXLMAIER is considered the inventor of customer-specific wiring harnesses.

The Dräxlmaier Group's product range includes all elements of the wiring system. Dräxlmaier is considered to be the inventor of the customer-specific wiring harness. The company produces high-voltage and battery wiring harnesses, independent wiring harnesses, data wires and engine wiring harnesses.[15]

The Dräxlmaier Group produces components, systems and package solutions in digital electronics for interiors and vehicle electrical systems, high-voltage energy storage and electromobility.[16]

The Dräxlmaier Group's portfolio includes all aspects of automotive electrics and electronics. Among other things, the company manufactures sensors and switches as well as high-voltage power distributors and fuse boxes.[17]

Ambient lighting provides new accents in the vehicle interior.

The Dräxlmaier Group manufactures instrument panels, center consoles and door panels for premium automobiles.

The automotive supplier also produces complete door and cockpit modules that are adapted to the special equipment of the respective vehicle through system integration.[18]

The company also creates RGB ambient lighting. The use of this LED technology ensures uniform and precise lighting throughout the entire vehicle interior.[19]

The product portfolio for battery systems includes electric high-voltage and low-voltage battery systems on a lithium-ion basis from 12 volt to 900 volt and HV components for an on-board voltage greater than 60 volt as well as high-voltage switch boxes.[20]