The IZB was first hosted in 2001 as a Volkswagen in-house trade fair with 128 exhibitors from 6 nations, which attracted 13,500 visitors. It has since established itself as a showcase event for the international automotive supplier industry. At this year’s event we were one of around 940 other exhibitors from 37 nations, and with a 40% share of foreign exhibitors and 43,000 guests at its restart as a presence event, Europe’s leading trade fair proved to be bigger and more international than ever before.

Global players, medium-sized and smaller companies showed their innovations and new product developments along the entire automotive value chain. The focus was on the current topics of electrification, autonomous driving, e-mobility, production 4.0 and cyber security.

In addition to many very good discussions with experts in the industry, we maintained contact with our customers and further expanded existing business relationships. Since our current partners still offer some potential in new product areas, we still have very good opportunities for growth. We also made numerous new and promising contacts with the aim of establishing 1 to 2 new customers in the long term.

The success story began 50 years ago in Beerfelden in the Odenwald, Germany, and has been continued from Steinau an der Straße since 1975.

Today, ODW-ELEKTRIK has over 2,500 employees manufacturing mechatronic systems, cabling and solenoids.

Entrepreneurial vision and highest quality standards

With great foresight, the company’s founders, Wolfgang Weiß, Wilhelm Albishausen, Edmund Weckesser and Arthur Gensert, had foreseen that the market for prefabricated electromechanical components would grow strongly, especially in the automotive industry.

Today, products “Made by ODW” can be found in almost every vehicle – for example in fuel pumps, in the supply lines to the airbag, in the seatbelt buckle or in opening systems of the tailgate. These are produced according to the very demanding specifications of the automotive industry at the company’s five locations in Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, Northern Macedonia and Mexico.

Three-dimensional measurements are carried out using the latest computer tomography to ensure that the function and quality of the products are correct. The second generation is now steering the fate of the family business, and the third generation is also taking over responsibility.

High appreciation for employees, customers and partners

In addition to the innovative business idea, the specialisation that has been persistently pursued over the years, and the high demands on product quality, it is above all the employees who make a large contribution to the success of the company. The high levels of loyalty and commitment of the employees are based on the values that have always been practised in the family business.

Appreciation, respect, fairness, reliability and team spirit always occupy the top spots in the regular employee surveys when asked what values the workforce associates with the company. The same applies to our dealings with customers and partners. “We have earned the reputation of being an innovative development partner and supplier of pre-assembled cables and wires, solenoid coils and mechatronic systems,” say the management of Andrea Med, Christian Weiß and Martin Ehret. Numerous awards for the company’s achievements by customers such as Bosch, Autoliv and Brose are emphatic proof of this.

Looking to the future

The Covid pandemic has not spared ODW-ELEKTRIK either, but compared to other companies in the industry, the impact has so far been comparatively light. Here, too, entrepreneurial foresight has once again been the differentiator.

The company has long since established new markets with components for comfort systems such as panel heating systems, thus making themselves less dependent on drive technologies. In addition, there has been the development of product groups such as cable assembly for battery management systems and for the cabling of “non-automotive” applications.

Last but not least, suppliers of alternative drives also use modern electromechanical components. Thus, the growing market around e-mobility still holds a lot of potential for ODW-ELEKTRIK. With this perspective, management and staff can look ahead with great confidence and continue to write the success story.

 

The ODW-ELEKTRIK celebrated on the 6 July 2019 the first five years in Macedonia with over 500 guests and glorious sunshine.

If we think about it from the human life perspective, the first five years is the time in which a person learns most and lays the foundations for further development:
At this age we have growing pains, start to walk alone, fall down, get up again, get to know our environment – positive and important things.
We have to find our place in the family and society and we are trying out to find where our limits are.

ODW Macedonia has lived through all of this very intensively in recent years, learned a lot and validated the trust invested in it.

The successes of the past years, with over 400 employees, a full production hall, and further planned investments show this very clearly.

We wish our Macedonian colleagues a continuing healthy growth and much success in their work!

We would like to thank all the visitors who met us at our booth at the Automotive Meetings Querétaro, the only BtoB event in the automotive supply chain in Mexico.

The two-day event, which was visited by representatives from 800 companies from 22 countries, including BMW, Daimler, General Motors, Mazda, Audi, Fiat, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and Ford, was a successful event. ODW-ELEKTRIK took part for the second time, and due to the numerous very good and intensive discussions with existing and potentially new suppliers and customers, our participation was very successful. The resulting business relationships will help to further strengthen our location in Mexico and expand our worldwide network.