Behr Holdings Corporation history

The introduction of a new currency in 1948 marked the end of the postwar reconstruction years and the beginning of an unprecedented economic boom in Western Germany.

By 1949, radiator production at S.K.F. was back at 75,000 per year.

In 1951, S.K.F. issued a license to India Radiators Ltd. which consequently began to manufacture S.K.F. radiators on the subcontinent.

In 1957, the first Hydraulic Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (HVAC) went into serial production at S.K.F. and was built into the Mercedes-Benz 300 passenger car.

1965: S.K.F. starts the serial production of air conditioners for passenger cars.

In 1966, air conditioner and fuel heater development and production became a separate business division.

In 1969, two foreign subsidiaries were established in major markets: one in France and one in the United States.

1980: Doctor Heinz Breuer is the first non-family member to become CEO.

1990: The company is renamed Behr GmbH & Co.

In 1993, the merger of Behr America and McCord, a subsidiary of Cummins Engine Corporation and the number one producer of coolers for trucks in the United States, established the new market leader in the truck segment, Behr America.

Behr sold their shares in the business in 1996, Baden-Württembergische Kapitalanlagegesellschaft (BWK), a holding company, became a minority shareholder.

First successes in the passenger car market followed in 1998 when Behr began to supply engine cooling units for General Motors' Saturn model and for BMW's Z3.

1999: The company enters two joint ventures with German automotive component supplier Hella.

2000: Two joint ventures are set up in Japan.

In 2002, Behr acquired Ohio-based Dayton Thermal Products from DaimlerChrysler and built a center for technical research in Troy, Michigan.

2003: Behr enters three joint ventures in China.