Joint Venture Between Aunde and Mentor

The component manufacturer Mentor, based in Erkrath in Germany, and AUNDE Group from Mönchengladbach, have come together to form the joint venture “Munda”. This aim is to illuminate vehicle interiors.

As Markus Beckmann enjoyed a road trip in the Cadillac of friend in the USA in the mid-1990s, the classic car already had left its best years behind it, but one feature of the car stuck in his memory: In the interior there was a small light, the function of which was a mystery to him – it was too weak to be a reading light but too strong to have no function at all.

„ My friend then told me that the light from the taillights was transported to the front via a fiberglass cable, this then acts as a control to ensure that the taillights are working normally” explains Mr. Beckmann. Now, almost 25-years later, the discovery from that time has gained a whole new meaning. Mr. Beckmann is now the CEI of the Institute for Textile technology at the RWTA Aachen (ITA) and has been a driving force in starting the joint venture “Munda”, the German abbreviation of Mentor and AUNDA, involving the two companies based in Erkrath and Mönchengladbach respectively.

The technical idea behind it is not new. But it will be given a new lease of life due to the challenges faced by the entire automotive sector.

“In the car of the future, the comfort factor will play an even bigger role,” explains Aunde CEO Rolf Königs during the opening of the joint venture in Erkrath to employees and partners from both companies. Königs and his partner CEO, Wido Weyer, focused on the traditional nature of the two family-run corporations. “There was an immediate eureka!  moment during our first meeting,” says Königs. AUNDE had previously very little to do with the sector. “Our companies fit together perfectly,” confirmed Weyer at the beginning of the event. The only difference seems to be in each one’s favorite football team. “We immediately saw eye-to-eye” explains Weyer – both companies now each control 50% of the joint venture.