PR98617

SALZBURG, Austria and PADERBORN, Germany, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

BENTELER is underlining its global business ambitions in autonomous mobility by

establishing a new brand – HOLON. As a result, the BENTELER EV Systems business

unit, which was spun off at the end of 2021, will change its name. As HOLON,

the company will in future focus on the business with fully electric,

autonomous movers.

Ralf Göttel, BENTELER Group CEO explains: "Mobility around the world is

undergoing rapid change. BENTELER is optimally prepared for this – 85% of our

products are technology and propulsion-method agnostic. In parallel with the

traditional automotive business, innovative, digitally connected, and

autonomous mobility services promise high growth in the coming years. With our

engineering and manufacturing expertise, we are predestined to fill a gap in

this hitherto strongly software-dominated field. By founding HOLON, an

independent legal entity, we can react flexibly to changing customer

requirements in this dynamic market. In this way, we will make the best

possible use of growth opportunities."

Marco Kollmeier, Managing Director of HOLON, emphasizes: "Autonomous movers are

an essential part of tomorrow's mobility – emission-free, comfortable, reliable

and, above all, inclusive. HOLON will be the first OEM for autonomous movers

with the standards and scaling potential we know from the automotive industry.

With our platform technology, our vehicle expertise, and our strong partner

network, it's our goal to redefine passenger transport – in both the public and

private sectors."

HOLON – Established Tomorrow

The structure of the new brand is unique in the entire OEM landscape for

autonomous movers, stresses Marco Kollmeier. "To achieve this, HOLON combines

the best of two worlds: We combine the speed, passion and entrepreneurial

spirit of a start-up with the strength, resources and expertise of an

established automotive company. This is how we support our customers in

implementing safe and environmentally friendly mobility solutions that

accelerate their businesses."

The term holon comes from the Greek and means "something that is both a whole

and a part of a whole". The future orientation of the brand is also reflected

in the new brand's slogan: HOLON – Established Tomorrow. The young company's

next milestone is the CES 2023 trade show in Las Vegas. HOLON will present the

world's first autonomous mover that meets automotive standards there in January

next year – i.e. leading in safety, driving comfort and production quality.

Strategic cooperation with Pininfarina, Beep and Mobileye

In the development and deployment of the autonomous mover, HOLON has worked

closely with various partners, including the renowned Italian design company

Pininfarina, the mobility provider Beep, and Mobileye, an Intel company. While

Mobileye is developing the self-driving system for the autonomous mover, Beep

is adding technologies and services for the deployment and operating systems of

a mobility service. Pininfarina designed the autonomous mover. With its

first-class engineering and global manufacturing expertise, HOLON is

responsible for the development and production of the mover within the

cooperation. The shuttles are scheduled to go into production in the United

States starting in 2025.

Areas of application and thus customers are not only public transport

companies, but also municipalities and private institutions such as campuses,

airports, national parks, and others. Another field is last-mile delivery – a

growing transport sector that has hitherto clashed with the goal of reducing

traffic and local emissions in urban areas. To this end, HOLON is also aiming

for special autonomous transport variants in the future.

To further increase the growth potential, BENTELER and HOLON are also examining

the possibility of working with other strategic partners and investors for the

new company. The first pilot applications, also outside of North America, are

to be announced in the coming months and will be developed from 2023 onwards.

BENTELER Group

Birgit Held

Vice President Corporate Communications/Marketing

Tel.: +49 89 3740 8137 / Mobile: +49 162 2427 264

E-Mail: public.relations@benteler.com

BENTELER Automotive

Stephan Knüttel

Senior Manager Communications/Marketing

Paderborn, Germany

Tel.: +49 5254 81 307610 / Mobile: +49 172 5727257

E-Mail: public.relations@benteler.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937282/HOLON_Mover.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937285/Marco_Kollmeier.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937284/HOLON_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937283/BENTELER_Logo.jpg

SOURCE: BENTELER