Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG Receives AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award

BONN, GERMANY (3 AUGUST, 2022) – Kautex Textron GmbH & Co., KG (Kautex), a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it has received an AutomotiveINNOVATIONS Award from the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) and Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) for its Allegro Premium cleaning system – a software-controlled cleaning system for autonomous drive and Advanced Driver-Assisted Systems (ADAS)--equipped vehicles. After an extensive study conducted by CAM and PWC, Kautex was selected from a pool of about 400 suppliers to receive this prestigious award. The award ceremony was held during PWC’s Digital Automotive Talk held in July in Frankfurt, Germany.

Kautex’s Allegro Premium cleaning system is rooted in Kautex Clear Vision Systems’ (CVS) existing expertise in cleaning system hardware. Allegro Premium combines this capability with software designed to identify the best cleaning strategy depending on the travel conditions and the obstruction on the sensor. The system considers specific cleaning conditions such as speed, weather, temperature, dirt or debris, to instantly determine the proper cleaning function. Allegro Premium also offers additional benefits including predictive features, reduced weight, improved water efficiency and product durability, and flexible designs based on the customer’s input.  The result is an enhanced cleaning system that helps ensure the availability of assistance systems in all weather conditions, improving vehicle performance and safety for the passengers.

“As we move to more advanced levels of autonomous driving, the need for sensor cleaning becomes more evident, as any debris on the sensor will impact the sensors’ performance – and ultimately, the performance of the vehicle,” said Javier Bayod, vice president of Kautex CVS. “Our team has spent a lot of time listening to customers to understand their needs and proactively design a cleaning system that can scale with their autonomous driving capabilities. We are very proud to be named by CAM and PWC as an awardee of their AutomotiveINNOVATIONS award this year.”

Kautex’s development and testing programs were also considered as part of the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS award. The team conducts extensive development and testing under numerous system parameters and environmental conditions to understand the best cleaning approach for each. This data is then transferred into an algorithm that controls the cleaning system. Further testing is conducted via their unique test bench and test chamber which allows Kautex CVS to control, monitor and record all relevant process parameters for a single design. The system can test the impact of specific environmental conditions, including temperatures and vehicle speeds. The test chamber was created in partnership with Kautex’s Innovations department.

“In this age of disruption, innovation will ensure a company’s future success,” said Carsten Elsasser, Kautex’s director, Innovation and Strategy. “By working closely with our customer-facing sales and engineering teams, we learn details about our customers’ unmet needs that we incorporate into our testing and design. The result is an outstanding product that meets – or exceeds – what many customers are looking for with regards to advanced cleaning solutions.”

For 11 years, CAM and PWC have sponsored the AutomotiveINNOVATIONS awards to seek out and recognize outstanding innovative performance by companies within the automotive industry.