Bonn, Germany (6 February, 2023) – Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG (Kautex), a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it has received the first order from an automotive OEM for a thermoplastic composite underbody battery protection skid plate. The skid plate is part of the company’s new Pentatonic battery system product line supporting battery electric vehicle production.
Pentatonic is a lightweight, customizable solution produced from thermoplastic or composite metal hybrid. The new skid plate design will be produced for on-and-off-road applications. It is designed to meet industry-leading impact requirements and features over a 50% weight reduction versus its steel counterpart. Pentatonic’s material composition and production processes also offer inherent corrosion resistance, design flexibility, improved serviceability and overall higher value than other alternatives.
“Kautex has a history of innovation and firsts throughout its 88-year history,” said Jörg Rautenstrauch, president & CEO, Kautex Textron. “We are delighted our Pentatonic technology has been chosen to support this innovative customer, and we look forward to offering a complete thermoplastic composite battery structure in future design and development work.”
“Research, development and testing has proven our system offers improved performance versus steel and aluminum systems while reducing weight and CO2 emissions and simplifying the production process,” said Felix Haas, director, Pentatonic Product Development. “Our customer understands the system-level benefits we offer and is leading the industry in the transition to composite-based structures to meet their needs.”
The Pentatonic system recently won the Enabler Technology Award from the Internationale Gesellschaft für Kunststofftechnik, SPE Central Europe for its Pentatonic battery system and a Langxuan Innovation Award in China. Additionally, last fall, the system underwent rigorous testing in accordance with internationally recognized standards including the Chinese GB 38031 standard and the ECR R100 from the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). The system successfully met the requirements for numerous tests including mechanical shock, crush, drop, vibration and bottom impact testing.
About Kautex
At Kautex, we are driving the future. As a Tier One automotive supplier with more than 30 plants in 13 countries, Kautex designs, develops and manufactures traditional and hybrid fuel systems, advanced cleaning solutions for assisted and autonomous driving, engine camshafts and plastic industrial packaging solutions. A pioneer in the design and manufacture of automotive plastic fuel systems, Kautex is expanding its portfolio to offer smart products and data-driven services to our customers, including thermoplastic composite and composite-metal hybrid battery systems. From a lightweight battery system to a hybrid fuel system to autonomous drive vehicle cleaning systems, Kautex is committed to pioneering solutions for the era of new mobility.
Our employees are part of a global community committed to solving customer needs, leveraging diverse skillsets, making sustainability a differentiator, embracing the diversity that is part of a global, multi-industry leader and creating an environment where employees can build a dynamic career. Together, we are reimagining the future of mobility.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
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- Stephanie McClung
- Manager, Content Marketing & Employer Brand
- stephanie.mcclung@kautex.com
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