Progress through know-how

Electric mobility, car sharing, autonomous driving: The automotive industry is currently undergoing a profound transformation. As a supplier of conveyor systems and special machinery, MOLL Automatisierung GmbH has recently been able to play a major role in the reconstruction of automobile plants. And the Leiblfing-based company also sees itself well prepared for the coming years.

MOLL - Vorsprung durch Know-How
Image: Managing directors of MOLL Automatisierung GmbH (from left to right: Stefan Bauer, Josef Moll, Thomas Wittmann)
The change has long been reflected in forecasts: by 2030, it is predicted, that every third new vehicle registered in Europe will be electrically powered, and in China it is even expected to be almost every second. Alternative mobility concepts such as car sharing are said to make up ten to 15 percent of total car sales by then. Technical advances in the field of autonomous driving will significantly change the design and functional equipment of vehicles over the next 15 to 20 years. For many automotive suppliers, this means drastic changes in their business models, combined with the risk of losing their place in the race between technologies and their various suppliers.

MOLL Automatisierung, the Leiblfing-based supplier of conveyor systems and special machines, a member of the ROFA Group, has been able to adapt to this technological change in time. “We are currently in the privileged position of being involved in the reconstruction of automotive plants of all well-known OEMs. In 2019, this has brought us a total turnover of well over 100 million euros”, sums up Managing Director Josef Moll. In view of the increasing competition from China or Eastern Europe, we must keep an eye on the market, but there are still areas where the quality work of German engineers is in demand. In 2019, this has brought us a total turnover of well over 100 million euros”, sums up Managing Director Josef Moll. In view of the increasing competition from China or Eastern Europe, it is true that we must keep an eye on the market, but there are still areas where the quality work of German engineers is in demand.

In particular, Moll sees problems in the area of simple conveyor technology: “It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with foreign competitors in terms of price. This means that our product portfolio must be adapted to the new situation. We need to invest more in special mechanical engineering and automation technology, because here in particular, engineering know-how and product quality still count more than the price itself”.

Marriage stations – the assembly of body and chassis – is one of the driving forces of MOLL Automatisierung. In this business sector, projects in Germany, South Africa and Mexico generated a sales of over 30 million euros in 2019. “We delivered our first marriage in 2003 for BMW in Dingolfing. Since then, we have developed into one of the top 5 suppliers worldwide. Our goal is to expand our position in the coming years and become more or less independent of developments in drive technologies. Because one thing is certain: even an electric car consists of a body and a chassis” jokes Moll.

Accordingly, the company is aggressively facing the current economic downturn in the automotive industry. Moll: “Many suppliers are currently struggling with order bottlenecks or short-time work. On the other hand, after the final expansion of our production facilities, we can concentrate on expanding our engineering and building up the necessary know-how in this way. We hope that this will give us a decisive advantage in the upcoming years”.



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