In the case of conventional engines, the focal point is again fuel and emission reduction. This is where valve train systems such as the UniValve, acquired and further developed by KSPG, play an important role. At present, the system is being advanced to series production along with various customers. Also on show is a valve train system from Mechadyne International Limited, Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, a British company acquired by KSPG in September 2012.
For the new, high-performance generation of diesels, KSPG is exhibiting special components for the exhaust gas system, steel pistons, and heavy-duty plain bearings. Also being exhibited are state-of-the-art oil, coolant and vacuum pumps addressing the growing need for cooling requirements and other challenges in today's generation of engines. Pierburg Pump Technology US LLC in Auburn Hills, Michigan is responsible for marketing and engineering these pumps; production for the American market is at Pierburg Pump Technology México SA de CV in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico.
KSPG AG is the parent and flagship company of the Automotive sector of the Rheinmetall Group, Germany. Sales in 2011 totaled €2.3 billion; approximately 11 percent was generated with customers in North America. For over a century, this first-tier auto-industry supplier has been operating on international markets and has a worldwide workforce of over 11,500. Some 1,700 employees work in the USA and Mexico. Other locations are in Europe, Brazil, Japan, India, and China.
NAIAS is an annual event staged in Detroit in mid-January and organized by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association. Around 800,000 visitors will be attending at the two press days, two trade visitors days, a Charity Preview and nine days during which the event is open to the general public. NAIAS is the first major auto fair each year and an occasion for the award of the North American Car of the Year.