Valeo’s Plant in Wemding Awarded “Factory of the Year”

The Valeo factory in Wemding, Germany, has been named “Factory of the Year” 2026 in the “Excellent Series Production” category. The award is one of Europe’s most prestigious industrial competitions, featuring 2,500 participating companies.

For the 35 ^th time, the management consulting firm Kearney, in collaboration with Ultima Media Germany GmbH and the trade journal “Produktion”, is honoring companies that have exemplarily mastered current challenges in production. They recognized the Wemding factory in the “Excellent Series Production” category, which highlights streamlined processes, short throughput times, and outstanding delivery performance.

The Wemding plant sets the benchmark for operational excellence, achieving a customer return rate of just 0,3 incidents per million. In 2025, 67 Millions single products were produced and delivered to customers in Europe across 5,000 different products.

Marc Vrecko, CEO Valeo Brain Division: “Wemding is the operational center of Valeo’s Brain Division in Europe, serving as a flagship mother plant in our global production network. The site is central to the automotive industry’s transformation toward intelligent mobility and software-defined architectures. It produces key sensors—including ultrasonic sensors, radars, cameras, and LiDARs—as well as domain controllers that serve as the “brain” for latest-generation vehicles. Products manufactured at the Wemding facility supply all major OEMs across Europe. We are proud to receive this award, which recognizes our team’s unwavering commitment to operational excellence and to delivering safer, more affordable mobility.”

The high-tech plant manufactures essential sensors and control units for automated driving and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) — including high-resolution laser scanners, radar and camera systems, and domain controllers. The ADAS domain controller for the BMW Neue Klasse platform is produced here. Wemding is the site where Valeo produces the largest range of sensors and the only Valeo plant in the world to series-produce an automotive LiDAR laser scanner. The site is a global flagship for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) producing all necessary sensor and control units for SDV using Valeo’s expertise to industrialize at scale and lower cost. The Wemding facility has one of the highest levels of automation on an international level.

Markus Hein, Senior Site General Manager Valeo Wemding: “Being named “FACTORY OF THE YEAR” by an independent panel of experts is both a success and an incentive for us. I would like to thank the entire Wemding plant team for their high level of flexibility, commitment to quality, and productivity.”

Valeo’s global industrial production excellence can be seen at the Wemding plant, which leads the industry in launching and series-producing new technologies that provide the key to the development of autonomous vehicles. Wemding is an example of the Valeo approach of a mother plant. The Valeo mother plant supports other sensor manufacturing facilities (daughter plant), particularly during the production kick-off phase.

The selection of winners for the “FACTORY OF THE YEAR” competition takes place in two stages. After submitting a detailed application form with key performance indicators, an experienced Kearney audit team visits the top group of participating companies. The jury, which includes renowned experts from industry and academia, then selects the winners in 6 categories. The “FACTORY OF THE YEAR” awards ceremony will take place on March 6-7 2027.

The independent jury noted that the Valeo site stands out “in particular for its operational excellence, as well as in cost management, value creation, and resource management”. The jury highlighted the “modular standard cells, the new SMT (Surface Mount Technology) line, and proprietary end-of-line test concepts that form the basis for flexible mass production.”

About Valeo
Valeo is a leading global technology company creating innovative solutions and systems for automotive and technology partners worldwide. Valeo is structured around its POWER, BRAIN and LIGHT Divisions, and Valeo Service, the augmented service partner, for the aftermarket and new forms of mobility.

Valeo is committed to making mobility safer, more sustainable and affordable to all. The Group is playing a vital role in shaping the Car of Tomorrow: which will be electrified, safer and software-defined. Valeo is leveraging its global industrial footprint and its technological leadership in electrification, advanced driver assistance systems, lighting and software to capture an increasing share of value per vehicle.

Valeo is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

Valeo in brief: €20.9 billion in sales in 2025: 100,000 employees worldwide: 29 countries: 149 production plants: 59 R&D centers: 19 distribution platforms (as of February 26, 2026).

Learn more at www.valeo.com

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