Company
WITTE Automotive
Innovative system solutions for the automotive world
Nowadays, WITTE products are installed in all well-known car brands. With innovative solutions, the technology leader for mechatronic locking systems has been delighting its automotive customers all over the world for many decades. For and with them, WITTE develops and produces not only locking and actuating systems but also drives for flaps and doors as well as seat locks and camera modules. In doing so, the globally active family-owned company stands for exceptional know-how in the field of electronics. Specialized competence centers for plastics, stamping and die-casting technology ensure top performance in terms of function, quality, ecology and price.
State-of-the-art production facilities in Germany and around the world
In addition to the four locations within Germany, WITTE Automotive is represented throughout Europe in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Sweden. WITTE Automotive has a global presence under the name VAST, the Vehicle Access Systems Technology Automotive Group, in China, Japan and India and, together with the American cooperation partners ADAC Automotive and STRATTEC Security Corporation, also in the USA, Mexico, Brazil and Korea.
History and Milestones
-
1899 Foundation
In 1899, the company was founded by Ewald Witte in Velbert and initially produced luggage locks before entering the automotive world with the exterior door handle for the first VW Beetle.
-
Economic boom
At the beginning of the 1950s, the automotive industry also experienced a real economic boom and WITTE significantly expanded its automotive product range. Vehicles were henceforth built with interior and exterior door handles, window cranks, and front and tailgate locks from WITTE.
-
100% Automotive
From the 1970s onwards, development and production activities were consistently expanded to include all components of locking and latching technology in cars. Since then, WITTE has been manufacturing locking systems for doors, seats, and front and tailgates.
-
An innovative idea: the WITOL®
With the invention and patenting of the automatic tolerance compensation system WITOL® in the early 90s, WITTE Automotive set new impulses. Today, WITOL is an independent business unit whose tolerance compensation systems are now standard for all major OEMs.
-
Growth in Germany and Europe
The establishment of WITTE Nejdek in the Czech Republic in 1992 ensured competitiveness on the international market. WITTE also grew into a group of companies through the acquisition and majority shareholdings in several German companies.
WITTE Automotive Bulgaria was founded in Ruse in 2009. In addition to many other products, more than 30,000 pieces of the tolerance compensation system WITOL® are manufactured here every day on state-of-the-art assembly lines.
-
Global Player
In 2020, WITOL established two important subsidiaries: WITOL Automotive USA and WITOL Automotive Fasteners in Kunshan, China. This expansion has strengthened the company’s global presence and enables us to better meet the needs of our local customers.