Global Procurement

From a compliance perspective, purchasing is subject to special requirements and risks. Transparent processes are required to eliminate these risks. Any violations of the law should be prevented, fair competition created and regular inspections of the supplier base carried out.

Compliance with legal requirements, transparency and fair competition are essential components of our day-to-day business. Last but not least, this is how we ensure our company's long-term success.

For this reason, we place high demands on ourselves and our suppliers:

• Fair competition
• Combating corruption
• Data privacy
• Environmental protection
• Work safety
• Compliance with laws
• Avoidance of conflicts of interest
• Protection of financial assets and information

Our principles

Process-oriented purchasing at AL-KO Vehicle Technology plays an essential role in securing the long-term position and expansion of our company. The procurement of production materials, merchandise, capital goods, services and overhead cost requirements takes place in a global purchasing network. We place high demands on our suppliers and offer partnership-based business relationships for this purpose, with growth and development prospects.

Targeted purchasing

The intention is clear: We are responsible for ensuring cost-effective supply at high levels of quality for the world-wide production sites of AL-KO Vehicle Technology. In order to select the right suppliers, it is important to know the cost structures of the entire supply chain. Only with sufficient cost transparency is it possible to assess which suppliers are able to achieve the target costs. A prerequisite for this is the transparent provision of cost drivers by the supplier. This is not a question of doubting the supplier's profit. Rather, it is about identifying the cost drivers caused on both sides within the entire value chain. Our aim is to reduce the identified cost drivers together in order to achieve the best possible cost level. We see this as the basis for long-term partnerships and their constant further development.

In keeping with our "Quality for Life" principle, we only use the best metals and metal components. In addition to steel coils, sheets, as well as steel tubes and profiles, this category includes cast iron and forged parts.

• Slit strips:
  • CRC, HRC, HDG, aluminium
  • Material thicknesses: 1.5 - 8.0 mm
  • Slit strip widths: 36 - 650 mm
• Sheets
  • CRC, HRC, HDG
  • Material thicknesses: 1.0 - 12.0 mm in KF, MF, GF
• Tubes:
  • Tubes according to EN10305-1/-2/-3, hollow sections according to EN10210/EN10219
  • Profiled tubes according to drawing
  • External diameter of 16.0 - 150.0 mm, wall thicknesses of 1.0 - 10.0 mm
• Rod material:
  • Flat steel, square steel, round steel according to EN10058, EN10278, EN 10277
  • Material thicknesses: 8.0 - 150.0 mm
• Cast iron parts:
  • Cast iron parts, raw and machined, magnesium, aluminium and zinc die-cast parts
  • Part weights: 10 g - 28 kg
• Forged parts:
  • Forged parts, raw and machined, from standard alloys
  • Part weights: 30 g - 22 kg

With this term, we mean products that round off our portfolio in the areas of axles and chassis in the light segment as complete suppliers for our customers. This includes electrical, electronic, mechanical and safety products.

Electrical and electronic products

• Electric motors: 12 V electric motors according to our specifications and stipulations for our motor-driven finished products
• Printed circuit boards: Equipped printed circuit boards in contract manufacturing incl. development for our driving safety products and manoeuvring systems
• Motor-driven finished products according to our specifications and stipulations

Mechanical products

• Folding supports / legs / support wheels / cable winches
• According to our specifications and stipulations
• Manufactured by metalworking processes (machined and formed)
• Mechanical and welded joining processes
• Surface coatings using galvanising and hot-dip galvanising
• Assembly of the individual components into a finished product

Safety products

• Rims, tyres and complete wheels
• Fittings, stanchions and hinges according to our specifications and stipulations
• Loading ramps made of aluminium sheets or extruded profiles
• Anti-theft devices for coupling heads according to our specifications and stipulations
• Cylinder locks according to our specifications and stipulations for our anti-theft devices
• Metal assemblies according to our specifications and stipulations

In addition to our own production depth, we purchase additional production material in this category. We distinguish between the areas of semi-finished products, components, plastics and surface coatings. This includes cold-extruded parts, stamped and plastic parts. We also need rubber moulding, mounting assemblies, bearings, cable pulls, DIN and standard parts, as well as surface coatings such as hot-dip galvanising.

Semi-finished products & components

• Bowden cables and cable pulls: For braked trailers and cable winches incl. cable, metal and plastic components according to individual specifications
• Brake hoses: Dimensions between 290 and 370 mm according to SAE J 1401 and drawing
• Bearings: Taper roller bearings, needle roller bearings, bushings, slide bearings according to DIN made of high-strength material and according to individual specifications
• Mounting assemblies: Welding assemblies and pre-assembled assemblies according to individual specifications (hydraulic, pneumatic,...)
• Shock absorbers: Air, gas spring and bag bellows shock absorbers
• Drum brake pads: According to individual specification

Stamped/bent/turned parts & welding assemblies

• Turned parts: Bearing screws, sliding rollers made of steel and non-steel, automatic turned parts and longitudinally turned parts with diameter: 4 - 65 mm and length: 5 - 350 mm according to drawing
• Springs: Compression, tension and torsion springs made of steel and non-steel according to drawing Wire diameter: 2 - 10 mm
• Cold-extruded parts: Axle stubs and screws, ready for installation, part weight 0.1 - 5 kg, pressed from wire and rod material, diameter 4 - 50 mm
• Stamped/bent/embossed/laser-cut parts: Sheet metal couplings and various drawing parts made of steel 2 - 8 mm thick
• Thermoformed parts: Such as sealing caps, steel 1 - 2 mm thick
• Connecting and safety elements: Standard parts according to DIN EN (screws, nuts, clamping sleeves) also according to drawing made of steel

Plastics

• Rubber moulding: Round cords, O-rings, drawing parts made of SBR and other thermoplastic elastomers
• Plastic parts: According to drawing up to 5 kg part weight in the centre of gravity as injection moulded part (1 component)
• Technical and standard thermoplastics as granules: POM, PP, PA, PE
• Technical and standard thermoplastics as semi-finished products: As plates and rolls in various dimensions and thicknesses: ABS, PS, ABS PMMA, PE, APET

Surface coatings

• Hot-dip galvanising, electro-galvanising, cataphoretic coating, powder coating

In addition to production material, our purchasing requirements include investments in production and assembly lines as well as the associated forming; stamping and progressive composite tools. High-performance service providers in the areas of IT, logistics and development round off this category.

• Investments: Production facilities, assembly lines, tools
• Services: Logistics, development, marketing
• Industrial/overhead cost requirements: Office requirements, IT hardware, occupational health and safety (PPE, operating equipment), packaging, e.g. corrugated board and cardboard boxes, Printed articles, e.g. operating manuals and catalogues