RAPA Automotive agrees long-term deliveries with two top German suppliers
Since 2020, the medium-sized RAPA company group has had a representative and sales office in Shanghai. The commitment to the Chinese market has been very successful from the beginning and is now continuing with new orders for the automotive division: two leading German suppliers to Chinese car manufacturers have signed framework agreements for the production of solenoid valve blocks for air suspensions.
RAPA expects a delivery period to be six years. The orders have a total volume of around 24 million euros. Both customers from the supplier sector are specialists for electric drives and chassis components. They supply the most innovative Chinese electrical brands.
Proven special valves made in Selb
The air suspension blocks will be installed in electric vehicles in the future, with series production scheduled for 2022. The valve blocks from RAPA are based on a tried-and-tested, excellently functioning technology that has already proven itself in semi-active chassis for decades. They are an elementary part of the air supply system that supplies the vehicle’s air springs with compressed air as needed. In this process, the RAPA valve block regulates the air volume in the individual air spring bellows, allowing the distance between the road surface and the vehicle underbody to be adjusted. The special valves, manufactured in Selb, enable the ground clearance to be adjusted quickly.
In terms of speed, flexibility and reliability of a compressed air supply system, the RAPA modules guarantee consistent values. This is particularly relevant for station wagons, off-road vehicles and SUVs in order to keep the level of the vehicle constant under different loading conditions. The same applies to driving at high speeds on the road or in rough terrain. As ground clearance increases, larger bumps can be overcome without coming into contact with the vehicle’s underbody.
Reducing drag, saving energy
Level control is also used to lower the vehicle body at high speeds, thus reducing air resistance. This also reduces energy consumption. Another advantage of air suspension is its excellent comfort, which is why it has become almost the complete suspension system used in the premium segment.
Absolutely up to date: RAPA solenoid valve blocks are used both in vehicles with combustion engines and in battery-electric vehicles. In addition, all valve variants can be adapted to different customer-specific requirements.
RAPA Automotive is one of the world’s recognized engineering and technology partners for components and system solutions in the automotive industry. The division produces at locations in Germany and America.