At a news conference at AAPEX in Las Vegas, MAHLE Clevite outlined future plans for its new division specializing in the tool and equipment segment. Max Dull, who was recently named manager of the new division in North America, said the company will announce a new name for the division during the first quarter of 2014.

Dull said the foundation of the new division is MAHLE Clevite’s RTI division, a former RTI Technologies company MAHLE acquired earlier this year that specializes in the development and distribution of automotive maintenance equipment, including air conditioning service, fluid exchange and nitrogen tire inflation systems. The division also is strengthened by MAHLE’s test systems and the integration of the Behr Group into MAHLE, which MAHLE says now ranks the company among the leading OEMs worldwide in vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling.

“We are in the process of putting together an exciting strategic plan for the division,” said Dull. “Not only will we introduce new products and product enhancements to our current product lines, we have already begun work on new products that we plan to introduce in late 2014.”

Dull says through the acquisition of RTI, MAHLE is positioned as a premium solution for the equipment industry. “The quality of our products is unparalled. And we recognize that technicians will pay for quality. With the quality built into our machines, there is less of a chance for vehicle comebacks because the job was done right the first time.”

Dull points out that because of automation built into the machines, technicians can work on other jobs in their shop, which helps improve productivity. Supported by the strength of MAHLE as a leading automotive supplier, Dull sees a bright future for the division as well as for the MAHLE Aftermarket business and the opportunity to take its product lines to a new and exciting level.