Preh Car Connect becomes JOYNEXT

Automotive supplier Joyson Electronics bundles activities in the areas of infotainment and connectivity

DRESDEN / NINGBO, May 8, 2020 —— The Joyson Electronics Group, Ningbo/China, bundles its activities in the field of car infotainment/connectivity and thus adapts its structure to changing market developments. In the new company, named "JOYNEXT", Joyson Electronics is bringing together Joyson Preh Car Connect, Ningbo, China, previously a subsidiary of Joyson Electronics, Preh Car Connect GmbH (PCC), Dresden, previously a subsidiary of Preh GmbH, Bad Neustadt, including the production site in Oborniki/Poland, as well as additional teams of specialists in China, Japan and Korea.

The new management team of JOYNEXT consists of CEO Yuan "Kevin" Liu, who is also Vice President of Ningbo Joyson Electronics Corporation in Ningbo, and Co-CEO Stavros Mitrakis, previously CEO of Preh Car Connect. All employees of PCC in Dresden, Oborniki and Japan will be transferred to the new group and become employees of JOYNEXT. The global headquarters of the new group is located in Ningbo, China and also includes two Chinese subsidiaries in Shanghai and Dalian.

Within the Joyson Group, the former PCC parent company Preh GmbH will be focussing on the business segments Car HMI, Commercial Vehicle HMI and E-Mobility.

The new structures support both companies in realizing growth potential in important technology fields.

New structures as adaptation to global market trends

This is Joyson Electronics' response to the strong growth in the Chinese market as well as to global market trends. CEO Yuan "Kevin" Liu says: "The establishment of JOYNEXT is a strategic decision that will allow Joyson Electronics to take the entire business to a new level. This shows the high priority the area of car infotainment / connectivity has for the Group."

CEO Stavros Mitrakis explains: "In Dresden, we are working on future technologies that are becoming more and more important for our customers, leading car manufacturers worldwide. The car is no longer just a means of transport. In fact, it’s a multimedia system fully connected and networked to the IoT. On the way towards autonomous driving, the vehicle's data communication with mobile devices such as smartphones, vehicles (V2V) or with any other infrastructure facilities (V2X) is becoming increasingly important. This is as important as the continuous new and further development of cloud-based services. Therefore, we’re strengthening our intensive activities in this area within the entire Group.”

Innovation driver in the field of car infotainment and connectivity

JOYNEXT develops and produces innovative systems and software solutions for car infotainment and navigation as well as V2X systems and cloud services. As a direct supplier for automotive manufacturers (Tier 1), the company has proven a track record of more than 20 years as a reliable development partner for navigation and communication systems for renowned OEMs such as the Volkswagen Group.

The Dresden location, where software specialists and engineers work intensively in a collaborative network on highly innovative future projects, is of particular importance. Preh GmbH, Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale, and its Chinese parent company Joyson jointly took over the former TechniSat Automotive in April 2016 and integrated it into the Preh Group as Preh Car Connect. With a high level of commitment and in close cooperation with internationally leading research institutes, technologies and innovative overall solutions for the automotive industry are created today in the Saxon state capital.

Great opportunities for the Dresden location

The cooperation with our colleagues in China opens up exciting new opportunities to drive innovation. In future, JOYNEXT will test new concepts and ideas even more intensively in the Chinese market, which is extremely fast and technology-oriented. The Group intends to continue to grow with the same vigour on the European market and convince with its developments.

To achieve this, JOYNEXT relies on close cooperation and a lively exchange between China and Dresden, both in terms of management and at the employee level. For JOYNEXT, Dresden remains the central location for research and development, with great opportunities for the future.

"If you want to successfully drive forward the megatrends of mobility and connectivity and in particular the connected vehicle, and want to be on board with the global requirements of automobile manufacturers, you need expertise and innovative strength as a company," emphasizes Mitrakis. "JOYNEXT has the technological and innovation expertise that are required for this. Together with our shareholders, we are extremely well positioned."

About Joyson Electronics 

Joyson Electronics (SH600699) is committed to develop the driving experience more intelligent, more safety and more environmentally friendly in auto safety systems, intelligent auto electronics, E-Mobility, car connectivity and high-end auto components. Joyson Electronics aims to be the most accountable partner, innovator and leader for world-class automotive manufactures in automotive safety and smart driving. With more than 100 bases containing 4 main R&D Center in 30 countries, over 50,000 employees globally, it is headquartered in Ningbo, China.