Cleaning Up? – Lens Washer dlhBowles Eyes Growth
Burney Simpson
It’s no secret that much of autonomous driving technology depends on external cameras. So how do you keep the cameras clean of road dirt and other gunk?
One solution — use those nozzles and tubes that already spray fluid to wash windshields. Install them next to the cameras, use the same blue fluid for cleaning, and allow the driver to control the spraying just as they do when they clean their windshields.
Clean and simple.
Last July two firms that supply that cleaning hardware to the auto industry were merged to form a nozzle and tubing powerhouse. Or something like that.
Private equity and venture capital firm Morgenthaler, owner of Bowles Fluidics, purchased that firm’s competitor, the privately-held DLH Industries, and merged them to form dlhBowles.
Bowles was best known for its nozzles, and DLH for its plastic air and fluid handling assemblies, tubes and hoses.
The two had been “fierce competitors” as suppliers to auto OEMs, Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, and in licensing their products, said Jay Bargas, marketing director with the firm. Now, “the playing field is wide open.”
Auto OEMs have been installing cameras on their cars to offer such safety technology as blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and heads-up display under the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems rubric.
THE TREND IS YOUR FRIEND
That trend will intensify with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requirements that all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds manufactured after May 2018 have a rear camera.
Leadership spots in the new dlhBowles were divvied up among the firms’ executives with John Saxon, who had led DLH, named CEO, and Sri Sridhara, a Bowles chief, becoming the new president.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Morgenthaler invests in high-value North American manufacturing firms valued between $25 million and $150 million and EBITA over $5 million.
According to PlasticsNews, DLH had annual sales of about $50 million.
More good news — Forbes in December called Ford’s Self-Washing Front/Rear Cameras one of 2016’s hottest new-car features. DlhBowles supplies the camera cleaning system for a number of Ford vehicles, including the 2016 Edge and the 2016 Explorer.
The cameras in the two SUVs allow drivers to see around corners, Forbes claims. “(A)n added twist is that (the cameras) incorporate automatic lens washers to keep the view clear under all climactic circumstance,” according to Forbes.
