Valeo is dedicated to the design, the manufacture and the sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and heavy lorries. 3 Fields of Innovation for surer, cleaner and more comfortable vehicles.

 Supporting the local community

Valeo is engaged on a daily basis in the development and well-being of local populations: a social bond that the Group fosters and supports through a multitude of initiatives. In Juárez, Mexico, for example, the backdrop of violence against women in the region prompted the Group to organize a range of solutions to improve the everyday life of its employees. The site launched a free bus service for its employees. The service provider is required to respect the strictest rules regarding the behavior of the drivers that it employs on these routes. The aim is to make sure that none of the Group’s employees become victims of assault. Employees also benefit from free breakfasts, lunches and dinners on site so that they do not have to leave the factory during working hours. Valeo has also set up a medical facility where employees and their families can consult a doctor every day and obtain medication free of charge.

Improving life for those with motor handicaps

In Garches, France, Valeo is contributing to the development of the wheelchair test and selection center run by the “Fondation Garches”. Valeo is a founding member of the “Institut Garches”, created in 1988, which became a foundation in May 2005 devoted to the mobility and the professional and family integration of people suffering from motor handicaps. The foundation federates a broad network of doctors, associations specialized in motor handicaps and managers from partner companies. Valeo works hand in hand with the professionals from the wheelchair test and selection center. In addition to its existing financial sponsorship program, in 2007 Valeo set up a program to build technological bridges between the automobile and wheelchairs. The Group’s R&D Department has launched a technological innovation program that aims to install an obstacle detection system onboard a wheelchair. The goal is to enable people who occasionally lose control of their movements to use a wheelchair and to benefit from a certain degree of mobility. Valeo has proposed to adapt ultrasonic sensors that warn occupants of the presence of obstacles and can slow down, or even stop, the wheelchair. While the research has only just begun, it should enable numerous patients to benefit from significant progress. For more information, log on to the www.handicap.org website.

Contributing to the debate on reconciling the automobile and society 

Panel at the first Valeo Forum in Paris in March 2008.

For several years now, Valeo has been developing innovative approaches aimed at enhancing automotive safety and environmental protection. The Group’s goal is to contribute to the debate about the role of the automobile in society, from the standpoint of an independent automotive systems specialist, resolutely engaged in the research and development of new technological solutions. It is therefore appropriate that the Group should work alongside other players who, throughout the world, are also striving to develop new and responsible automotive approaches. This commitment led to the organization in Paris in March 2008 of the first Valeo Forum, a round table discussion for automakers, automotive suppliers, public authorities, urban planners and end users. This first forum featured a constructive debate on the theme “Cars and Cities”. A second forum – based on theme “Safety: can technology do everything?” – was held in mid-September in Paris and others will be held regularly in the future. For more information, log on to www.forumvaleo.com