DARE

Product strategy

Valeo teams are constantly working to identify, understand and anticipate mobility needs – from two wheels to four or more, mobility for people and goods – and what technology is needed to meet these needs. We invest almost 10% of our sales in Research and Innovation, and 45% of our orders are related to products that did not even exist 3 years ago! This iterative process is constantly being reviewed and discussed with customers through Tech Days or Trade Shows to efficiently develop the most customer-focused solution.

Valeo is at the center of developing solutions for the challenges of tomorrow in four key areas: efficient electrification, ADAS, reinvention of life on-board and lighting everywhere. Our technologies not only equip cars and trucks, but also new forms of mobility such as electric bikes, autonomous shuttles, robotaxis and delivery droids.

To tackle these challenges, we rely on many areas of expertise, some such as hardware are at the core of what we have been building on for years. We also utilize expertise in areas that are newer to the mobility field, including software, artificial intelligence, power electronics and cyber security. Valeo also values skills such as product marketing and strategy to help us better anticipate market needs and opportunities, purchasing to enlarge our ecosystem, or IP to protect our know-how.

Expertise

As a tech company, we place great importance on the recognition of our technical expertise, in both products and processes. Valeo Experts provide support for prospective new products and the development of industrial processes. This is why we have created a dedicated career ladder for our Experts. They follow custom career paths that have specific rewards, internal training, and external networking and representation.

In 2022, Valeo counts more than 1,350 experts of 37 different nationalities in 24 countries around the world, in more than 300 fields of expertise.

Intellectual property

Innovation is part of our DNA. Want proof? Valeo ranks among the top 3 patent applicants in France, and top 50 in Europe! Our patents come from our team all around the world, anywhere our R&D teams are present, and in all our businesses: electrification, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), lighting and interior technology and equipment.

Protecting our innovation is strategic. This is how we demonstrate our capacity to innovate and how we secure our competitive advantage.

The CarLabs: Valeo’s international and transversal network of innovation labs

Because we dare to innovate at Valeo, we dedicated a special organization and methodology to boost innovation.

The CarLabs are first and foremost teams of talented experts where we value diversity of backgrounds and we adhere to three dimensions of innovation: Desirability, Feasibility, Viability.

The labs are also places designed and organized to facilitate innovation projects, to support new approaches and to foster creative confidence. The CarLabs are open to anyone in Valeo, and each acts as a landmark and facilitator of innovation on its site.

Each CarLab leads its own projects and brings support to other teams and innovation projects through workshops, design sprints, quick prototyping and user testing, as well as open exchanges and events.

Open Innovation ecosystem

Partnership with firms and start-ups

Being at the edge of innovation is also possible because we are open to the world. To boost our spirit of innovation, we work with a wide range of leaders specialized in mobility of people and goods in Europe, Asia and the U.S., whether big firms, start-ups, investors, local governments…

Our academic partnerships

To nurture innovation, Valeo is naturally interested in fundamental research, whether for new ideas or optimizing existing solutions. So we have strong collaborative relationships in the academic world. We work with the best universities and laboratories, and numerous research institutes, particularly in Europe, but also in the United States, China, Japan and India, where we have Research & Innovation teams. Research collaborations include participation in academic programs and joint laboratories, as well as the development of collaborative projects that accelerate synergies between research and industrial innovation. Our veteran experts as well as our young engineers and researchers all have an equally essential role to play in these research projects and collaborations with academic partners, particularly in new areas such as AI, cybersecurity, etc.