TRW Automotive has ridden the wave of the recovering automotive industry. The company makes safety-specific features for cars, which consumers are starting to demand from manufacturers more and more says TRW Chief Financial Officer Joseph Cantie.
U.S. carmakers vastly increased their production this November, according to data from Ward's Automotive. Following the production increase, TRW's third-quarter sales jumped 10% from the previous year, to $3.4 billion.
TRW has two key strategies to help it thrive in the bumpy auto industry. One is to produce products such as seat belts and brakes that every car needs, both because of regulations and consumer demand. The second is to produce features that help cars reduce their emissions.
Coincidentally, Cantie says, those two strategies work together. For example, TRW's electric steering and braking systems make cars lighter than traditional systems, increasing efficiency. Increased efficiency will become more and more important as countries follow the lead of Europe and Japan and implement heavier car emissions standards.
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