Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA is an internationally operating German automotive parts supplier headquartered in Lippstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Sally Windmüller founded the company in 1899 under the name Westfälische Metall-Industrie Aktien-Gesellschaft (WMI) to produce ball horns, candles, and kerosene lamps for carriages.

Today Hella has six different production manufacturers in Germany, which are located in Lippstadt, Bremen, Recklinghausen, Hamm (Bockum-Hövel), Nellingen, and Wembach.

At the moment Hella cooperates with several different companies, such as Mahle Behr, Plastic Omnium, Samlip, Leoni, Mando, TMD Friction, and, innocent.

That same year, Hella sold its Danish subsidiary Holger Christiansen A/S to the automotive supplier Bosch.

Their management decided for a program to lower the costs and increase efficiency so that in the following fiscal year 2006/07 an operational gain could be recorded.

The Automotive Segment consists of the development, production, and marketing of lighting and electronic components and systems both for vehicle manufacturers and for other suppliers.

The Special Applications Segment serves target groups ranging from the producers of construction machinery through boat builders right up to municipalities and energy suppliers by providing them with innovative lighting and electronic products.

With infrared (lidar), 24-GHz radar and camera, and ultrasonic sensors, Hella offers here a technology portfolio and the corresponding series experience.

Another important business segment is electronic components such as position sensors, actuators, vacuum pumps, and wash water systems.

[5] Thus Hella supplies the automotive aftermarket and garages with comprehensive and continually growing parts ranges in the core areas of lighting, electrical, electronics and thermal management.

Police, emergency services, fire departments, agencies for technical aid, and numerous other operators of deployment use special vehicles made by them.