Stators, rotors & DMFs: Garage Matters visits Schaeffler’s Hungarian plants

It’s one thing to crack open a LuK box and fit a dual mass flywheel (DMF). It’s another thing entirely to watch it get made.

Garage Matters recently touched down in Szombathely, Hungary, a vital hub in Schaeffler’s vast global network.

While Schaeffler operates over 250 locations worldwide, this specific site is a heavyweight. It is the engine room responsible for the DMFs, double clutches, and release systems you are fitting weekly.

But it doesn’t stop at the internal combustion engine. This site is also mass-producing the stators and rotors that power the next generation of vehicles. We went inside to see how the future is being built.

Electrification

We kicked off the tour at Plant II, Schaeffler’s dedicated facility for EV stators and rotors.

While the traditional factory next door is a familiar hive of mechanical cold-forming and heat treatment, Plant II feels like a laboratory.

It uses advanced “stamping” technology for electric motors that is as precise as it is reliable.

While the technology is very different, moving away from friction and towards magnetic fields, the manufacturing principle remains the same: precision engineering.

Schaeffler is investing in both this plant and the transition to new technology, ensuring that when EVs hit your workshop for complex repairs, the aftermarket parts and technical support will be waiting for you.

The powerhouse

Leaving the quiet precision of the EV facility, we headed to Plant I for the bread and butter of the aftermarket.
This is where the clutches, arc springs, and DMFs that keep workshops busy are manufactured.

The numbers here are hard to ignore. This facility alone churns out a yearly total sales value approaching €1 billion.

To put that in perspective, they are loading over 200 trucks a day with finished goods.

This isn’t a small batch operation; it’s an industrial titan ensuring you aren’t left waiting on backorders.

Seeing a facility of this magnitude, covering 200,000 square metres, reinforces that the supply chain behind your local motor factor is robust.

‘OE quality’ isn’t just a marketing term

Across both plants, one theme remained constant: the hard evidence backing up Schaeffler’s ‘OE Quality’ claim.

The factory walls are lined with “Zero Defect” and “Supplier of the Year” awards from the likes of Toyota, Ford, General Motors, and Mazda.

Specifically, the plant has received the Toyota Quality Certificate and GM’s Supplier Quality Excellence Award.

These aren’t handed out lightly. They require hitting incredibly high targets, such as delivering defect-free parts for consecutive months and years.

When you fit a part that has passed the same quality gates as the components going onto a brand-new assembly line, you are protecting your reputation.

A “zero defect” award at the factory level translates to zero comebacks at the garage level.

The message from Hungary is clear: you have the backing of a giant. Whether it’s an e-axle or a clutch kit, the engineering depth behind the box is immense.