Perfect fits for windscreens and rear windows, innovative technologies and outstanding durability: this is what the windscreen wiper brand SWF, founded in Bietigheim in 1922, stands for. In the beginning, the company still manufactured motorbikes. In the 1930s, the company moved to Feuerbach near Stuttgart and now produced turn signals and windscreen wipers for the automotive industry under the name "Spezial-Werkzeug-Fabrik Feuerbach GmbH" - SWF for short. Among other things, SWF brought out the first windscreen wipers for curved windscreens.
From the 1950s onwards, SWF established itself as a preferred supplier for the German automotive industry, supplying numerous car manufacturers and specialist dealers with indicators, turn signals and windscreen wipers. In 1955, the company was the first German manufacturer to launch a windscreen washer system, with which about 80 percent of all German passenger cars were equipped at that time. In addition, the market leader continuously expanded its product range, developing special windscreen wipers for trucks, commercial vehicles and buses. After the sale to the US company ITT in 1972, Valeo finally took over the innovative and globally successful SWF brand in 1998. Valeo continued the wide and high-quality product range and also continued to focus on production in Europe.
Premium flat wipers for the aftermarket
Valeo also introduced further innovations. In 2017, for example, Valeo launched the SWF Connect range for the aftermarket. It comprises 40 items covering 90 per cent of all vehicles with flat wipers. The range includes efficient flat baths for front and rear windscreens. The SWF Connect upgrade range also makes it possible to convert conventional bow-type windscreen wipers to the more efficient flat wipers. Connect wiper blades feature high durability thanks to their rubber coating, the asymmetric spoiler optimises the wiping result very efficiently, and the flat wiper technology applies even pressure along the windscreen.
AquaBlade™ exclusively for the independent market
The latest innovations for the aftermarket also include SWF AquaBlade™ technology. The patented technology distributes cleaning fluid via the wiper blades directly on the windscreen instead of via the nozzles on the bonnet. Not only is the windscreen cleaned more effectively, but the driver's view is less impaired, regardless of speed. According to an independent study, the SWF AquaBlade™ windscreen wipers also ensure more safety on the road. Launched in 2018, more than one million vehicles in Europe now use the efficient technology.
The full SWF wiper range is available for a further 70 model ranges this year. In addition, new vehicle models are added annually for AquaBlade™ to use this innovative technology. Furthermore, Valeo is the only manufacturer to offer the efficient cleaning wipers to the independent aftermarket. Innovations like these help to ensure that the company's history continues to read like a success story with great potential for the future: With a product presence in 50 markets worldwide and a coverage rate within Europe of almost 100 percent for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and buses.
