Barcelona, Spain and Kyoto, Japan—Ficosa International, a Spanish automotive systems and components maker, and OMRON Corporation (TOKYO: 6645, ADR: OMRNY) , a Japanese automotive electronics maker, have agreed to form a joint venture dedicated to the development, production and commercialization of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) technology for the automotive sector worldwide.

The alliance between Ficosa and OMRON will be a 50-50 joint venture, combining the experience of both companies in the field of ADAS functions and technology. The new company will benefit from Ficosa’s sector know-how and knowledge and experience in integrating systems and components in the vehicle, as well as the know-how and leadership of OMRON in areas such as electronics, sensors and technology vision cameras.

The joint venture will engage in the development, production and commercialization of driver aid systems, focusing on detecting, recognizing and informing the driver of what’s happening around the vehicle (360 degrees: front, back, side, vertical, and horizontal fields of view). This will allow the driver to react as necessary to avoid accidents, always giving priority to the safety of the driver and the occupants of the vehicle. Among the systems and functions the new company will develop are blind spot detection, lane departure warning, parking assistance, start-up warning, vehicle recognition, traffic sign recognition, rear monitor, front light recognition, short-range observation and pedestrian recognition, all with the added value of integrating several functions, such as those related to front vision, in a unique system.

The new company will be headquartered in Germany, with a subsidiary in Spain. It will take full advantage of Ficosa and OMRON’s global network of technical and production centers in Europe, Asia, South America and the NAFTA area (USA, Canada and Mexico) to provide integrated global service to customers. The company’s objective is to supply technologies and systems to vehicle manufacturers for new models currently under development, on a global scale.

The transaction shall be closed following clearance with the relevant antitrust authorities.

Among automobile industry technologies, systems that support driver safety promise some of the largest growth over the coming years. In 2012, 15% of all new vehicles around the world are expected to incorporate ADAS technology.

Ficosa and OMRON to Form Joint Venture to Develop and Supply ADAS Technology for Vehicles