ArvinMeritor Inc. announced September 20 at the IAA Hannover Commercial Vehicle Show that it plans to invest $42 million to advance its foundation brake leadership position in Europe. This investment is focused on five key areas:
- Expansion of the successful ELSA air disc brake and S-Cam product lines
- Development of future generation braking technologies
- Vehicle and lab performance testing and validation
- Best-in-class manufacturing technologies
- Customer service and support
"This major investment underscores our commitment to leadership in the global foundation brake business," said Carsten Reinhardt, chief operating officer for ArvinMeritor. "We are dedicated to further enhancing our capabilities in product development and manufacturing technology to be the partner of choice for vehicle manufacturers worldwide."
With more than three million ELSA disc brakes in service, the company is leveraging its experience to enhance the performance of current product lines and grow its product portfolio:
- Next evolution of the Meritor 225L and 225H disc brakes with improved strength-to-weight ratio for heavy duty truck and bus applications
- Weight-optimized Meritor 225T disc brake for trailer and lighter-truck line haul applications
- New Meritor 410mm S-Cam drum brake for heavy duty applications
In addition, ArvinMeritor is investing in advanced engineering to develop tomorrow's foundation brake technology including electro-mechanical actuation, active adjustment and smart heat management.
To further support product development, the company is investing in additional test and validation capabilities, including a new NVH and thermal imaging dynamometer capable of testing complete corner modules including axle, suspensions and wheel-ends; a new advanced three-axis vibration rig to analyze effects of vibration more accurately and a much increased vehicle test fleet to analyze products in real operating environments.
ArvinMeritor will also invest in world-class manufacturing systems, including advanced machining and fully automated assembly systems as part of the company's drive toward zero parts per million defective.
About ArvinMeritor
ArvinMeritor Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket for the transportation and industrial sectors. The company serves commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets, and light vehicle manufacturers.
