El legado de logros ... el Futuro con la historia de la promesa Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC

A Legacy Of Achievement … A Future With Promise The History Of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a member of the Knorr-Bremse group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, air brake charging, and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name for medium and heavy duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 2,000 people, we are driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle performance, safety, and overall operating costs. Our two primary market segments are Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) and Aftermarket (AM).

Our OEM operation produces original equipment for major worldwide truck and engine manufacturers such as PACCAR, Detroit Diesel, Volvo, Mack, Daimler Trucks North America and Navistar International. The Aftermarket operations remanufacture a wide range of air brake components as well as stocking new replacement parts, both of which are distributed to independent distributors, OEM parts distribution centers and dealers, and government and foreign customers.

In addition to our multi-building operations in Huntington, Indiana, manufacturing and distribution centers are strategically located across North America in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Acuña, Mexico; Sparks, Nevada; Mexico City, Mexico; along with Vancouver and Montreal, Canada.

A Legacy Of Achievement Today’s Bendix® automotive businesses began producing air brakes in a small corner of the Westinghouse Union Switch and Signal Company in Pennsylvania in the early 1920s. By 1930, Bendix Aviation Company and Westinghouse Air Brake joined forces to form Bendix- Westinghouse Automotive Air Brake Company, located in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania to produce air brakes for heavy vehicles.

In 1941, the company and most of its employees moved to Elyria, Ohio, to occupy a newly built, then ultra-modern production facility that today houses our company headquarters. By 1969, Bendix Aviation acquired 100 percent ownership of the company, forming the Air Brake Division of the Bendix Corporation. The name was changed to Bendix Heavy Vehicle Systems Group in 1973.

An Indiana facility opened in February 1980, when the Bendix Heavy Vehicle Systems Group built a new warehouse and distribution center in Huntington. The facility employed approximately 30 employees during its first year of business, servicing customers throughout the Midwest region. By 1983, Bendix Heavy Vehicle Systems Group joined AlliedSignal Inc. (then Allied Corporation) and the division became an operating unit of the company’s automotive sector. In October of 1993, our name changed to AlliedSignal Automotive, Truck Brake Systems Company, as a direct result of our joint venture with Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse. In conjunction with this shift, we then became our own business unit within AlliedSignal Inc.; referred to as AlliedSignal Truck Brake Systems Company.

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AlliedSignal and Knorr-Bremse operated a complete air brake joint venture. AlliedSignal served as the majority owner and managed the North American operations, including those in Mexico. Knorr-Bremse staked a 35 percent investment and managed the European operations.

In 1999, AlliedSignal Inc. merged with Honeywell International Inc., and the operating unit became known as Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a division of Honeywell. The company expanded its manufacturing operations throughout North America in 2000 by opening two plants in Acuña, Mexico, and a sales and distribution facility in Mexico City. The manufacturing facilities in Acuña focus on heavy vehicle manufacturing for braking systems and include electronics, valves, hose, air dryer and compressor assembly.

A Strong Foundation For Global Growth On January 24, 2002, Knorr-Bremse moved forward in its long-term strategic global growth plan, acquiring full ownership of Bendix from Honeywell and changing the company name to Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix CVS). Today, the privately owned Knorr-Bremse Group remains a worldwide leader in braking systems for both railways and commercial vehicles. The company employs nearly 15,000 people at more than 60 locations in 25 countries. Bendix CVS is the North American headquarters for the commercial vehicle group.

In 2004, Bendix and Dana Corporation formed a joint venture known as Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC (BSFB). Widely anticipated in the market, the joint venture is a single, complete source for OEM brake system design, manufacturing, hardware, and support for all foundation brake components and actuation systems, as well as all-makes coverage of nearly 50,000 medium- and heavy-duty aftermarket parts. BSFB is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, with engineering operations in both Elyria and Kalamazoo, Mich., and a state-of-the-art foundation drum and air disc brake manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Ky. It serves as the global Center of Competence for drum brakes, slack adjusters, and actuaters while providing valuable support to Knorr-Bremse’s growth in emerging markets such as Russia, India, and China.

Achieving growth through sales and strategic business expansion, in early 2006, BSFB formed a strategic alliance with Gorilla

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