Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has completed a facility upgrade and expansion of its Huntington, IN, plant. The $3.2 million investment to the Bendix Brake Show Remanufacturing Center allows for the complete salvage, coining, and assembly processes that make up start-to-finish remanufacturing and can produce several million remanufactured commercial vehicle brake shoes annually, the company said.
“As the commercial vehicle industry continues to adapt to ever-changing regulations and compliance standards, fleets and owner-operators are turning in greater numbers to high-quality remanufactured brake shoes as a solution in their parts strategy,” said Henry Foxx, Bendix director of remanufactured products. “The Bendix Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center grew from our desire to provide reman brake shoes offering the durability, reliability, performance, and extended lining life expected of original equipment. With the completion of the next phase of production expansion, in tandem with our three-tiered portfolio of reman brake shoe offerings, Bendix is better equipped than ever to meet every customer’s need for safety, performance, and value.”
Bendix’s Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center employs 65 people, part of Huntington’s total roster of 430 employees. The center’s 74,000 sq. ft. bring the Huntington operation’s total to 547,000 sq. ft., comprising four manufacturing and assembly facilities as well as Bendix’s primary North American distribution center.
Upgrades to the Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center include the coining process, which returns used brake shoes to the shape engineered by their original equipment (OE) manufacturers. The new Bendix 1,000-ton coining press reproduces the original manufacturing methods, applying the full tonnage necessary to return the shoe to its proper shape and OE specifications.
Other improvements include a self-contained salvage and de-lining area, which prevents dust and other contaminants from reaching the painting and riveting process; four automated de-liners that remove the friction with greater accuracy and reduce the chance of accidental shoe damage; and two new 24-cu.-ft. blasters that clean the shoes in order to provide the best adhesion surface for the new lining. Additionally, a new 2,000-sq.-ft. paint line can handle up to 500 parts per hour.
