Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems has announced the planned expansion at its Columbia, SC,  Friction Center is under way.  The new fourth quarter of this year,  2009, Haldex will be moving into a new facility in Columbia, South Carolina that will include the latest upgrades and equipment as well as an increase in manufacturing space that is three times larger than the current facility, the company said

There will be no interruption of service during this expansion, Haldex said, yet it expects to be completely operational in the new facility in early January. The company noted that its operational philosophy includes a “primary focus in the areas of running clean and efficient operations where customers can easily recognize the extensive quality driven processes as they tour these unique operations.”

The Columbia facility will be the sixth Haldex Friction Center to be expanded and upgraded. Facilities in Ontario, CA, Vancouver, WA, Grand Rapids, MI, and Nashville, TN have all migrated to this “next generation” operational model over the past 24 months. Expansion activity is also being completed at the Little Rock, AR center. The last facility, Harrisburg, PA, is slated to undergo the transition in late 2010 or early 2011.