Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has begun construction on a new production facility at its operation in Acuña, Mexico. The plant will use highly automated manufacturing processes to produce two emerging, next-generation technologies: Global Scalable Brake Control (GSBC) and Global Scalable Air Treatment (GSAT).
The facility, which joins three other state-of-the-art manufacturing plants and a logistics center on the Acuña campus, is the latest step in the ongoing expansion of the bustling operation. Initial occupancy is slated for November 2023. The campus, opened in 1987, engages in manufacturing, remanufacturing, and assembly across a wide range of products–antilock braking systems (ABS), air dryers, compressors, valves, actuators, and integrated vehicle modules.
GSBC and GSAT are new brake control and air treatment modular global systems that are designed to be adapted to customer needs in various markets. The high integration of base and advanced technologies enables more flexible installation options, making adaptability to different vehicle platform requirements and needs easier. In addition, GSBC and GSAT advanced capabilities and diagnostics enable the groundwork for automated driving.
Bendix’s new, 185,000-square-foot plant will add to the Acuña operation’s existing 412,000 square feet. The company will hire an estimated 200 employees for the plant, bringing the Acuña workforce to approximately 2,000 people. The new lines will begin production on a staggered, multiyear schedule commencing in 2023.
Acuña is one of the fastest-growing Bendix manufacturing sites. Executives of Knorr-Bremse, Bendix’s Munich, Germany-based parent company, consider it a model manufacturing facility. Knorr-Bremse honored the Acuña operation as its top-ranked plant worldwide in 2011.
