The newly formed Brake and Wheel Ends (BWE) group of Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT) said it is developing system solutions to optimize the performance of brake and wheel end components for the heavy truck and trailer market.
Based in Cullman, Ala., BWE is currently comprised of the businesses of Webb Wheel Products Inc. OE, Severe Duty and Aftermarket; along with TSE Brakes. This group of companies will form the base for a business organized to offer the heavy truck and trailer industry complementary brake and wheel end components engineered to work together for superior performance, safety and life cycle costs. Additionally, BWE has announced plans to acquire new companies and enter into joint ventures to further build on the idea that components developed with the total system in mind will bring better benefits to the end user, according to the company.
“With the current make-up of the BWE group along with acquisitions and joint ventures, we can provide the commercial vehicle market complimentary products designed to work with each other, offering the end user better performance and cost profiles,” said J.T. Weis, BWE president. “For instance, when brake drums and linings are engineered together, there can be significant improvements in performance and life, benefiting fleets. Light truck and passenger car braking systems have long incorporated a friction couple model. However, in the commercial vehicle industry, brake drums and linings are still developed separately and may or may not compliment each other. We want to change that. There are significant other opportunities we are pursuing to marry products to give the end user system solutions.”
Descriptions of the current businesses within the BWE Group are:
• Webb Wheel OE Business, headquartered in Tell City, Ind., manufactures wheel hubs, brake drums and disc brake rotors. In addition to wheel-end products for standard heavy-duty applications, it produces Webb’s lightweight Vortex cast iron brake drum, as well as lightweight aluminum hubs.
• Webb Wheel Aftermarket Business, operating two facilities, in Cullman, Ala., and Siloam Springs, Ark., supplies a wide variety of wheel end products covering heavy- and medium-duty truck, trailer, bus, specialty and sever-duty applications.
• Webb Severe Duty Business, which changed its name from Webb’s Transit Business Unit to more accurately reflect its wide breadth of wheel end products designed for vehicles engaged in severe duty work, including transit/bus, refuse, construction, emergency and military. The dedicated manufacturing facility in Cullman, Ala., is designed for quick response to customer requirements with a fully automated high volume production line, along with separate mid/low volume lines.
• TSE Brakes designs, produces and distributes premium quality air brake actuators and undercarriage brake service parts for heavy truck, military and specialty vehicle markets. Core TSE air brake products include air brake actuators in S-cam drum and air disc brake configurations marketed under the Alumiline Omnibrake and Ultralife brands. Undercarriage aftermarket products include connecting hardware between actuator and brake drum.
During 2011, MHT’s Brake and Wheel Ends Group is expected to announce additional business partnerships, along with enhancements of current capabilities to further grow its presence in offering system solutions to the commercial vehicle original equipment and aftermarket segments, according to the company.