The newly formed Brake and Wheel Ends (BWE) group of Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT) says it is developing system solutions to optimize the performance of brake and wheel end components for the heavy truck and trailer market.
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 complimentary 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.
A modern, well equipped Research and Development facility located on the BWE campus in Cullman, Ala supports all BWE businesses with product design and development, in-house prototyping, and extensive testing capabilities, according to the company. BWE engineers begin the development process by identifying specific product design profiles that when mated together can offer a systems solution with enhanced benefits for the end user. Product design incorporates 3D CAD, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and in-house prototyping capabilities that include an induction melt furnace and vacuum molding facility, rapid prototype printer, CNC and vertical lathes and a full metallurgical laboratory.
J.T. Weis, president of BWE says, “With the current make-up of the Brake and Wheel Ends 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. For instance, when brake drums and linings are engineered together there can be significant improvements in performance and life benefitting 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 complement 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.”
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 their presence in offering system solutions to the commercial vehicle original equipment and aftermarket segments.
