MHT Brake & Wheel Ends to develop performance brake and wheel-end components

The newly formed Brake and Wheel Ends (BWE) group of Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT) 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 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, AL supports all BWE businesses with product design and development, in-house prototyping, and extensive testing capabilities. Experienced 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. Test equipment on site includes a state-of-the-art heavy duty Link brake dynamometer with infrared camera and two rotary fatigue testers. On-vehicle testing is performed by Link-Radlinski at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Ohio.

Descriptions of the current businesses within the Brake & Wheel Ends Group are:

Webb Wheel OE Business: Headquartered in Tell City, IN, this Webb business manufacturers wheel hubs, brake drums and disc brake rotors in a modern, state of the art facility opened in 2005. In addition to wheel-end products for standard heavy duty applications, they produce Webb’s lightweight Vortex cast iron brake drum as well as lightweight aluminum hubs.

Webb Wheel Aftermarket Business: Operating two facilities, in Cullman, AL and Siloam Springs, AR, Webb Wheel Aftermarket supplies a wide variety of wheel end products covering heavy and medium-duty truck, trailer, bus, specialty and sever-duty applications. With over $20 million invested in high speed lines, robotics, vision systems and electronic measuring systems, Webb Wheel Aftermarket supplies the highest quality product with the shortest lead times in the industry.

Webb Severe Duty Business: Previously identified as Webb’s Transit Business Unit, the business recently changed its name to more accurately reflect their wide breadth of wheel end products designed for vehicles engaged in severe duty work, including Transit/Bus, Refuse, Construction, Emergency and Military. The Severe Duty dedicated manufacturing facility in Cullman, AL is designed for quick response to customer requirements with a fully automated (robotic) high volume production line along with separate mid/low volume lines.

TSE Brakes: 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. TSE leads the industry in development of high output technology (HOT). Through the HOT product line TSE has expanded significantly throughout Europe and is introducing HOT to North America

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.

Marmon Highway Technologies (MHT) is a group of sharply focused, fully empowered business units organized under four distinct segments aligned by customer and product group: Automotive Aftermarket, Commercial Truck, Heavy-Duty Trailer and Undercarriage. This structure encourages the sharing of expertise between related companies, while enhancing the ability to quickly respond to changing market conditions and individual customer needs. As a result, MHT companies are industry leaders in every market segment they serve.