LAS VEGAS – Accuride Corp. has reported that its “Fix and Grow” actions to restructure and upgrade core operations have improved operational performance and enabled the company to secure new long-term agreements for steel and aluminum wheels. Accuride made the announcement during a news briefing today at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week 2013 in Las Vegas.
 
In 2011, Accuride launched a two-year, $150 million investment program to restructure and expand its core wheel and wheel-end component operations, and upgrade the capabilities of each of its four business units. These investments included, among others:
 
·      $55 million for additional aluminum wheel capacity,
·      More than $35 million to restructure and upgrade its Gunite business, and
·      $21 million in environmental and safety-related facility upgrades.
 
Today, with its aluminum wheel manufacturing investments complete, Accuride says it has doubled its production capacity for forged aluminum wheels, while Gunite’s program to install advanced machining and assembly equipment, upgrade casting and consolidate its manufacturing footprint is 90 percent complete. Accuride also plans more than $30 million in steel wheel facility upgrades during 2013-15 and will announce details of its 2013 capital program later this year.
 
Accuride reports that its actions to restore the competitiveness and dependability of its core North American operations are resulting in marked gains in quality, delivery and lead-time performance, which are the metrics that matter most to customers. Due to the resulting positive impact on customer confidence, Accuride recently earned new long-term agreements with several key customers representing more than 70 percent of its core wheel business. The company also secured new aluminum wheel business of up to $30 million annually that it will serve using its newly expanded aluminum capacity. This leaves additional aluminum capacity open to enable Accuride to respond rapidly to growth in customer demand when the projected recovery in the North American commercial vehicle industry occurs in the second half of 2013.
 
Gunite’s casting and machining upgrades, meanwhile, are generating opportunities for the business to regain share, the company says. Gunite has been designated as a preferred aftermarket source by a key OEM and removed from new-business hold by all of its OEM customers, allowing fleets to specify Gunite products when ordering vehicles. Cast, machined and assembled in the U.S., Gunite components are competitively priced to both domestic and off-shore alternatives, and are available at the industry’s shortest lead-times on popular models, according to Accuride.
 
“The majority of our program to restore dependable operational performance across Accuride is now complete and already yielding gains in product quality, delivery, lead-times, pricing and competitiveness,” said Rick Dauch, Accuride president and CEO. “Thanks to the investments we have made in our core business, we are quickly regaining customers’ faith in our ability to support their needs while positioning ourselves for the projected market recovery to come.”