Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the ProSteering business of JM Engineered Products, a Lebanon, Tennessee-based remanufacturer of all-makes power steering systems for the North American commercial vehicle market.
Upon closing, the transaction will incorporate the ProSteering brand’s products, manufacturing operations and its sales and service operations into Bendix’s steering business and remanufacturing unit. Complete integration is expected to take six to 12 months.
“With the addition of these top-line products to our lineup, the aftermarket channel will be able to turn to Bendix as a one-stop destination for an even wider range of high-quality products,” said Scott Burkhart, Bendix vice president of sales, marketing and business development. “And customers choosing the steering components – as with our existing products – can count on the backing of Bendix’s long-established post-sales distribution, service and support network.”
According to Dustin Carpenter, Bendix product line director for Steering, the company is working to ensure a seamless integration process for its customers. “As we navigate through the transition, our goal is to have uninterrupted product and service,” he said. “Customers should continue to use their existing order and day-to-day support contacts until they’ve been further notified.”
Beyond Brakes – Steering Adds to a Growing Reman Portfolio
With the addition of the team behind ProSteering, Bendix is adding a combined 85 years of deep knowledge of North American-based steering gears to further evolve its already deep manufacturing and steering gear expertise – built over six decades by Bendix and Knorr-Bremse Steering Systems, a division of the Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse Group. The company says that “know-how” will allow Bendix to even more quickly adapt its global steering prowess to better meet the needs of the North American market.
The acquisition complements its existing lineup of all-makes remanufactured products with a complete aftermarket portfolio of steering gears. It demonstrates how the company continues to grow its remanufacturing business, and further develop its operations and offerings.
The action also reinforces Bendix’s total approach to the commercial vehicle market – from technologies available through OE manufacturers to a full range of products available in the aftermarket for vehicle operators in every application.
“Strategic actions like this help to further enhance the depth and scope of our overall market and product positions,” said Carpenter.
Integrating Steering and DAS to Drive the Future
With an aim at shaping tomorrow’s transportation, steering technologies are a key part of the technology pathway to highly automated and autonomous vehicles. The integration, or fusion, of steering control with other systems, such as braking, advances driver assistance technologies (DAS) to the next level.
“Today, we can help drivers mitigate rear-end collisions, rollovers and loss of control crashes via the braking system,” Carpenter said. “In the future, we will be able to provide more advanced features, such as lane keeping, sideswipe crash mitigation, autonomous yard maneuvering and active cruise with braking and steering control as we move forward to even more automated applications. Brakes, steering and engine control are the keystones of future system fusion to drive further safety on the roads.”
Bendix emphasized that no technology on the road today – or for the foreseeable future – is more important to vehicle and road safety than the presence of safe, alert men and women behind the wheel, practicing safe driving habits and receiving the support of proactive, ongoing training. Advanced driver assistance technologies are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving, and responsibility for safe vehicle operation remains with the driver at all times.
Through an ever-growing portfolio of integrated technology developments and unparalleled post-sales support, Bendix delivers on areas critical to fleets, including safety, vehicle performance and efficiency. For nearly 90 years, the company has worked toward safer roads for everyone, helping to lower the total cost of commercial vehicle ownership and strengthen return on investment in safety technologies.
