HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- Volvo Group has brought production of the Volvo I-Shift and Mack mDrive automated manual transmissions to North America.
The organization has spent US$8 million and created 50 new jobs in bringing production of its transmissions to the US, the company announced.
“This is an important addition to our North American production capabilities and highlights I-Shift’s tremendous growth since its introduction more than five years ago to the North American market,” said Ron Huibers, president, Volvo Trucks North American sales and marketing. “I-Shift has been a game-changer, providing Volvo customers clear fuel efficiency and productivity improvements. We’re glad to see the industry now adopting this type of technology.”
Also joining the assembly line at Hagerstown is Mack’s mDrive. Mack has been building powertrain components at the plant since 1961.
“Expanding our manufacturing activities in the US is important to Mack,” said Kevin Flaherty, president of Mack Trucks North American sales and marketing, and a vocal proponent of US-based manufacturing. “Bringing mDrive assembly to the Hagerstown facility while also meeting the growing demand we’ve seen since the transmission’s introduction in 2010 exemplifies our commitment to investing in what our customers need.”