Bendix on pace for record year

ATLANTA, Ga. – It’s shaping up to be a record-breaking year for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, which is on pace to achieve record sales.

Berend Bracht, president and chief executive officer of Bendix, said at the North American Commercial Vehicle show that while 2017 hasn’t produced the strongest truck market in recent years, the take rate for Bendix components and systems is improving.

“We will have the best year ever in quality performance, in take rates, and many other KPIs (key performance indicators),” he said during a press briefing.

Bendix is calling for Class 8 truck production to total 250,000 units in North America this year, with stable demand for Classes 6/7 trucks.

“So, we have a good market in terms of truck production,” he said.

Bendix has seen the take rates for air disc brakes, collision mitigation systems, and stability control, climb. The truck market, for example, has seen air disc brake growth increase nearly 40% this year, according to Keith McComsey, director, customer solutions, wheel end. They’re now being spec’d on about 23% of new trucks, due to safety and maintenance benefits. McComsey also credited the standardization of disc brakes at certain positions by truck manufacturers as a reason for the increase in sales.

Bendix is also benefiting from the push towards various levels of the autonomous operation of commercial vehicles, said Bracht. He noted Bendix systems are being used as the building blocks for autonomous driving. Systems like disc brakes, stability control, and collision mitigation will be required by autonomous vehicles and for truck platooning.

And Bracht is even more optimistic about the year ahead.

“Looking at what we know today, it’s going to be an excellent year for Bendix and for trucking overall, in talking to most of the fleets and also the OEMs. 2018 is shaping up to be more of the same, or even better, so the outlook is quite positive,” he said.

 

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James Menzies is editor of Today's Trucking. He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 20 years and holds a CDL. Reach him at james@newcom.ca or follow him on Twitter at @JamesMenzies.


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