A quieter compressor

October 4, 2018 7:13AM by John G Smith

Gardner Denver’s new Hydrovane compressor has been designed for the demands of hybrid-electric and fully electric vehicles, delivering an optimized weight-to-air output ratio. Traditional compressors are heavier and noisier, and rely on a larger-capacity cooling system, the company says. This…

WABCO opens disc brake, compressor facility

March 27, 2017 12:00AM by John G Smith

LOUISVILLE, KY – WABCO has opened the doors to a new US $20-million facility in South Carolina that will for the first time give it a place to build air disc brakes in the U.S.

The 145,000-square-foot facility employs 230 people.

The manufacturing facility is 60% larger than a previous Charleston location that made air compressors, and will continue that work by producing single- and twin-cylinder models under a joint venture with Cummins, first established in 1998.

But it also has the capacity to produce about 200,000 air brake units per year, says Jon Morrison, president – Americas. In five years, he predicts the market for those products will be double what it is today, in part because of the rollout of active safety systems.