AVON, Ohio – This story begins in May 1988 with a single plant focused on assembly and machining for the controls business unit of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC. Today, Bendix’s campus in bright, sunny Acuña, Mexico, has grown to three state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and a bustling logistics center – with a fourth plant, a model for high-tech production, now under construction.
Bendix, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Acuña operation, credits many factors in its success and longevity. Chief among them are the operation’s diverse business portfolio; continuous investment in growth, with an emphasis on high-tech production capabilities; commitment to sustainability and community involvement; and the dedication of its employees.
The Acuña campus engages in manufacturing, remanufacturing, and assembly across a wide range of products – actuators, air dryers, antilock braking systems (ABS), compressors, integrated vehicle modules, and valves.
Coming online later this year is a new production facility using advanced automation to produce two emerging next-generation technologies: Global Scalable Brake Control (GSBC) and Global Scalable Air Treatment (GSAT).
The new 185,000-square-foot plant will add to the Acuña operation’s existing 412,000 square feet. The company will hire an estimated 200 employees for the plant, bringing the Acuña workforce to approximately 2,000 people.
“The remarkable record of achievements that Bendix Acuña has compiled over 35 years includes growth initiatives, sustainability progress, and – as illustrated by the newest facility being built – ongoing expansion of its high-tech production capabilities,” said Mike Hawthorne, Bendix president and CEO. “Of equal note are the operation’s team members, men and women who are exceptional at their jobs while also being deeply community-minded. They have helped make Bendix Acuña a valued corporate citizen in both its home community and in Acuña’s sister city across the U.S. border, Del Rio, Texas.”
Bendix Acuña also supports a distribution center in Mexico City that serves South American customers and houses the headquarters of Mexico-based OEM and aftermarket technical sales, training, and support teams. Bendix expanded its Mexican presence further in 2018, opening a new Technology Center in Monterrey.
Home for High-Tech Manufacturing
Acuña represents one of the fastest-growing Bendix manufacturing sites, and executives of Knorr-Bremse – Bendix’s Munich, Germany-based parent company – consider it a model manufacturing facility. Knorr-Bremse honored the Acuña operation as its top-ranked plant in 2011.
A hallmark of Acuña has been the active, ongoing investment in its manufacturing campus by Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles. Since 2016, funds totaling double-digit millions of dollars have been allocated for overall facilities improvements and strategic expansions aimed at broadening product lines and making the production floor even more lean, state-of-the-art, defect-proof, and safe.
To view the entire announcement, click HERE.
