Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake Expands Kentucky Plant
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Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake broke ground on a 130,000-square-foot expansion of its wheel-end manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Ky., according to a company news release Sept. 5.
The $65 million addition to the Bendix plant will increase air disc brake production capacity to keep pace with accelerating customer demand in North America, company officials said.
Bendix is expanding on nearly 8.5 acres immediately adjacent to its 302,000-square-foot building, a leased space the company is purchasing as part of the investment.
Among other improvements in support of Bendix’s North American air disc brake portfolio, the expansion will add a bracket weld machine center, a third brake production line, four brake caliper machining centers, engineering test capability, and an on-site medical clinic and wellness center, Bendix officials said.
Space also will be held in reserve to address long-term growth opportunities, company officials said.
The facility has more than 400 employees covering three shifts. Completion of the upgraded plant — which will total 432,000 square feet — is expected by the end of 2020, Bendix said.
Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake is a joint venture between Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and Dana Commercial Vehicle Products. It produces the lineup of commercially available Bendix-brand foundation drum and air disc brakes at the Bowling Green wheel-end facility. At its opening, in 2007, the plant had 133 employees and occupied 187,000 square feet.
Since then, Bendix has invested millions of dollars in production capacity and equipment, part of the company’s commitment to continually invest in its manufacturing operations, Bendix officials said. — Transport Topics
