Bendix’s Huntington, Ind., Facility Earns Recognition From Its Parent Company

ELYRIA, Ohio – The Huntington, Ind., manufacturing campus of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has received the 2014 KB-Truck Knorr Excellence Award, given by the Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse (KB) Group at its World Meeting in March. Bendix is a member of KB, which is a worldwide supplier of pneumatic braking and related safety systems for commercial vehicle and railroad applications.

Each year, KB awards two locations – one in its rail business segment and one in its truck business segment – the Knorr Excellence recognition for outstanding achievement within the Knorr Excellence (KE) business metrics. KB’s truck business segment consists of 18 facilities globally. Performance categories included in the KE metrics are:

Business – total sales, sales per employee, return on sales, working capital
Customer – customer returns, cost of product quality, delivery performance
People – turnover rate, absenteeism rate
Society – workplace accidents, energy efficiency
Supplier – supplier quality, material savings

Bendix opened its Huntington location in February 1980. The campus consists of four manufacturing and assembly facilities, as well as Bendix’s primary North American distribution center. More than 450 employees work at the plant.

“We are very honored and excited to be named the top plant among all of KB’s world-class truck facilities. It’s a great achievement for the entire plant and the result of a true team effort from every area of our business,” said Fred Stevens, interim plant manager for Bendix at Huntington. “We are focused on driving continuous improvement that starts with our shop-floor management process and carries through everything we do every day to achieve our goals. Everybody has to work together to make that happen.”

Huntington’s plant manager, Mike Pogorelc, is currently completing a short-term international assignment for KB.

In addition to the KB award, work done at the Huntington campus has been consistently recognized by high-profile commercial vehicle manufacturers. Most recently, in 2014, the operation received quality manufacturing awards from PACCAR – maker of Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks – and Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), which builds vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates.

The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) announced the launch of its 65th-anniversary fundraising initiative. Running through July 1, 2024, the campaign aims to raise $65,000 through 1,000 donations of $65 each. This impactful effort highlights the industry's commitment to taking care of its own, the AACF said.

From sudden illness and death to natural disasters, the foundation has provided assistance to industry professionals and their families during their darkest hours. As AACF celebrates its 65th year of service, it remains steadfast in its mission to provide financial support and resources to those in the automotive aftermarket industry in need, the organization said.