Autocar has selected Bendix for complete assembly of the cab for its Xpeditor models. Last week, Bendix rolled the first cab module off the assembly line in a newly renovated, 75,000-square-foot Bendix facility initially dedicated to the Autocar business.
Located in Huntington, Ind., the facility represents substantial growth for the Bendix modules business.

The Autocar Xpeditor is a low cab forward Class 8 vehicle that offers state-of-the-art features ranging from improved cab ergonomics, integrated controls, and body-chassis interface to a new environmentally friendly and economically effective hybrid-drive refuse truck.

With the addition of the Autocar dressed cab, Bendix now delivers solutions for the complete menu of commercial vehicle modules. The manufacturing technology employed at the modules center features synchronized scheduling that permits parts to be delivered to the original equipment manufacturer just in time, and in the line sequence dictated by the OEM's production schedule. Bendix capabilities include development, assembly, and logistics for a wide range of modules incorporating valves, brake control, and driver control functions. Ultimately, these modules become part of commercial vehicles from some of the world's most recognizable nameplates including Autocar, Navistar International, General Motors, Blue Diamond, Kenworth, and Blue Bird.

The full scope of the Bendix module business is represented by the manufacturing operations in Huntington, along with the technical and engineering center at the company's Elyria, Ohio, headquarters. Assembly of integrated vehicle modules represents nearly 15 percent of the overall Bendix business mix for the company's Huntington operation. Since the inception of module production at Huntington, the business has experienced year-over-year growth of at least 30 percent annually.

Bendix produces more than 100,000 commercial vehicle modules in Huntington each year. Modules range from the simplest - such as a module that contains a vehicle's brake and accelerator pedals - to the most complex - such as the Autocar fully dressed cab module, incorporating 1,000 components from more than 140 suppliers.

Bendix will begin the Autocar assembly process with the shell of the cab and will transform it into a fully trimmed, operational cab for the Xpeditor refuse vehicle.

"Since introducing our module capabilities in 2000, Bendix has delivered solutions that help simplify the manufacturing process for OEMs," said Joe McAleese, president and CEO of Bendix.