Newly merged Arvin Industries and Meritor Automotive intend to aggressively integrate their systems and products to expand the reach of both partners in the heavy-duty market.

Speaking at the late September IAA 2000 in Frankfurt, Germany, senior vice president Prakash Mulchandani said that the exhaust system expertise and ride-control experience of Arvin would both be areas where the two partners would quickly realize new opportunities.
Mulchandani said that the new ArvinMeritor would seek to introduce a range of SpiralLite heavy duty exhaust systems that would offer the same benefits -- 50% weight reduction and the latest emissions reduction technologies -- to the heavy-duty marketplace as the light duty marketplace has enjoyed..
According to the company, SpiralLite has introduced 25-35% weight savings in the light duty market while providing superior noise attenuation. At the same time, using materials such as titanium on the exhaust system construction brings major improvements in durability and corrosion resistance.
A number of other announcements surrounded the Meritor Elsa and Duco air disc brakes. The Duco is a design unique to Volvo and designed to complement the Volvo-designed wheelend. In line with Meritor's acquisition of the Volvo axle business, ArvinMeritor will supply completely dressed rear axles across Volvo's European FL range.
The Elsa is a second generation off the Duco and is claimed by ArvinMeritor to offer the leading swept area and friction area, the lowest wear rate for pads and discs and the leading pad volume of disc brakes used in Europe. Adding to the attraction of the Elsa air disc brake is a new electronic clearance sensing for the disc to pad clearance that enhances the brakes' performance in the electronic braking systems appearing in Europe. Additionally, a mechanical parking mechanism introduced for the Elsa eliminates the need for a compressed spring park brake chamber.
The Elsa disc brake is now being supplied to Renault for the premium cabover Magnum E-Tech and MAN's highly technological new series introduced this year in Europe as the TGA.
ArvinMeritor is also to be the supplier of a hydraulic disc brake for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. This all-steel bodies class 3-5 vehicle has been announced for North American availability and is due in the market here early next year.
The Meritor Tire Inflation System was also introduced to the European market at the Frankfurt show. Proven here to save up to 40% in trailer operating costs by maintaining trailer tire pressures, the system maintains pressure by bleeding air from the trailer air system.
At the show, ArvinMeritor underscored its ride and handling opportunities afforded through the availability of Arvin's Gabriel shock absorber range, introducing a composite trailer spring that offers weight savings, quieter running and complementary ride to the shock absorbers in the ArvinMeritor lineup.