ArvinMeritor Inc. has announced plans to restructure Dirona S.A., the Mexican joint venture with Quimmco, S.A. de C.V. of Monterrey.
The company will be renamed Sistemas Automotrices de Mexico and will be mutually managed by ArvinMeritor and Quimmco.
The restructured joint venture will establish a 50/50 partnership focused on manufacturing and supplying a combined offering of Dirona, Sudisa and Meritor brands of products (axles, air brakes and drivelines) for medium- and heavy-duty commercial trucks and trailers to vehicle manufacturers' facilities located in Mexico through ArvinMeritor. Additionally, the restructured joint venture will play an expanded role supplying ArvinMeritor and its customers globally.
"We're enhancing a long-term joint venture by further combining ArvinMeritor's marketing position and product technology with Quimmco established manufacturing and operations expertise," said Tom Gosnell, senior vice president of ArvinMeritor and president of the company's Commercial Vehicle Systems business group.
Dirona was founded in June 1975 as a joint venture between Dina, Rockwell Automotive (now ArvinMeritor) and Nacional Financiera as a supplier of rear and front axles, brakes and other related commercial vehicle components. Sudisa, which is now owned by Dirona, was a manufacturer and distributor of trailer axles to original equipment manufacturers.
According to Gosnell, ArvinMeritor will assume primary engineering, marketing and sales leadership in the Mexican market for the OE and aftermarket channels. "This will be accomplished by combining the established Dirona and Sudisa staffs with those of ArvinMeritor, thereby leveraging the combined experience of both teams," he said.
The specific components include truck steer and drive axles, trailer axles, trailer suspensions and tire inflation systems, drivelines, transmissions, brake components, clutches and wheel-end components. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and related components is supplied by Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, a long-standing brake supplier to the Mexican commercial vehicle market.
The current general manager, Armando Mirandez, will continue to lead the joint venture. The new board of directors, which is being established, will include ArvinMeritor's Gosnell; Brad Arnold, vice president and general manager, Commercial Vehicle Systems Axles; Rob Guy, vice president, finance; and Rakesh Sachdev, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Braking Systems.
"This enhanced relationship with Quimmco will allow us to provide customers with increased value-added service," said Gosnell. "We'll be able to deliver ArvinMeritor-designed, technologically-advanced axle, brake and wheel-end equipment modules for just-in-time delivery to our OE customers."
Quimmco, S.A de C.V. and Subsidiaries (Grupo Quimmco) is an industrial consortium based in Monterrey, Mexico, with businesses in the automotive components, chemicals and construction industries.
ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a $7-billion global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry.