Meritor and Pressure Systems International celebrated the production of the 1,000,000th Meritor Tire Inflation System, the companies have announced.

As part of the celebration, the millionth MTIS will be broken down and incorporated in 31 different trailers for fleet customers. The milestone unit was unpackaged and disassembled into different components so they can be installed by seven key OEM manufacturers.

"In 1993, it would have been impossible to measure the impact an automatic tire inflation system would have on the trucking industry,” said Bill Graves, ATA president and CEO at the celebration event. “The fact that now over one-million systems have been produced is a true testament to the safety and environmental impact automatic tire inflation systems are having on transportation.”

MTIS is manufactured for Meritor by P.S.I. in San Antonio. The system connects all tires on the trailer to a controlled air supply to fill and maintain tires at desired pressure setting. It automatically maintains proper and even pressure even while the vehicle is moving. MTIS routes air through a control box and the trailer axles to refill the underinflated tires.

By keeping tires inflated, MTIS can help extend tire life, reduce maintenance costs and reduce the risk of roadside tire issues, according to Meritor. The system can also increase fuel economy by an average of 1.4%, according to an FMCSA study.

“Manufacturing 1 million units is a milestone that far exceeds our competitors and speaks to our market leadership for a product with a growing customer base,” said Tim Musgrave, president and CEO of P.S.I.