The newly formed Brake and Wheel Ends group of Marmon Highway Technologies is developing system solutions to optimize the performance of brake and wheel end components for the heavy truck and trailer market.


Based in Cullman, Ala., BWE is currently made up of the businesses of Webb Wheel Products Inc., OE, Severe Duty and Aftermarket; along with TSE Brakes. This group of companies will form the base for a business organized to offer the heavy truck and trailer industry complimentary brake and wheel end components engineered to work together for superior performance, safety and life cycle costs.

BWE plans to acquire new companies and enter into joint ventures to further build on the idea that components developed with the total system in mind will bring better benefits to the end user.

J.T. Weis, President of BWE, offered an example: "For instance, when brake drums and linings are engineered together, there can be significant improvements in performance and life benefitting fleets. Light truck and passenger car braking systems have long incorporated a friction couple model. However, in the commercial vehicle industry, brake drums and linings are still developed separately, and may or may not compliment each other. We want to change that."

BWE has a modern, well-equipped research and development facility on its campus in Cullman. Product design incorporates 3D CAD, Finite Element Analysis and in-house prototyping capabilities that include an induction melt furnace and vacuum molding facility, rapid prototype printer, CNC and vertical lathes and a full metallurgical laboratory. Test equipment on site includes a state-of-the-art heavy duty Link brake dynamometer with infrared camera and two rotary fatigue testers. On-vehicle testing is performed by Link-Radlinski at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio.