The South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Central SC Alliance and Richland County joined Pure Power Technologies, a Navistar company, in celebrating the inauguration of the company's research and development operation in the Columbia (S.C.) Technical Center Monday.
Company representatives and state and local leaders were on hand for the event.

Last fall, Navistar bought Continental Diesel Systems U.S. LLC to manufacture key fuel injection components for its MaxxForce diesel engines.

"One of Navistar's strategic pillars is to achieve a competitive cost structure by controlling our own destiny. By designing and manufacturing our own fuel system technologies, Pure Power Technologies enables us to do exactly that," said Eric Tech, president, Navistar Engine Group.

Pure Power Technologies LLC will vertically integrate research and development, engineering and manufacturing capabilities to produce diesel power systems and advanced emissions control systems for commercial and defense markets. Based in Columbia, S.C., Pure Power Technologies will operate a research and development center there as well as a manufacturing plant in nearby Blythewood, S.C.

The Columbia and Blythewood facilities are former Continental assets.

The company's new venture at the Columbia Technical Center will help it develop MaxxForce brand engines to the North American on-highway marketplace, including MaxxForce Advanced EGR emissions technology for 2010 and beyond, and will support Navistar Global Truck Group and Navistar Global Bus division in non-NAFTA growth areas.