Meritor Suspensys and inaugurate the suppliers Park MAN

The Meritor and Suspensys, is now 100% controlled by Randon (read here), have been the invitation of MAN Latin America to integrate its suppliers in Resende (RJ) with the opening of two plants to meet the maker of trucks and buses of Volkswagen and man. With an investment of R $ 90 million, of which r $ 40 million of Meritor, the two plants built on a total area of 70 thousand square meters will be responsible for supplying the vehicle assembly line with universal joints and axle Meritor, which are assembled from components supplied by Suspensys, such as cubes, drums, brakes, and suspension brackets.
For the President of MAN Latin America, Roberto Cortes, the first supplier park facilities mark the new phase of expansion of the automaker in the country.
"This is an important step to increase the speed of our Assembly line in Resende, which will optimize costs and process with production volume gains and scale, a more complete way than is done today. The operational and logistical gains will compensate quickly the investments and the biggest benefit is the end customer, "said Cuts during the opening ceremony of the two factories on Monday, 6.
For now, the operations of both the Suspensys and Meritor will only mount, informs the Director of the auto parts Division of Randon, Alexandre Gazzi: "if it makes sense in the future, we will be able to bring manufacture, but for now we will only in Resende the Assembly of systems." On the occasion of the inauguration, the President of Randon companies, David Randon, reminded of the partnership between Randon and Meritor, which began in 1996, with the joint venture Master, manufacturer of brakes, and in 2002, with another joint venture, Suspensys, which the Meritor just sell his half to control General of Randon.
At first the Meritor will provide locally and universal joints, front axles, and reveals the Vice President and General Manager of the company for South America, Silvio Barros. According to the Executive, the new factory has the capacity to meet current production of MAN, which this year is statutorily obliged to dispose of 60 to 65 thousand vehicles, including trucks and buses, but adds that the unit was designed to grow at the pace that the automaker dictate. "In the next few years, the MAN plans to reach 100 thousand units per year and Meritor factory has the capacity to grow up this volume", reveals.
Barros reports that with the new factory in sul-fluminense the company will be able to vent the line of its unit manufacter of Osasco, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. "The MAN will no longer consume of Osasco somewhere between 25% and 30% of its production, thus increasing, at the same rate, the ability of service to other customers," he says. Meritor de Resende plant is intended for the exclusive supply of the Assembly line MAN/VWCO, and according to the Executive, there is no possibility of extending its operations to the market. "This our second plant in Brazil gives us a new dimension of local growth and a replica of the development that we had with the factory. It's a great opportunity, but I believe in other investments besides Raj to meet market demand if necessary. "
In the case of Suspensys, the company has entered into an agreement with NHK technical and commercial-Rassini to produce beams of springs that will apply in the rear suspensions of semi-trailers and third axis that will be manufactured in Rio de Janeiro. This operation, which starts in the second half with a capacity for up to 30 thousand tons a year, marks the beginning of the Suspensys participation in the production of springs of their suspensions.
"With this partnership, our goal is to reduce costs and bring products lighter and faster to the market. In this case, the production will meet not only the MAN Latin America, but also the entire market, "said Alexandre Gazzi, Randon auto Division, adding that the replacement market will be a consequence.
GREEN AXIS
With suppliers at the door of the House, a MAN enjoys more easily from new technologies developed by companies that serve, as is the case of Meritor, which from September this year will produce what Silvio Barros named "green axis", whose Assembly process will include laser welding, which eliminates the use of screws. The product is already used by competitors of MAN, such as Volvo and Ford, which will apply in his new truck extra-heavy.
"It's Green because the removal of the bolts from the laser welding, we have succeeded in producing a semieixo weighing significantly less than traditional axles, which helps in reducing vehicle weight, and, as a result of their consumption. It has been proven that this technology brings fuel economy between 1% and 2%, i.e. every 100 trucks, you save a fuel truck, "he argues.
A MAN performs the final tests of the new green axis, which will be produced in Osasco (SP). The automaker must put it online until October this year.