In less than four years, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ remanufactured brake shoe operation has topped the 4-million-unit production milestone. Bendix’s rate of production has steadily increased to meet growing demand from fleets and owner-operators wishing to maintain the quality, performance, and compliance of their Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) brakes when replacing shoes, while optimizing value.
Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety and braking solutions for commercial vehicles, began serial production of reman brake shoes at its 74,000-square-foot Huntington, Indiana, facility in the fall of 2012. The facility handles the complete salvage, coining, and assembly processes that make up start-to-finish brake shoe remanufacturing in Huntington.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s RSD mandate, which took full effect in 2013, ushered in a new era of stopping requirements (under FMVSS-121) for drum brakes. In servicing these brakes, more and more vehicle operators are choosing RSD-compliant remanufactured shoes from a trusted original equipment (OE) supplier to preserve that high level of safety,” said Keith McComsey, Bendix director of wheel-end marketing and customer solutions. “Bendix achieves OE quality in our reman brake shoes by bringing them back to full OE specifications, rather than just relining them. Shoes remanufactured in this way deliver the durability, reliability, safety, performance, and extended lining life expected of original equipment – and needed for operators to compete in today’s industry.”
The value of Bendix remanufactured brake shoes is enhanced by the company’s friction portfolio, also engineered to meet the complete range of customers’ need for safety, performance, and value. Bendix continues to add new friction materials to its portfolio, which includes options ranging from economy and extreme-duty offerings to OE friction, and features the industry’s first RSD-certified aftermarket friction.
Remanufactured Shoes, the OE Way
The Bendix Brake Shoe Remanufacturing Center combines Bendix’s nearly 40 years’ experience in remanufacturing with Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake’s acknowledged leadership in wheel-end solutions and brake shoe manufacturing. Opened in 2012 and significantly expanded in 2014, the center is part of the multisite Bendix manufacturing campus in Huntington. Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC (BSFB) is a joint venture between Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Commercial Vehicle Products, LLC.
Unlike the majority of brake shoe reliners, Bendix coins 100 percent of its brake shoes to return the shoe to OE geometry so it will perform as designed by OE engineers. The Bendix coining process uses a 1,000-ton coining press, which applies the full tonnage needed to return a shoe to its proper shape and OE specifications. This crucial step corrects deformities caused by force and temperature changes during its previous life. Without this step, a reman brake shoe will not have the correct geometry to provide full drum contact, stopping power, and even wear – regardless if it is relined with new friction.
Similarly, to ensure correct lining attachment for maximum lining service, the Bendix assembly process uses the same riveting procedure employed for new Bendix OE shoes. In addition, Bendix reman brake shoes feature an exclusive premium coating that – when paired with high flexural strength friction and coining – virtually eliminates rust jacking and cracked friction.
“Our customers are clear on what they need in a reman brake shoe – it must maximize safety and performance by resisting premature lining wear and rustjacking to provide full service life. Bendix remains intently focused on meeting this need,” said Earl Brown, product manager, Reman Brake Shoes, Bendix.
McComsey noted that as fleets adopt more advanced safety technologies to help reduce the risk of potential accidents – such as collision mitigation and driver assistance systems, including Bendix Wingman Fusion – the brake system is the key component needed to complete the stop. “In order to take full advantage of these safety systems, when making replacement shoe decisions, it is important to continue to utilize OE replacement friction,” he said.
In addition to the RSD mandate, trucking today is also influenced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program. With it has come a focus in the commercial vehicle industry on CSA scores. Refining a reman process that produces brake shoes meeting OE specs, Brown added, is crucial to maintaining brake safety and performance in this demanding environment.
