May 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC has been named the lead drum brake design center within the worldwide Knorr-Bremse organization, the European affiliate of Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems. With that, it's developing a full series of sizes, types, and programs with specific Knorr-Bremse customers in regions such as Asia and South America.

In North America, the Bendix-Dana wheel-end joint venture is enhancing its foundation drum brake offerings to meet proposed rulemaking from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration aimed at shortening stopping distance. A new family of high-performance foundation drum brakes is being developed to provide more torque, improve brake fade and offer greater consistency in stopping performance. The new design is being field tested this year in multiple combinations and in several vocations and environments.

Internationally, Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake added dozens of engineers and technical support personnel to update designs in Asia and South America with North American foundation drum concepts and millimeter-size brakes, including a 325- and 410-mm global drum brake.