Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/290319
8 Industry Focus T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | A p r i l 2 0 1 4 Dealer News Penske Used Trucks has opened a commercial truck dealership in Torrance, Calif., where it will sell used light-, medium- and heavy- duty trucks, trailers and related equipment. Matheny Motors has been appointed to KME's sales and service network in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. Beall Trailers, part of Wa- bash National Corporation's Walker Group division, has started manufacturing its 406 petroleum and dry bulk tank trailer models at Walker Group manufactur- ing facilities in Fond du Lac and New Lisbon, Wis., in addition to its Portland, Ore., location. Four Star Freightliner has expanded its service department to include trailer inspection services. The company has locations in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Peterbilt of Atlanta – Jackson has expanded its parts and service departments to provide 24/7 service. Navistar consolidating engine manufacturing Navistar has announced it will consolidate its mid-range engine manufacturing as another step in its fi nancial turnaround efforts. As a result, the company will move mid-range engine production at its Huntsville, Ala. plant to Melrose Park, Ill. Navistar will continue to build its 13-liter engine at its Huntsville big bore engine plant. "As we have stated previously, we have too much excess engine manufacturing capacity in North America and we must take action to reduce our costs and improve the business," says Jack Allen, Navistar chief operating offi - cer. "The consolidation will further lower the company's breakeven point, strengthen our competitiveness in the marketplace and help position Navistar for a return to profi tability." When complete later this summer, the consolidation is expected to eliminate approximately 280 jobs at Huntsville and reduce Navistar's operating costs by about $22 million annually. Godwin Group to phase out Page suspensions The Godwin Group plans to phase out its Page brand of suspensions as part of a partnership with Hendrickson Specialty Products Auxiliary Axle Systems. As part of the partnership, Hendrickson Auxiliary Axle Systems will serve as primary lift axle suspension supplier to The Godwin Group. "Hendrickson is excited with the opportunity to grow the business relationship with The Godwin Group and their customer base. We look forward to working with the many loyal Page suspension customers and help them un- derstand the products Hendrickson offers, as well as, why The Godwin Group chose Hendrickson as their lift axle suspension of choice," says David Armold general man- ager, Specialty Products Group – Hendrickson Auxiliary Axle Systems. While the Page brand of suspensions is being phased out, The Godwin Group says it will continue to service Page cus- tomers with replacement parts and has made investments to ensure this can be done for the next several years. Hogebuilt relocates corporate headquarters Hogebuilt has relocated to a new facility in Goodlettsville, Tenn. Now in its 70 th year of operation, the company says it has outgrown the Springfi eld, Tenn. location it has occupied since 2009. "We occupy 25,000 sq. ft. in Springfi eld and our facility in Springfi eld could no longer hold our capacity," says Kyle Denu, president. "Due to our dealer base increasing and the rising demand from the end user (truckers), we elected to upgrade to a larger footprint to accommodate the infl ux in business." The new 43,000 sq.-ft. location will allow for greater manufacturing ef- fi ciencies and have ample space for market rate inventory to lower lead times for Hogebuilt's customer base, Denu adds. FleetServ partners with ESW Group FleetServ has formed a new partnership with ESW Group, a manufacturer of premium diesel particulate fi lters (DPFs). The partnership will enable Fleet- Serv to offer customers the complete line of ESW Group products alongside its array of fl eet products and services, the company says. "FleetServ is very selective with the products we offer our customers," says President Michael Schwartz. "Our years of experience in the industry led us to choose ESW Group products as the right choice for our customers because of its track record of superior performance and quality. We want our customers to know that we only represent the best technology available in the marketplace."