21st March 2007 - Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake Introduces First Portable Foundation Brake Training Unit

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake today announced the introduction of the industry’s first portable training unit to demonstrate foundation brake assembly, disassembly, and proper maintenance practices. The new Foundation Brake Training Unit is part of the company’s complete system of hands-on foundation brake training modules, and it eliminates the need for Bendix customers to tear down their own vehicles or use partial brake hardware to conduct vital foundation brake training.

Part of a growing inventory of service and troubleshooting instruction tools available from Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake, the unit simplifies training by utilizing four full-size brake assemblies on a portable stand. It will be available to fleets, distributors, dealers, and vocational schools across North America. The training unit allows complete disassembly of the brake for instruction in identification, troubleshooting, and maintenance.

The wheeled unit, which is eight feet wide, 10 feet long, and four feet high when fully assembled, arrives at a training location in one standard shipping crate and features capabilities such as air application and release for demonstration of brake, slack adjuster, and air chamber functions, as well as a crane for installation and removal of hub/drums and hub/rotors for complete wheel-end training. It can be configured to meet any training expectation, from standard foundation drum brakes to wide drum brake packages, and air disc brakes to air disc brake/high performance drum brake combinations. The collapsible unit is available for the complete range of tractor and trailer vocations and applications and can be configured for training on one specific product or a variety of products. Flexible, interchangeable wheel ends feature the full range of Bendix brand products.

Technical instruction is provided by the Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake team, the 100 percent ASE-certified Bendix field service group, and the complete lineup of Roadranger® representatives. These experts complement the unit to provide hands-on training and education about foundation brake systems. This activity can also allow for the establishment of critical baselines for troubleshooting and failure analysis training.

“Fleets often have to pull trucks off of the road to conduct this type of hands-on training.  This practice both sacrifices fleet efficiencies and limits training to only current foundation brake configurations,” said Jim Clark, product line director for foundation drum brake. “Our new foundation brake unit addresses these challenges.”

Training can be scheduled by contacting any Bendix or Roadranger representative.  Nearly a dozen additional portable units are expected to be added by the end of 2007.

About Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC combines and expands the complementary wheel-end foundation brake technologies of two global leaders – Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Corporation. The joint venture, formed in July 2004, is a single, complete source for OEM brake system design, manufacturing, hardware, and support for all pneumatic foundation brake components and actuation systems, as well as all-makes coverage of nearly 50,000 medium- and heavy-duty hydraulic brake aftermarket parts. Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC is headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, with engineering operations in both Elyria and Kalamazoo, Mich. For more information, call 1-866-610-9709 or visit www.foundationbrakes.com.

Source: Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake Press Release