Sypris Technologies Inc. landed a new long-term contract with Detroit Diesel Corporation to supply forged Sypris Ultra™ series lightweight axle shaft, for use in the latter’s Detroit™ Axle series products. Louisville-based Sypris noted the supply agreement covers both current and new business, but it declined to detail the estimated value or the length of the contract.
Detroit Diesel is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, which is a Daimler AG subsidiary. It manufactures heavy-duty diesel engines and axles for the commercial truck market. Both engines and axles are machined and assembled in Detroit.
Detroit Diesel produces front-steer, single-rear, and tandem-rear axles, and all are configurable with braking systems used by Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built, and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. commercial vehicles (all of which are Daimler Trucks North America nameplates.)
“We are pleased to expand and extend our strategic relationship with Detroit Diesel Corporation and the Daimler family of companies. Daimler is the global leader in the commercial vehicle industry, and we are proud that the Sypris Ultra series will provide it with important competitive and performance advantages in the market place for years to come.”
Sypris forges axle shafts, trailer beams, and many other parts required by automotive, truck, off-highway, farm equipment, mining and energy markets. One of its two plants in Louisville, KY, has hot forging, cold extrusion, and machining capability for heavy truck, automotive, off-highway, farm equipment, energy, and power transmission customers. (The other plant is Tube Turns Inc., a manufacturer of closures, joints, and specialty pipe components for oil, gas, petrochemical, and processing applications.)
Sypris also has a plant in Morganton, NC, where it performs low- to high-volume machining of cast and forged products, and trailer-beam forming and machining.
A plant in Toluca, Mexico, forges and machines I-beams, knuckles, gears, pinions, and shafts.
The Sypris Ultra series axle shaft is a patent-pending, lightweight component for drive-axle assemblies that help vehicle manufacturers to reduce weight and lower material costs. The designs also offer advantages to fleet owners, including shorter braking distances and greater fuel efficiency, according to Sypris.
