Commercial vehicle supplier Accuride Corp. is adding a forged aluminum wheel manufacturer to its operations, following an agreement with Kamylon Capital to buy its Forgitron Technologies LLC holding. The value of the purchase was not announced.
Forgitron is a rotary forging operation in Camden, SC, that produces commercial truck wheels according to a proprietary technology for OEMs, contract manufacturers, and the aftermarket. It also has on-site heat-treating. Accuride indicated it plans to buy the 80,000-ft 2 plant and “convert the production of the facility to Accuride-branded aluminum wheels.”
Technical details of the process conversion were not released. The new owners plans to cease production at Camden for about 30 days to convert production to the Accuride brand, and to integrate the manufacturing systems and controls, customer order management, and sales programs.
Accuride Wheels is one business unit of Accuride Corp., producing steel and aluminum wheels for heavy and light trucks. Accuride has manufacturing operations at Erie, PA, Henderson, KY, London, Ont., Monterrey, Mexico, and Springfield, OH.
Accuride Corp. also produces wheel-end components and assemblies, truck body and chassis parts and other commercial vehicle components marketed under the Gunite, Imperial, Fabco, Brillion, and Highway Original brands.
“This acquisition strengthens our core product offering by increasing our aluminum wheel capacity, giving us a close-to-customer production presence in the Southeast, and affording greater flexibility to balance production between three aluminum wheel plants,” stated Accuride president and CEO Rick Dauch. “These significant benefits underscore our commitment to maximize production efficiency and offer high-value quality products to our customers, while generating stronger financial returns for our shareholders.”
Accuride said the South Carolina plant would augment efforts underway to increase aluminum wheel capacity in the Erie plant and to introduce aluminum wheel production at Monterrey. Last fall, it outlined a $13-million expansion involving more machining and polishing equipment for finished products at those two plants.
“We look forward to working with the Camden team members as we begin the integration process,” Dauch stated.
