Meritor is strengthening its product portfolio by launching two new axles & two new brakes platform for the light & medium duty segment.
“The new axles called 11X & 13X have been developed end to end in India for local market conditions and requirements with latest technology inputs from Meritor globally,” said Mr. Nagaraja Gargeshwari, Director, Engineering & Program Management, Meritor. “The India engineering team in Bangalore and Mysore has the capability to design, develop, prototype and validate the entire axle. While the 11X axle caters to the 7-10T GVW segment, the 13X will cater to the 12-16T GVW segment. These axles have higher power to weight ratio, greater efficiency and wide ratio band and are available with options to provide a noise-sensitive gearing for bus application. They have been specially designed taking into consideration the next generation Indian applications.”
The 11X axle has 20 per cent more torque capability than the previous generation product of the same size, which means it is a more power dense solution compared to its predecessor. Due to its innovative architecture, it has significantly lower number of parts which improve the system reliability and manufacturability. The performance of the bearing system has also been improved to result in higher efficiency.
The 13X helps Meritor to address the product gap in its axle portfolio. It raises the benchmark of power density by taking on the applications which the previous generation products did at 20 kg higher weight. As the Indian market moves to BS4 and the engine powers go up, the rear axle ratios become faster, and this product will cater to the majority of the 12-16T GVW. The same product developed in India is being made popular by Meritor in North America as well.
“The new brake products will improve alignment of our brakes portfolio with the new vehicles platforms that are being launched”, said Mr. Subhash Gupta, President for On highway Axles & Brake Business. “This, combined with our footprint expansion strategy, will not only help us to serve our customers better but also to grow our business”
The 325 mm S cam brake – Meritor is reintroducing its air actuated twin web 325 mm diameter drum brake to market with improved torque and efficiency. This brake is now approved for 7 T to 10.4 T GVW vehicles. The brake comes with two different shoe widths – 120 mm and 140 mm – and generates up to 900 kg-m torque to cater to most of the vehicles running with this size of brakes in India. Design upgrades to brake shoe, cam-shaft, bushes and spring have improved the efficiency of the brake.
“These products also have a huge export potential in the future, in regions like ASEAN, Europe and South America. We are actively pursuing opportunities in this direction while working with other Meritor locations”, said Dr. N. Muthukumar, President for Operations & Export. “The manufacturing processes used for these axles are the most advanced. This helps both in terms of higher performance and productivity. In the last few years we have significantly transformed our manufacturing facility to a world-class level”.
The 360 mm S cam brake – Meritor is launching for the first time air actuated twin web 360 mm diameter drum brake to Indian market. This brake is approved for vehicles from 10T to 13T GVW. The brake comes with two different shoe widths – 140 mm and 170 mm – and generates torque of up to 1050 kg-m. These brakes can be offered with multiple liner options to suit the customer requirements. They have been tested to the stringent Meritor standards for performance and durability to meet all vehicle test performance requirements.
Mr. N.P. Thimmaiah, VP & Managing Director Meritor India, said: “I am extremely proud to say that the team in India has got end to end capability to develop, validate and industrialize any product requirement within our portfolio”.
“With these new product additions, Meritor India is now in a position to provide the OEMs a complete solution – Axle + Brake + Wheel end for the entire range the light & medium duty segment. The power dense axle, high performance brake and oil-lubricated wheel end package provide the new generation commercial vehicles with the next level of efficiency, reliability, durability and competitive advantage to the end user,” he added.