Hendrickson, a Boler Company; and AxleTech International, a General Dynamics company, were awarded two contracts from Navistar Defense LLC to equip 250 International MaxxPro Dash ambulances and 471 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles with independent suspension systems. Hendrickson and AxleTech have teamed to develop the suspension systems that will be delivered for vehicle integration under two recent US Marine Corps contracts.
As a Tier 1 supplier, Hendrickson leveraged its experience with heavy-duty suspension design and systems and in vehicle integration to manage the program and lead the engineering, testing, and validation of the system, from its headquarters and advanced test laboratory in Woodridge IL. The system uses AxleTech's field-proven planetary axle independent suspension technology for the MaxxPro Dash. Axles for the MaxxPro Dash program are assembled by AxleTech on a dedicated assembly line, joining AxleTech's independent suspension system to Hendrickson's engineered subframe.
Production work began in June 2011 at Hendrickson's Kendallville IN facility, which has a workforce of approximately 215 employees, and AxleTech's Oshkosh WI facility, which has a workforce of about 200 employees.
Visit www.hendrickson-intl.com or www.axletech.com for more information.