Bendix adding building, 40 jobs
By Lisa Green | The Journal Gazette
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC will invest at least $10 million over the next two years as it expands operations in Huntington with an additional building.
The manufacturer Monday said it is adding a sixth location, a 409,000-square-foot facility at 1515 Riverfork Drive, across from the primary Bendix plant in Huntington.
The extra space is part of a strategic alignment of manufacturing operations for Bendix and will help support its “escalating commercial vehicle aftermarket business,” according to a news release from the Ohio-based company. The purchase price for the former Stride Rite distribution center, shuttered in 2009, was not disclosed.
Bendix makes active safety, air management, and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles.
About 40 jobs are expected to be added over three years, including hourly production and warehouse fulfillment positions. The company does not disclose employee pay, Barbara Gould, Bendix communications director, said in an email response.
Total capital investment for the expansion is expected to be $10 million to $15 million, Gould said. Operations in the new facility could begin during the first quarter of 2020.
Bendix has been operating in Huntington, where it employs about 440, since February 1980. It has five locations within a five-mile radius, including manufacturing, remanufacturing and assembly sites, along with Bendix's primary North American distribution center.
“We're very proud of our nearly 40-year history here, and this purchase marks the start of another exciting new chapter for our team in Huntington,” Carlos Hungria, Bendix chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Our newest addition is just one more way we continue to optimize our manufacturing operations and distribution, while addressing customer demand at the highest level possible.”
In 2017, Bendix made a $3.8 million capital investment that included the addition of two new production lines to manufacture a portion of the company's vibration damper product portfolio.
Investments continued last year with the first installment of an expected $1.5 million capital plan, which opened the doors on a fifth building that expanded the company's distribution capabilities, the news release said.
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