Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) has announced its intent to close its distribution center in Sparks, Nevada, and consolidate the operation and all parts inventory into the Bendix Distribution Center (BDC) on the company’s Huntington, Indiana, campus. Bendix expects to complete the consolidation this year by the close of the second quarter.
The BDC is the company’s primary North American distribution point. The announcement marks another step in Bendix’s long-term effort to enhance the company’s customer-focused operational efficiency.
According to a press release:
“Delivering value to our customers is at the core of all we do,” said Piotr Sroka, Bendix president, chief operating officer, and chief executive officer. “Consolidating our U.S.-based distribution operations into the state-of-the art, multishift-enabled Bendix Distribution Center at our Huntington location ensures improved responsiveness and flexibility for our customers – including increased accessibility. Thanks to a full slate of continuous improvement actions underway – and with new expanded hours for our shipping operation out of Huntington – we expect our service and responsiveness to improve even more as a result of this action.”
Today, Bendix ships the majority of customer orders for parts from Huntington. The company expects no changes to availability going forward and little to no customer impact as the consolidation is completed.
Bendix launched the Sparks distribution center operation in 1992. Its closure and consolidation into Huntington will not affect the ongoing operation of Bendix distribution centers in Mexico City, Mexico, or Montreal, Canada. Those facilities will continue operations unchanged, serving as strategic locations across the company’s North American marketplace.
“The decision to undertake the shift and shutter the Sparks facility was reached only with careful evaluation and consideration, including for those contractors – no full-time Bendix employees work at the site – who will be impacted by the closure,” Sroka said.
A member of Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse, Bendix is the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles. Bendix has been operating in Huntington since February 1980. Currently, the company operates four locations within a 5-mile radius, including the distribution center and manufacturing, remanufacturing, and assembly sites. The complex is the site of continual growth and expansion, reinforced by the company’s business unit-focused approach.
