Stemco (from "''Specialized Truck Equipment Manufacturing Company''") is a

Longview, Texas Longview is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and county seat of Gregg County; a small part of Longview extends into the western portion of neighboring Harrison County. Longview is located in East Texas, where Interstate 20 and U.S. Highways ...

, based company that manufactures and distributes products for the global

commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce to t ...

market. Its major product categories include wheel end products, brake products, intelligent transportation systems and

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspende ...

components.

History

Stemco was founded on March 1, 1951, by Ben Cook and Tom Davidson in St. Charles, Missouri, and originally manufactured

muffler A muffler (North American and Australian English) or silencer (British English) is a device for reducing the noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine—especially a noise-deadening device forming part of the exhaust sys ...

s and oil reservoirs for

commercial truck Truck classifications are typically based upon the maximum loaded weight of the truck, typically using the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and sometimes also the gross trailer weight rating (GTWR), and can vary among jurisdictions. United ...

s. The company moved to Longview, Texas, in 1958 to expand the company and began manufacturing new truck parts, including dual wheel adapters, hub hose carriers, drum check gauges and

exhaust Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to: Law *Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law ** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law ** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, in ...

accessories. This move led to an increase in production and employee growth. In 1964, Stemco was purchased by Garlock Inc, an industrial sealing company. In the following decades, Stemco began designing and manufacturing new products for use in the commercial trucking industry, such as hub oil seals, hubodometers and other products which have become standard additions to

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

truck component manufacturers. In 2007, Stemco began acquiring and partnering with other trucking equipment manufacturers. Stemco acquired V.W. Kaiser Engineering in 2008 to form Stemco Kaiser, Rome Tool and Die Co. in 2011 to form Stemco Rome and Motor Wheel Commercial Vehicle Systems in 2012 to form Stemco Motor Wheel. Partners and strategic allies include Duroline, BatRF, GAFF International and Crewson. In July 2015, EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPO), parent company to Stemco, completed its acquisition of the Veyance North American air springs business from Continental AG. The air springs business unit is the manufacturer of Goodyear air springs that are used in suspension systems, cabs and seats of commercial vehicles. Previously part of Veyance Technologies, Inc., which Continental AG acquired in January 2015, the business is now part of EnPro's Stemco division. The addition of the air springs business unit significantly expanded Stemco's presence and scale in the commercial vehicle suspension market and brought a workforce of approximately 530 employees. In August 2020, Stemco sold the Stemco Motor Wheel brake drum and Crewson brake adjuster brands to

Hendrickson International Hendrickson Holdings, L.L.C. is a privately held American holding company located in Woodridge, Illinois which, through its subsidiaries, designs and manufactures medium- and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric and air suspensions; integrated and no ...

Innovations

Stemco manufactures trucking products designed to improve vehicle safety and reduce maintenance needs, including intelligent drive systems, such as Aeris by Stemco, an automatic tire inflation system. Crewson, a brake component manufacturer, partners with Stemco to manufacture and distribute an automatic brake adjuster. Other innovations include BatRF, a

radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the ...

product that monitors trucks and keeps detailed records of travel, distance,

tire pressure Cold inflation pressure is the inflation pressure of tires before the car is driven and the tires(tyres) warmed up. Recommended cold inflation pressure is displayed on the owner's manual and on the placard (or sticker) attached to the vehicle doo ...

, maintenance needs and other statistics useful to fleet managers. Stemco has also introduced DataTrac, a mileage counting hub-mounted odometer system.

Brands

* Aeris – Aeris by Stemco is an automated tire inflation system that simultaneously monitors tire pressure while reducing tread wear and alerts operators when tires are in need of maintenance or replacement. * BatRF – BatRF is a data collection system for trucks designed to monitor important information, such as monitoring distance traveled, tire pressure, fuel levels and expenses, and vehicle condition or maintenance needs. Stemco distributes the BatRF system. * Stemco Brake Products – Stemco Brake Products manufactures heavy-duty brake lining products in conjunction with Duroline and Crewson (sold in August 2020), two leading producers of brake products and system components. Major products include Stemco Motor Wheel brake drums (sold in August 2020) and Stemco Rome New Steel Shoes. * Stemco Gaff – Stemco Gaff specializes in bushings, mounts, engine supports, torque rods and subcomponents for truck suspension systems. * Stemco Kaiser – Stemco Kaiser tests and manufactures pins and bushings for kingpin, suspension kit and no-ream repair kit applications.

References

External links

* {{Fairbanks-Morse Auto parts suppliers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Texas Longview, Texas American companies established in 1951 Manufacturing companies established in 1951 1951 establishments in Missouri