Navistar opens Texas plant
NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, THE producer of International Trucks and since July 2021 a wholly owned subsidiary of Traton, has opened its state-of-the-art San Antonio Manufacturing Plant in Texas.
Both diesel and electric trucks will be produced at the new benchmark facility which will improve quality, lower costs and provide capacity support to Navistar’s current manufacturing footprint.
The new plant complements Navistar’s existing assembly manufacturing operations, which include truck assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico, a school bus assembly plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a powertrain manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The sustainable manufacturing processes will be integrated in all existing manufacturing plants.
“The choices we make today will take Navistar to a new level of impact in the transportation industry. That’s why we are laying the foundation for the future in this plant, because the future begins with the decisions and investments we make today,” says Mark Hernandez, executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain.
The 93,000-square-metre facility includes a body shop, paint shop, general assembly shop and logistics centre equipped to produce Class 6-8 vehicles, including electric models.
The plant is a sustainable baseline facility in site, building and process practices, to serve as a benchmark for Navistar’s manufacturing network.
“In support of our company focus, we are taking actions to reduce the environmental impact of our manufacturing operations with the goal of becoming zero carbon as we transform the future of transportation,” said Hernandez.
“The first vehicle off the manufacturing line in San Antonio was the
International EMV Series electric truck; the purpose of the plant from inception was to have the capability to manufacture both electric and internal combustion engine powertrains in the same facility.”
The San Antonio Manufacturing Plant was also constructed with efficient energy use goals in mind. As part of the U. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings, Better Plants Programme, Navistar is committed to reducing energy intensity in San Antonio and other U.S. plants by 20% by 2030.
LEDS illuminate the plant, using 75% less power than conventional lighting, and translucent panels allow natural light to brighten the indoor space as a supplement to the lighting system. The building also includes energy efficient wall panels to better regulate indoor temperatures.
The plant will serve as Navistar’s benchmark for lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, improve product quality, drive operational efficiency, and reduce cost and time.
“We are incorporating the latest manufacturing principles – digital factory, connected machinery, robust lean manufacturing processes and cloud analytics – to enable predictive quality and maintenance, and allowing datadriven decisions to be made on the shop floor in real time,” says Hernandez.
In the future, Navistar plans to begin operations at the Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) on-site, which accelerates implementation of emerging technologies within the commercial trucking space. The ATC is focused on product development, testing and validation efforts supporting the company’s strategy, and will be a key location for future research and development footprint with a focus on zero-emission components, software and autonomous technologies.
The new manufacturing plant will bring approximately 600 jobs to the San Antonio area.
T&D