ArvinMeritor Named 2009 Heavy Duty Remanufacturer of the Year by APRA

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- ArvinMeritor today was named Heavy Duty Remanufacturer of the Year for 2009 by the Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group (HDRG) of the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA). The award was presented to Doug Wolma, general manager-remanufacturing, ArvinMeritor, here at the fourth annual Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group Summit, held in conjunction with Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week in Las Vegas.

According to Bill Gager, president of APRA/HDRG, the award is given to a company or individual who has demonstrated innovative ways to create and grow a successful business model and in the process, supported industry efforts to advance the remanufacturing craft. Gager added that the decision to select ArvinMeritor is significant in that it represents a departure from past APRA awards, which have been given to solely independent firms in the reman business.

The award recognizes the company's efforts to expand its portfolio of remanufactured products, grow revenue, streamline its production and distribution systems, and develop innovative processes like PlatinumShield™, a unique coating developed by ArvinMeritor to prevent corrosion and rust-jacking on remanufactured Meritor brake components.

"Our company has always supported the remanufacturing industry, and we're proud to be recognized by that industry for our ongoing commitment to this market," said Wolma. "Throughout nearly two decades but especially over the past few years, we continue to transform our remanufacturing business to deliver more products that provide parts in form-fit-function right out of the box at a lower price."

"Our company's entire engineering team is responsible for much of our remanufacturing success today, since the team tests products and processes to help us exceed customer expectations," added Wolma.

In North America, ArvinMeritor supplies remanufactured components under the Meritor and Mascot Truck Parts brands.  In this region, it operates two dedicated remanufacturing facilities: a 275,000 sq. ft. plant in Plainfield, Ind., and a 100,000 sq. ft. facility in Toronto area.  Additionally, Mascot operates three regional facilities to better serve the customer bases.

Prior to 2009, the company established four strategies to meet the growing need for remanufactured components:

• Build a comprehensive portfolio of all-makes remanufactured components
• Delivery within 24 hours for 95 percent of customers through 27 locations across North America.
• Create unmatched product innovation.
• Implement lean manufacturing processes for a best-in-class, high-volume production system.

"We have taken great strides toward our goal to enhance our leadership in the heavy duty remanufacturing industry," said Wolma.  "We're not just a remanufacturing operation – we're developing innovative products for this market segment."

ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket for the transportation and industrial sectors. The company serves commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets, and light vehicle manufacturers. ArvinMeritor marked its centennial anniversary in 2009, celebrating a long history of 'forward thinking.' ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For important information about the company, visit arvinmeritor.com.

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SOURCE ArvinMeritor, Inc.