LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Meritor will be opening a new distribution center in Mississauga this April, which will serve provinces from Manitoba east.

Its Edmonton distribution center will continue to serve Western Canadian provinces, announced Brett Penzkofer, Meritor’s vice-president of aftermarket, North America, during a press conference during Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Week.

Meritor is working on improving its aftermarket parts delivery. It has shortened delivery times and accuracy rates. Part of this process has included reducing the number of carriers it uses to ship parts from certain facilities, which has reduced damaged shipments and lost containers.

Meritor has also expanded its lines of aftermarket parts to ensure customers can choose the product with meets their performance and cost objectives. The new Mach line is the least expensive option, with Meritor Reman, Euclid and Meritor falling into the “better” category, Penzkofer explained. Rounding out the line is Meritor Genuine, which features the best quality parts that deliver OEM original performance and are “continually updated with the latest design enhancements.”

Krishna Natarjan, senior director, steering, suspensions and drivetrain, introduced the Driveshaft on Demand program. It delivers a driveshaft to the customer within 24 hours of the order being placed.

Meritor has also launched a new Authorized Rebuilder program, with the first four rebuilders to be accepted all based in Canada. They include The Gear Center, Capital Gear, Coast Powertrain, and ULT Powertrain.

“All four have been long-term partners with us,” said Natarjan. The program will be rolled out in the U.S. later this year.

Aaron Bickford, senior director, brake and wheel-end aftermarket for Meritor, announced availability of a new Dr. Preload, in partnership with Temper. The second-generation 900-series Dr. Preload, makes it faster and easier to set wheel-end bearings to a more consistent and optimal setting, according to Bickford.

Bickford also noted demand for air disc brakes is increasing, at a rate of about 2% in each of the past four years.

“We think that by 2025, air disc brakes will make up 40% of new Class 8 truck build,” he said. “We can see this continued momentum taking over share from drum brake technologies and we intend to remain a leader in brake products and aftermarket.”

Among its newest offerings in this category are new Mach air disc brake pads, which, said Bickle, “match up against lower-priced competitors but from a performance perspective, exceed typical aftermarket brake pads.”