Navistar San Antonio Manufacturing Plant sets groundwork for sustainable future
Navistar has officially unveiled its million-square-foot San Antonio Manufacturing Plant, opening the doors to a facility that can produce battery-electric and combustion-driven Class 6-8 trucks on the same line. Production at the plant, in which Navistar has invested more than £250 million, officially began in January, and once fully staffed it will produce 52 trucks per day. But work here in Texas will also lead to future products and guide the production processes used at the OEM's other facilities.
Workers install a wheel on a vehicle as it takes shape on Navistar's assembly line in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo: Navistar)Sustainable manufacturing processes, for example, will be integrated at other Navistar plants in Springfield, Ohio, and Escobedo, Mexico; a powertrain plant in Huntsville, Ala.; and a school bus assembly plant in Tulsa, Okla.
"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," said Mark Hernandez, executive vice-president - global manufacturing and supply chain. "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."
It's only fitting that the first vehicle to roll off this assembly line was a battery-electric International eMV truck. Another 30,000 square feet will be developed specifically to outfit such vehicles. But the environmental commitments go beyond that.
By 2030, Navistar plans to slash the energy intensity at all its U.S. facilities by 20%. Here in Texas, that involves using LED lighting and translucent panels to help brighten the indoor space. Upgraded wall panels help regulate indoor temperatures, too.
One thing you won't find at Navistar's manufacturing operation is paper.
The facility is paperless. (Photo: Navistar)
"Industry 4.0" principles, meanwhile, help to connect digital and physical tools that guide real-time decisions on the shop floor, supporting lean manufacturing, sustainability, and efforts to control costs and increase product quality. Also described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0 approaches first took shape in Germany about a decade ago, promoting the broader use of computerized manufacturing. The underlying principles help manufacturers understand rapid changes to technologies, industries and processes that come through smart automation and interconnectivity.
Physical signs of the concept can be seen everywhere from San Antonio's automated guided vehicles that shuttle cabs and engines throughout the plant, to the computer monitors that plant personnel use to source information on a truck's build and parts during each step of the assembly process. There's no paper to be found. There is more to come.
A future Advanced Technology Center at a second San Antonio property will be used to accelerate emerging and Industry 4.0 technologies in commercial trucking, Navistar says, referring to plans for product development, testing and validation.
It will also play a central role in work on zero-emission components, software, and autonomous technologies.
Navistar's manufacturing facility brought nearly 600 jobs to San Antonio, Texas. (Photo: Navistar)
The San Antonio plant will bring close to 600 jobs to the area, up from about 400 today, and Navistar also refers to commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion that guides them. "The culture we're building in our San Antonio Manufacturing Plant is one that values safety, quality, work ethic, and respect above all things," said Rod Spencer, plant director.
- More to come