A new heavy-duty axle line anchors a $30 million investment at Mack Trucks’ Hagerstown, Md., operation, where the manufacturer has built powertrain components since 1961. “Bringing axle production to Hagerstown allows us to oversee the manufacturing process—from design to assembly—and deliver the high-quality components our customers depend on,” says Mack Trucks North America President Stephen Roy. “Building engines, transmissions and now axles under one roof also demonstrates our continued commitment to integrated powertrain design.”
In addition to adding drive axle operations to Hagerstown, the investment spanned upgrades to the engine assembly process and centralization of aftermarket core warehousing operations. Powertrain integration has been a pillar of Mack’s design approach for more than 115 years; through it, the company has the ability to engineer its proprietary components to work seamlessly together, contributing to optimized vehicle performance.
Mack proprietary drive axles are engineered with a top load design and spiral bevel gears, delivering what engineers note are improved articulation, superior durability and increased fuel efficiency. Customers seeking even greater fuel efficiency can spec Mack proprietary axles in combination with the Super Econodyne powertrain package, which integrates the Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission, Mack MP 7 or MP 8 engines and custom software.
“Hagerstown has played a crucial role in powering Mack’s truck models for more than 50 years,” notes Mack Vice President of Powertrain Production Pierre Jenny. “With this new axle manufacturing capability, we are truly the birthplace of Mack’s famous Gold Bulldog, which adorns every Mack model equipped with a complete Mack proprietary powertrain.”
Mack brought assembly of the Mack mDRIVE automated manual transmission to Hagerstown in 2012. Mack announced the mDRIVE HD, a heavy-duty version in February 2015, at the 2015 World of Concrete, adding it to the Hagerstown schedule. The mDRIVE HD is standard on Mack Granite and Titan series, offering improved performance for demanding on- and off-road applications.