BRUSSELS, Belgium (June 26, 2013) — WABCO Holdings Inc., a tier-one supplier to the commercial vehicle industry, has entered into an agreement with Agrale, an original equipment manufacturer based in Brazil and Argentina, to supply hydraulic anti-lock braking system (ABS) technology for Agrale's full range of light commercial vehicles that use hydraulic brakes.
As of 2013, new vehicle and road safety legislation in Brazil is in effect, according to WABCO. It mandates ABS on 40 percent of trucks, buses, trailers and passenger cars manufactured during 2013. From January 2014, all such vehicles must have ABS installed. Light duty vehicles—less than 6 tons gross weight—normally use hydraulic braking systems whereas heavier vehicles typically deploy pneumatic systems, the company said.
As a supplier of technologies and control systems for the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicles in South America, "WABCO is proud to enter the hydraulic ABS market together with Agrale while also providing world-class technical support," said Reynaldo Contreira, WABCO South America business leader. "As our industry's leading supplier of anti-lock braking systems, WABCO also has the global connectivity to seize market growth driven by current and future regulations for compulsory ABS in different regions of the world."
WABCO claims it pioneered ABS for commercial vehicles in 1981. Founded nearly 150 years ago, the Brussels-based company manufactures and markets electronic, mechanical and mechatronic technologies for braking, stability and transmission automation systems for commercial truck, bus and trailer manufacturers. It had sales of $2.5 billion in 2012.