DAVCO Expands into Electronics Manufacturing as Connected, EV Technologies Arrive

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DAVCO, the North American leader in fuel heater/water separators and filter systems for diesel-powered medium- and heavy-duty trucks, off-highway equipment and commercial marine applications, is investing $3.5 million in its Saline, Michigan, campus to create an Advanced Electronics Manufacturing Center, extending its manufacturing capabilities into advanced electronics technologies as the company prepares to capitalize on the arrival of electric-powered commercial vehicles. The state-of-the-art facility sits adjacent to the existing DAVCO manufacturing facility and is expected to be fully operational in early 2022. Company officials expect this new facility will create 20 new positions.

"Over the past 45 years, DAVCO has proudly served customers with industry-leading products and unparalleled customer support and that will not change," said Laurie Beegle, President at DAVCO. "This new electronics manufacturing facility ensures we will continue to be able to serve commercial fleet customers as their needs evolve once they begin putting electric vehicles into service."

DAVCO is owned by Southfield, Michigan-based Clarience Technologies, a global leader in advanced transportation technology that includes Truck-Lite, RIGID and Lumitec advanced LED lighting, ECCO and Code-3 safety systems and Road Ready advanced telematics.

A Manufacturing Showcase for the Future of Transportation

The new DAVCO Advanced Electronics Manufacturing Center is housed in DAVCO's corporate office campus in Saline, Michigan, where work has been underway to transform the space since Fall of 2021. DAVCO fuel filtration products will continue to be manufactured in an adjacent building on the DAVCO campus in Saline and are not impacted by this announcement.

The $3.5 million capital investment includes a clean room for component manufacturing, increasingly more important in next-generation vehicle technologies. The company expects this facility will be used often with customers to showcase the capabilities of DAVCO, Clarience Technologies and its entire family of companies and plans for a second phase that will include a modern Customer Experience Center.

Overall, the company expects to hire as many as 20 new positions as the facility continues to ramp up operations. Those interested in applying for open positions at the Advanced Manufacturing Operations Center should visit DAVCO.com/jobs.

Facility Will Initially Focus on Telematics Manufacturing to Support Road Ready Growth 

Operations at the Advanced Electronics Manufacturing Facility have already started and DAVCO expects the facility to be fully operational this winter. Initially, the facility will be responsible for manufacturing electronics hardware for Road Ready advanced telematics, a company within the Clarience Technologies family. Road Ready offers advanced telematics solutions for commercial transportation and has experienced significant growth this past year. By consolidating manufacturing at the new Michigan facility, Road Ready telematics hardware will be assembled efficiently by an experienced team that's dedicated to the Road Ready business. Manufacturing includes all Road Ready hardware, mobile communications units, smart bridge integrators, Road Ready proprietary sensors and other related items. As connected vehicle technologies become the digital backbone supporting electric and autonomous vehicles over time, Road Ready expects demand for their solutions to continue reach new heights.

As Commercial Vehicles Go Electric, DAVCO Maintains Strong Customer Focus

While the company has always focused on providing solutions for diesel engines, the reputation that DAVCO has built extends beyond any specific technology. The company has succeeded due to customer focus — listening to customers, identifying their needs and delivering solutions with a laser-like focus. This approach has served customers well, resulting in products built consistently and to the highest quality standard with support that goes above and beyond what's expected.

As commercial transportation adopts electric vehicle technology in the coming years, DAVCO believes that same customer focus they've long embraced will help them embrace a broader role—one of an experienced customer partner armed with the right tools that helps deliver more agile and scalable solutions. This is the reason the company is expanding its capabilities to include advanced electronics solutions. For DAVCO, partnering with and providing more flexible solutions to customers will make the company indispensable once the industry gets a hands-on education as electric vehicles gain widespread adoption.

With many electric vehicles in development today, manufacturers are actively working closely with their supply base to finalize product designs. Once demand accelerates, manufacturers will lean on their supply bases to deliver what's needed to scale production. Vehicles built on new technology will result in many new components - likely from suppliers who have not previously served the commercial transportation industry. DAVCO sees this as an opportunity to leverage its industry experience, which will be invaluable to OEMs.

"The dramatic fluctuations in vehicle demand experienced in the North American commercial vehicle market - unlike anything seen in any other industry - will only be amplified with electric vehicles.  We believe customers will take solace in the fact that we understand what's required as these fluctuations occur," said Beegle.

Clarience Technologies: Leading Brands Prepared for the Transportation Future

Clarience Technologies was established in 2020 as a company designed to lead and thrive in the future of transportation. Its brands are among the leading names in transportation technology, including LED smart lighting, safety and alarm components and advanced telematics. All brands are ranked number one in the markets they serve. As the parent company, Clarience Technologies provides best-in-class capabilities, global scale and a bold vision born from its commitment to continue serving both current and future customers.

By understanding the impact new technologies are set to make in transportation, the Clarience team forged itself as a new company dedicated to finding better ways of applying these transformational technologies.

"As global transportation faces significant changes as new technologies take hold, customers are turning to those who have remained a step ahead of what's on the horizon," said Brian Kupchella, CEO of Clarience Technologies. "Clarience Technologies was formed to help ensure   these well-known transportation brands would be around well into the future." 

Company officials have also forged strong relationships with several top-tier universities, including Michigan State University and Lawrence Technological University in Michigan and Carnegie-Mellon University and Penn State Behrend in Pennsylvania, which serve as key enablers to foster future innovations. Similarly, with the DAVCO Advanced Manufacturing Operations Center located only minutes from downtown Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, the company envisions this facility someday strengthening ties to the university and the overall Ann Arbor community.