Peterbilt vans on show on the OEM’s Denton, Texas, facility. (Mike Senatore/Transport Subjects)
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Truck maker Peterbilt Motors Co. is counting on its flexibility because it traverses a market dealing with more and more unsure circumstances.
The potential for tariffs on international commerce continues to loom, threatening provide chains throughout North America. Peterbilt’s mother or father firm, Paccar Inc., has manufacturing operations in america, Canada and Mexico, making these tariffs a focal point for the unique tools producer.
At a media briefing April 12, Jake Montero, Peterbilt’s basic supervisor and vp of Paccar, emphasised Peterbilt’s affected person method to managing buyer relationships regardless of potential fluctuation on the horizon.
“It’s simply one thing that we now have to handle because it adjustments and because it evolves,” Montero mentioned. “It’s been evolving fairly quickly, so staying near our clients and with the ability to help them and educate them based mostly on the adjustments after we know what they’re — that’s the partnership piece that we at all times return to.”
Peterbilt Normal Supervisor Jake Montero emphasised the corporate’s affected person method to managing buyer relations. (Mike Senatore/Transport Subjects)
Peterbilt, based mostly in Denton, Texas, is coming off a profitable 2024, when it achieved a report heavy-duty market share of 15.3% and elevated medium-duty market share by 1.3%, bringing the determine to 9% on the finish of the 12 months. It additionally reached a 21.2% share of the vocational and refuse market section.
Montero highlighted plenty of Paccar’s and Peterbilt’s accomplishments in 2024, together with finishing their first full 12 months of manufacturing for the Mannequin 589, reaching a milestone of 800,000 vans assembled at its Denton plant and rising their seller community to 432 places.
He pointed to a few of Peterbilt’s current and upcoming product choices — together with LED headlights for the 589 and its medium-duty fashions and an enhanced good show anticipated to launch later this 12 months — as examples of Peterbilt’s bigger aim of permitting clients a wide selection of customization choices.
The Peterbilt Mannequin 589 affords unparalleled model, efficiency and reliability. Constructed for many who demand the perfect on the highway.
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— Peterbilt Motors Co. (@PeterbiltMotors) April 7, 2025
The overarching theme of flexibility is exemplified by one of many main tasks at Peterbilt’s Denton plant: the elevated implementation of autonomous-guided autos.
Since 2018, AGVs have been utilized on the Denton manufacturing facility to help plenty of processes on the road, together with within the engine trim and cab trim meeting areas. This 12 months, Peterbilt carried out AGVs into its chassis line.
“It’s been an amazing funding to make this manufacturing facility capable of accommodate a large variety of configurations,” Montero mentioned.
The AGVs have a variety of movement, making it simpler for elements to be moved or pulled off the road when wanted and permitting workers to work on completely different elements from any angle.
A chassis on the meeting line at Peterbilt’s plant in Denton, Texas. (Peterbilt)
The expanded maneuverability has elevated flexibility within the manufacturing structure of the plant, permitting the meeting line to be modified and reconfigured as wanted, strengthening the truck maker’s skill to satisfy its clients’ specs.
The automation of labor-intensive work is seen all through the ability; cabs are painted completely by robotic arms, whereas chassis portray was described as an 85%-15% break up between robots and people.
One nook of the plant serves as a cab inspection level, which is carried out by synthetic intelligence; electrical elements are examined by an AI program, and any points discovered are flagged on a monitor above the road, prompting workers to take away the cab and deal with the issue.
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