Knorr-Bremse to acquire R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc.

Knorr-Bremse AG announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy R.H. Sheppard Co., Inc. (“Sheppard”) from WABCO for $149.5 million USD. The acquisition will be carried out by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (“Bendix”). Sheppard is a supplier of steering technologies for commercial vehicles. Bendix is an indirect subsidiary of Knorr-Bremse AG, a supplier of braking systems and other safety-critical rail and commercial vehicle systems. The closing of the acquisition is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is contingent upon the closing of the ZF acquisition of WABCO.

The move follows the spring 2019 acquisition of the commercial vehicle steering division of Hitachi Automotive Systems in Japan by Knorr-Bremse and helps cement the company’s position as a global supplier of integrated steering and braking systems as a basis for driver assistance systems (DAS) and highly automated driving (HAD).

“For Knorr-Bremse, the acquisition of Sheppard is another important step in our strategy to become a global manufacturer of steering systems for commercial vehicles,” said Dr. Peter Laier, Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Systems division. “With integrated steering and braking systems for commercial vehicles, we can realize globally expanded functions in driver assistance and automated driving together with our customers and leverage cost potential through system integration.”

“For Bendix and the North American marketplace in particular, this is a strong combination of two market leaders and an ideal addition to our evolving product and solutions portfolio,” said Michael J. Hawthorne, Bendix president and CEO. “The Sheppard product portfolio will further enable us to better respond to the requirements of North American customers in the different market segments and to offer tailor-made system solutions for the full range of North American commercial vehicles.”

Sheppard’s expertise brings optimal base for automated driving

Complete control over the transverse and longitudinal forces of a commercial vehicle is a necessary prerequisite for system solutions in driver assistance and automated driving solutions. The combination of Sheppard’s expertise in the field of recirculating ball steering systems (RCB) and Knorr-Bremse’s global system know-how form an optimal basis for the introduction of torque overlay steering systems (TOS) and functions of driver assistance and automated driving, particularly in the North American market.