SALINE—Officials at the Davco business unit of Southfield-based Clarience Technologies announced that the company would invest $3.5 million at its Saline complex to create an “Advanced Electronics Manufacturing Center,” extending its manufacturing capabilities into advanced electronics as the company plans to move into manufacturing components for electric commercial vehicles.
Davco manufactures fuel heater/water separators and filter systems for diesel-powered medium- and heavy-duty trucks, off-highway equipment and commercial marine applications.
The new center is expected to create 20 new jobs.
“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, Davco president. “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.
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.
Those interested in applying for open positions at the Advanced Manufacturing Operations Center should visit DAVCO.com/jobs.
Initially, the new center 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.
While the company has always focused on providing products for diesel engines, the reputation that Davco has built extends beyond any specific technology. 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.
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.