On March 23, 2022, Navistar, Inc. officially opened its new San Antonio Manufacturing Plant, providing improved quality, lower costs, and capacity support for manufacturing.
Navistar manufactures and distributes Class 4 – 8 trucks and buses in the common carrier, private carrier, government, leasing, construction, energy/petroleum, and student and commercial transportation markets via its International and IC Bus brands.
"The choices we make today will take Navistar to a new level of impact in the transportation industry. That's why we are laying the foundation for the future in this plant, because the future begins with the decisions and investments we make today," said Mark Hernandez, Executive Vice President, Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain at Navistar. "The San Antonio manufacturing plant was meticulously planned and constructed to highlight our many manufacturing strengths and build toward future manufacturing goals surrounding Industry 4.0 technologies, quality and sustainability."
Ecological Building, Fit for the Future
The nearly 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility includes a body shop, paint shop, general assembly shop and logistics center equipped to produce Class 6-8 vehicles, including electric vehicle models. The plant is a sustainable baseline facility in site, building and process practices, to serve as a benchmark for Navistar's manufacturing network.
"In support of our company focus, we are taking actions to reduce the environmental impact of our manufacturing operations with the goal of becoming zero carbon as we transform the future of transportation," said Hernandez. "The first vehicle off the manufacturing line in San Antonio was the International eMV Series electric truck; the purpose of the plant from inception was to have the capability to manufacture both electric and internal combustion engine powertrains in the same facility."
The San Antonio Manufacturing Plant was constructed with efficient energy use goals in mind. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program, Navistar is committed to reducing energy intensity in San Antonio and other US plants by 20 percent by 2030.
LEDs illuminate the plant, using 75 percent less power than conventional lighting, and translucent panels allow natural light to brighten the indoor space as a supplement to the lighting system. The building also includes energy efficient wall paneling to better regulate indoor temperatures.
Sustainable Manufacturing and Supply Chain
The plant will serve as Navistar's benchmark for lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, improve product quality, drive operational efficiency, and reduce cost and time. Industry 4.0 principles have been incorporated to connect digital and physical technologies, allowing the plant to be more connected and easily make data-driven decisions. Operating with a data-driven approach helps to focus on sustainability goals and metrics in addition to supporting a leaner manufacturing output.
"We are incorporating the latest manufacturing principles—digital factory, connected machinery, robust lean manufacturing processes and cloud analytics—to enable predictive quality and maintenance, and allowing data-driven decisions to be made on the shop floor in real time," Hernandez added.
The San Antonio Manufacturing Plant complements Navistar's existing assembly manufacturing footprint, which includes truck assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico; a school bus assembly plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and a powertrain manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. The sustainable manufacturing processes will be integrated in all existing manufacturing plants.
In the future, Navistar plans to begin operations at the Advanced Technology Center (ATC) on-site, which accelerates implementation of emerging technologies and Industry 4.0 technologies within the commercial trucking space. The ATC is focused on product development, testing and validation efforts supporting the company's strategy, and will be a key location for future research and development footprint with a focus on zero-emission components, software and autonomous technologies.
Community Impact
The San Antonio Manufacturing Plant is focused on empowering employees, which is achieved through leveraging DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) principles. The new manufacturing plant will bring approximately 600 jobs to the San Antonio area.
"The culture we're building in our San Antonio Manufacturing Plant is one that values safety, quality, work ethic and respect above all things," said Rod Spencer, Plant Director, San Antonio Manufacturing Plant. "Our goal is to empower an inclusive and engaged community culture, and proudly bring commercial vehicle manufacturing jobs to San Antonio through partnerships with the city, county and community."
To learn more about the San Antonio Manufacturing Plant, visit www.navistar.com/locations/manufacturing.