Meritor WABCO Forms Strategic Alliance with Takata; Broadens Portfolio of Active Safety Systems Offerings

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Oct 17, 2011, 08:15 ET

DALLAS, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems and Takata Corp.'s U.S. subsidiary, TK Holdings, Inc., have signed a letter of intent to establish a strategic alliance in which the companies will work together to develop new active safety systems products for North American commercial vehicles.

The alliance was announced at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition.

Under this agreement, Meritor WABCO will market and distribute Takata's SafeTrak® lane departure warning systems – Truck Interface Module (TIM) and Fleet Management Portal.

"Takata's products perfectly complement and enhance our current active safety systems such as OnGuard™ and SmartTrack™," said Jon Morrison, president, Meritor WABCO. "We're confident our customers will appreciate and embrace still another progressive step in our Pyramid of Safety."

An added bonus to end users will be extensive, yet streamlined data management capability to contribute to smarter fleet safety management.

Takata's Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system is designed to assist a driver in avoiding an unintentional departure from a lane or the road by providing warnings to the driver when certain events occur. Distracted or sleepy drivers contribute heavily to this type of incident. This new product complements Takata's other electronic products, which include collision sensors, Electronic Control Units (ECU), Occupant Classification Systems and other safety related electronics.

About Takata

Takata Corp. is a global leader in passive and active safety systems. Its customers include nearly every automotive manufacturer and several Tier One suppliers. Its technology features a strong emphasis on safety restraint systems, air bags, safety electronics, interior trim, and special fabrics and textile materials. Takata's worldwide sales approach $5 billion annually, with the company operating 46 manufacturing locations in 17 countries, and 11 research and development locations on three continents. Takata employs about 35,000 people globally, with more than 18,500 in North America.

About Meritor WABCO

Meritor WABCO is a joint venture of Meritor, Inc. (NYSE: MTOR) and the WABCO Automotive Control Systems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of WABCO Holdings, Inc. The company is a leading supplier of a complete braking system including braking systems and controls, active safety systems and suspension and control systems for commercial vehicles in North America. For more information, visit meritorwabco.com.

About Meritor

Meritor, Inc. is a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. With more than a 100-year legacy of providing innovative products that offer superior performance, efficiency and reliability, the company serves commercial truck, trailer, off-highway, defense, specialty and aftermarket customers in more than 70 countries. Based in Troy, Mich., more than 11,000 employees are located in manufacturing facilities, engineering centers, joint ventures, distribution centers and global offices worldwide. Meritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MTOR. For important information, visit the company's web site at meritor.com.

About WABCO Holdings

WABCO (NYSE: WBC) is a leading global supplier of technologies and control systems for the safety and efficiency of commercial vehicles. For over 140 years, WABCO has pioneered breakthrough electronic, mechanical and mechatronic technologies for braking, stability and transmission automation systems supplied to the world's leading commercial truck, trailer and bus manufacturers. With sales of $2.2 billion in 2010, WABCO is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. For more information, visit www.wabco-auto.com

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SOURCE Meritor WABCO