In February, Trax opened a new 100,000 square foot factory in Louisville, Kentucky – its first North American plant. It is here that all final axle assembly will take place, as well as brake shoe remanufacturing. Although axle components will be manufactured in Fuwa’s new Taishan Business Park, axles will be made to suit all North American standards by a team that is largely American.

Located an hour out of Hong Kong, the Taishan facility is nearing completion. It will be the largest axle manufacturing plant in the world and will help double Fuwa’s current manufacturing capacity. Fuwa has invested Euro 150 million in this new state-of-the-art facility that will feature 12 separate factories stretching for more than 1.5km and will include the most modern gear cutting equipment with lapping and grinding capabilities and the latest generation carburizing furnaces combined with the most up to date manufacturing and audit processes available. Currently, Fuwa manufactures between 500,000- 600,000 axles a year. The Taishan facility will allow the company to manufacture approximately 600,000 more axles per annum. It will be the launching pad to Fuwa’s move into truck systems including front steer axles, drive axles, drive suspensions as well as new semi trailer running gear products for the European and Australian markets.

Fuwa is already a dominant player in traileraxle manufacturing. In China, Fuwa already has a 70 percent market share of the trailer axle market and this recent expansion is set to make this share climb even further. As well as its position in China, Fuwa also has a strong market presence in Australia, South- east Asia, South America and South Africa. Approximately 30 percent of the total sales from Fuwa are currently derived from exports, however Fuwa hopes to increase the share of exports to over 50 percent to help further its position as a global player. Australia’s Fuwa K-Hitch has also been making a splash over the past few months. At this year’s International Truck, Trailer & Equipment Show in March, Fuwa K-Hitch showcased a wide range of new releases including heavy-duty 150mm unitised axles, pusher and tag axle suspension, KT250T suspension, and a new Weweller heavy-duty suspension. Fuwa K-Hitch has indicated that more new releases are set to follow in coming months for trailers and trucks, as well as the aftermarket.

Moore Trailers

Building predominantly bulk tippers, as well as it also builds a range of side tippers, skip tippers, convertible trailers, dog trailers, tag trailers, drop decks, fibre glass tankers, flat top trailers, rolling floor trailers, tilt trays, extendables and dollies, Moore Trailers has listened to farmers and operators over its 21 years of operation in order to design strong trailers that can stand up to the tough conditions present on Australian roads.

Moore Trailers has been relying on mechanical suspension from Fuwa K Hitch for the past seven years and its co-founder Shayne Moore is pleased with the product, “We offer mechanical suspension on all of our builds. I prefer mechanical suspension because it’s low maintenance, parts are readily available and it’s a lot more durable so can stand up to harsher conditions. In the seven years that we have been using mechanical suspension from K-Hitch, we’ve had virtually no faults whatsoever.”

Fuwa K-Hitch’s mechanical suspension is available in single, tandem and tri-axle versions and has a capacity of 11,500kg per axle. It is also available in underslung and overslung configurations and comes with a 1232mm, 1384mm and 1538mm axle spread, various mount heights, tapered rubber bushes to rockers and radius rods, and eight and nine spring packs, with three leaf parabolic optional. Fuwa K-Hitch’s cast mechanical suspensions are designed to be fitted to any Fuwa K-Hitch axle within its range, including both round and square beam configuration. The reinforced hanger design ensures the integrity of the suspension in both on and off-road environments, making it reliable and long lasting.

Shayne Moore adds, “In addition to a reliable product, K-Hitch provide us with service to match. They have good customer back up, are local, very price competitive and have all of the parts we need readily available.”

These products, together with its existing product range, will help FUWA KHitch continue to supply the market with cost-effective and innovative transport solutions. Among its new products is a fresh range of a proven worldwide suspension line in conjunction with Weweler Nederland bv.

“FUWA KHitch and Weweler’s expertise in manufacturing and innovation have combined to allow us a comprehensive range of air suspension and axle combinations that covers every requirement in our market,” says Chris Barrett from FUWA KHitch.

“On display will be modular suspensions available for KHitch’s complete axle range to suit 9, 11 and 13 tonne applications, including our new extreme-duty combination of 13 tonne air suspension and 150 mm square unitised axle, which we believe will provide a near unbreakable package for the off-road market.

“These new models are a welcome addition to our already proven range of Watson and Chalin USA-fabricated air suspensions and give our market what we believe is the most comprehensive air suspension range in Australia.”

The first Australian viewing of the truly innovative and technology leading suspension manufactured by Weweler combined with the latest in axle design by FUWA will take centre stage in Brisbane. MBS, which stands for Modular Bolt-On Suspension, will offer the latest in flexible trailing spring technology with an extensive list of features.

Other new products will include FUWA KHitch’s range of axles to suit 19.5” and 17.5” wheels and an addition to its landing leg range.

“There is plenty to view and discuss and we welcome your enquiries on how we can assist your requirements,” Chris adds.