Brake component manufacturer Gunite, a victim of the bankruptcy of parent company Accuride, will be brought back to live by four former employees who’ve renamed the company Rockford Brake Manufacturing.
Accuride announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 and was forced to close the Gunite factory this February, placing the facility into a liquidating trust as Accuride emerged from bankruptcy.
Four former employees have purchased the 619,000 sq.-ft. plant on 41 acres and will resume brake component production there.
They say the move was made possible due to new tariffs, which have created an opportunity for the U.S.-based production of brake components.
The buyers include:
- Brandon Baumann, director of operations, who worked at the facility for three years before it closed. He will serve as on-site lead.
- Scott Henderson, operations manager, worked his way up from the foundry floor to management. His father and father-in-law each worked at the plant.
- Mike Brandi, engineering and IT manager, was part of the engineering group for 24 years at Gunite’s facilities in Illinois and Indiana.
- Tim Davis, superintendent, worked at the foundry for 26 years, starting as a material handler and advancing to the role of superintendent.
Paul Wright will serve as CEO and says the company will hire 150 employees initially, many of them from the original workforce. It expects to double that workforce over the first few years of resumed operations.
“Our goal remains to preserve the legacy of this critical American facility while making strategic improvements to drive future growth and efficiency,” said Wright. “This acquisition represents a critical step in preserving an essential component of the domestic production in the trucking industry supply chain. With a renewed focus on operational excellence and customer satisfaction, the leadership team plans to make Rockford Brake Manufacturing a great place to work for our team members, and a trusted partner to our customers, suppliers and the community of the greater Rockford area.”
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