Here’s what you need to know:
- Hyundai Translead announced new a new trailer with a 10-year warranty, a new truck body and technological solutions at TMC.
- The company also is investing more than $450 million in old Caterpillar and Lion Electric facilities in Illinois, providing more than 2,500 jobs in the Will County area.
- CEO Sean Kenney says the area has a skilled workforce that is steeped in manufacturing. The plants will open in 2027.
Updated March 17:
Hyundai Translead also announced new products and services on Tuesday at the ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) meeting in Nashville.
Among them are a new dry van trailer, the HT-X, with a 10-year limited warranty. Suppliers participating in the longer warranty include Alcopanel, ConMet, Hutchens, JOST, Meritor, Phillips, PSI, Transtex and Truck-lite.
"The HT-X reinforces Hyundai Translead's commitment to building products with a long-term perspective and standing behind them with confidence," says Sean Kenney, CEO of Hyundai Translead. "We're grateful to our supplier partners for their collaboration and support, which play a critical role in bringing HT-X to market."
The company also announced the Juneau refrigerated truck body, which will be available in 2027. It's designed for kit delivery and supports a wide range of configurations, including feature such as side doors, walk ramps, side platforms and liftgate compatibility.
"Juneau reflects our commitment to smarter engineering across both dry and refrigerated truck bodies," says Douglas Coffing, senior director of LTL sales. "By combining conventional and advanced thermal options with a kit delivery appraoch, we're giving truck body customers greater flexibility and value in their daily operations."
Lastly, Hyundai Translead announced HT ReadyVue, trailer blond spot monitoring and HT LinkVue+.
HT ReadyVue is an early warning system that detects whether a trailer's air system has pressurized sufficiently to release the breaks. The trailer blind spot monitoring system improves driver awareness by detecting other vehicles in areas with limited visibility on both sides of the trailer.
HT LinkVue + will expand the company's surround view camera system with new, AI-enabled features to extend visibility outside and inside the trailer. It supports moving object detection, object height detection and an interior cargo camera.
"These latest offerings solve real-world problems in a very visible way for our customers," says James Oh, director of technology and solutions development. "As with our other solutions, these are all designed to work with existing and new trailers."
Original story follows:
Hyundai Translead will build two facilities in Will County, Ill., it announced on Monday at the ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville.
"Our position as the leading trailer manufacturer is the result of steady progress, continuous investment and an unwavering commitment to customer needs," says Sean Kenney, CEO of Hyundai Translead. "For more than 37 years, we've expanded our capabilities and refined our products to deliver solutions that support the customers and refined our products to deliver solutions that support the customers and communities we serve. The new facilities mark the next chapter in our journey and underscores the strength of our partnership with the leaders of Illinois who share our vision for long-term growth."
[RELATED: Hyundai Translead adds New York, New Jersey dealer to network]
The plants will create 2,500 jobs, Hyundai Translead says, and is backed by an investment of more than $450 million. The two sites chosen were once home to Caterpillar's heavy equipment operations and Lion Electric's operations site. It will open in 2027.
"We are proud to welcome Hyundai Translead to Illinois as a new manufacturer in our state," says Gov. JB Pritzker. "Their investment represents a long-term commitment that will create 2,500 new jobs and opportunities for working families in Will County and beyond. Illinois will keep attracting major industries and job creators that are transformational for our economy and the communities and hardworking Illnoisans who power them."
Kenney says the new plant will build on its California operations and bring the company closer to its customers. Within 100 miles, he says, there are more than 500 customer locations and a "tremendous" supply base.
"Hyundai Translead's transformational investment reflects the strengths that have made Illinois a global center for advanced manufacturing and logistics," says Illinois Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Christy George. "With its central location, strong infrastructure and a highly skilled workforce, Illinois provides the environment manufacturers need to serve customers across the continent. We're proud to support Hyundai Translead's expansion and look forward to supporting its success."
