Maxion Wheels adding forged aluminium products to CV portfolio

The truck steel wheel plant that Maxion Wheels and Inci Holding have jointly built in Turkey is ready to open, and during last week’s IAA Transportation show the two companies additionally announced plans to set up a facility for manufacturing aluminium commercial vehicle wheels. Maxion Wheels says adding forged aluminium commercial vehicle wheels “rounds out” its globally leading steel wheels portfolio, making Maxion a “one-stop option for truck and trailer manufacturers.”

Construction of the new 45,000-square-metre forged aluminium wheel facility will begin this year, with a start of production scheduled for late 2024. The plant’s initial installed capacity will be 350,000 wheels annually, with the ability for Maxion and Inci to double this in future.

Catering to customers seeking multiple wheel solutions

Investments in both the steel and forged aluminium wheel plants in Turkey from 2021 through 2025 exceed US$150 million and aim to “further enhance Maxion Wheels’ existing globally leading steel wheel portfolio” while extending its reach to commercial vehicle applications where aluminium is the preferred solution.

Production of forged aluminium wheels will start late 2024 (Image: Maxion Wheels)

“Our recent commercial vehicle steel wheels expansions to serve customers in Europe and in Brazil will increase our annual global steel truck wheels installed capacity by about 25 per cent, from eight to ten million. Today, we also take the next step in our CV growth strategy by adding forged aluminium to our truck wheels portfolio,” states Pieter Klinkers, chief executive officer of Maxion Wheels. “We will install a new, state-of-the-art, CO2-optimised forged aluminium facility to answer the needs of customers who seek multiple wheel solutions to optimise their transportation solutions.”

Mustafa Zaim, president of the Board of Maxion Inci and Maxion Jantas, adds: “Serving the truck wheel market is our passion, and we have been doing so for more than 50 years. For Inci Holding to join forces, again, with Maxion Wheels is both an honour and a testament to the power of our collaboration. Our truck and trailer customers will benefit from our existing strengths, now getting the full breadth of wheel knowledge, skills and products they need from one trusted source.”

Maxion Wheels’ steel wheels expansion includes the recent capacity addition of more than 500,000 commercial vehicle wheels in Brazil, as well as the abovementioned 1.5 million new truck wheels capacity in Turkey.

About Inci Holding

Based in Izmir, Turkey, Inci Holding is a family-owned conglomerate of nine different companies with 3,000 employees. From its site in Manisa, it is also the leading producer of automotive wheels and batteries. The company exports 60 per cent of its production to more than 100 countries. Through its Maxion Inci and Maxion Jantas joint ventures, the company has an installed annual capacity of more than 12 million wheels with annual sales of approximately 350 million euros.