This week the North America Steering facility in Queretaro, Mexico, reached an important milestone - producing the 1 millionth belt drive electric power steering (EPS) gear.  TRW Automotive began manufacturing this first-ever type of steering gear in July 2008.

Belt drive EPS is the most efficient of TRW's electrically assisted steering family of products.  The assist power is applied directly to the rack via a drive belt and a ball nut mechanism.  This design allows for lower inertia, lower friction and more direct steering feel, as well as superior response. In addition, belt drive EPS is becoming smaller and more flexible to satisfy customer packaging requirements.

The 345 employees in Queretaro manufacture components for a variety of commercial steering and passenger vehicle customers, including Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Volkswagen, Fiat, Bendix, Freightliner, Kenworth, Daimler and Navistar-Fig Truck.