Iconic Illinois Foundry Reopens Focused Just on Brake Drums
Rockford Brake Manufacturing Emerges From Accuride Bankruptcy
Key Takeaways:
- Four former employees reopened Rockford’s shuttered Gunite foundry Nov. 20 as Rockford Brake Manufacturing, which poured its first iron and resumed brake drum production after Accuride’s 2024 bankruptcy.
- The company secured more than $10 million in commitments and rehired many former workers as it ramps toward 65,000 units per month and 150 employees by mid-2026.
- Leaders said the plant will scale production through 2026 as permits are renewed and demand is expected to improve, with potential gains from domestic sourcing requirements and Section 232 tariffs.
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When a manufacturing facility has been open since 1854, firsts are harder to come by.
Still, the Gunite foundry in Rockford, Ill., achieved a first Nov. 20, pouring its first iron as a stand-alone commercial vehicle brake drum manufacturing plant. Brake drums were soon rolling off the production line.
Until February, the plant produced brake drums, wheel hub assemblies and automated slack adjusters as part of the Accuride portfolio following a long history that began with stoves and wagon axles and moved swiftly onto cannon barrels.
Accuride filed for bankruptcy in October 2024. By February, the U.S. operations emerged from court protection, but the Rockford facility shuttered and was put in a liquidating trust as 327 employees were laid off.
Over 175 years, a facility puts down deep roots in a community, particularly one that prides itself on its manufacturing base.
That’s why four former employees at the Gunite plant founded and acquired the 619,000-square-foot facility on 41 acres that includes a gray iron foundry and machine shop.
Founders Tim Davis, Scott Henderson, Mike Brandi and Brandon Baumann pose for a photo.(Rockford Brake Manufacturing)
The trust supported the plan, seeing reopening the plant as the best option. The property is held by the local employees. The operating company, which controls the inventory and intellectual property, is held in another entity. The new owners paid a nominal fee of $100,000 in cash plus closing costs. It would have taken a lot more money to sell the property to anybody else, including its running costs.
The four new business owners hired former Accuride executive Paul Wright to helm the venture.
By Nov. 24, the company had about 100 employees, compared with 50 in the first week of November. Wright said the company has been fortunate in being able to bring on a large number of former employees. The first team members came on board six weeks ago and started validating the property.
“This is the only team that could have done this and done this so fast,” Director of Operations Brandon Baumann told Transport Topics.
“It’s pretty emotional at times,” Wright told TT in an interview alongside Baumann before the first iron was poured. “It’s not just hope and prayers.”
The company has more than 80 individual drum patterns to support the Gunite-branded products. (Rockford Brake Manufacturing)
Rockford Brake Manufacturing has more than 80 individual drum patterns to support the Gunite-branded products, which meant the company secured more than $10 million in commitments from major truck manufacturers and distributors. Wright said that support made the speedy relaunch possible. A lot of other key elements were also in place, Wright said. The foundry permits could be rolled over. The air permit is currently being renewed.
Over the remainder of 2025, Rockford Brake Manufacturing will reproduce castings for the foundry and then machine them with the same team.
The plant will start out at 30,000 units per month. It will reach production of 65,000 units per month by July or August 2026, which is seen as the break-even level, Wright said. By July or August 2026, the plant expects to employ 150 people. The company will reach critical mass with 100 employees.
The holding furnace was fully rebuilt. It is a cold-fired cupola foundry, not an electric arc furnace. The furnace was lined with brick and refractory materials.
Rockford Brake Manufacturing’s furnace is capable of accepting a lower grade of material. Some 85% of the material used is recycled and is either recycled scrap steel or foundry-grade scrap iron. Only 5% to 10% of the input is pig iron.
Over the remainder of 2025, Rockford Brake Manufacturing will reproduce castings for the foundry and then machine them with the same team. (Rockford Brake Manufacturing)
The coking coal is domestically sourced. Rockford is also trying to source old brake drums that it can then recycle.
“We have a very short supply chain. Over 90% of our supply chain is Northern Illinois sourced and over 85% is Rockford sourced. And that’s one of the great things about our location — ... that we can actually support this type of operation,” Baumann said.
Past customers of Gunite included all the major Class 8 OEMs. The company also had trailer manufacturers as customers.
The first half of 2026 will continue to be difficult for OEMs, Wright said, noting the ongoing freight market weakness. However, the aftermarket business is set to recover more quickly, he said.
“All we do is drums, and we’re focused on making the best quality, best value product at this point,” Wright said.
Baumann added that Rockford Brake Manufacturing’s expansion was likely to coincide with increased business for truck manufacturers if market expectations hold.
Rockford Brake Manufacturing also hopes to benefit from the domestic manufacturing strictures facing truck makers as a result of the Trump administration’s Section 232 medium- and heavy-duty truck and parts tariffs, Wright said.
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