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Litens Belt Tensioner Boasts Improvements to OE Design
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By Counterman
Litens Aftermarket announced its acquisition of Kenakore Solutions, a third-party logistics warehouse and distribution center in Perrysburg, Ohio, near Toledo.
Kenakore, with three decades of experience, has been a key partner to Litens for the past seven years. Litens said the acquisition is “a strategic move by Litens to enhance customer experience and streamline distribution processes.”
“Through integrating Kenakore’s well-established processes and systems, Litens is set to improve its overall customer experience through enhanced communication capabilities and increased flexibility that enables Litens to further meet diverse customer demands with ease,” the company asserted in a news release.
Kenakore’s proximity to major distribution routes via I-75 and I-80 gives Litens “the added benefit of seamless connectivity and efficient distribution across the United States.”
With the completion of the acquisition, Kenakore’s distribution center will be rebranded as “Litens Aftermarket Distribution.” Encompassing 123,000 square feet of space, the facility is staffed by 40 employees and includes 30 shipping and receiving bays.
The facility plays a pivotal role in kitting and distributing Litens Aftermarket products, serving as the primary distribution hub for Litens Aftermarket in North America.
“We work closely with the team at Kenakore and are excited to bring them under the Litens umbrella,” said John Lussier, president of Litens Aftermarket. “This acquisition is a natural progression as we continue to strengthen our control over the customer experience across the aftermarket and underscores our commitment to elevating the Litens brand.”
The acquisition aligns with one of Litens’ strategic-growth pillars, focusing on complete customer-experience management and fostering a seamless end-to-end journey, Litens added.
The move follows Litens’ 2023 acquisition of Dolz, a Spain-based manufacturer of water pumps, “and is another step in Litens’ aftermarket growth initiative.”
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By Counterman
Litens Aftermarket recently announced the addition of eight new SKUS for overrunning alternator decouplers (OADs) and one SKU for overrunning alternator pulley (OAPs) to its product lineup, offering coverage for more than 1 million vehicles in operation (VIO).
The new SKUs include late-model coverage for popular Ford, Hyundai, Buick, Nissan and Honda models.
The decision to expand the OAD product line is a direct response to the growing demand in the market, with approximately half of registered vehicles now equipped with an OAD, according to Litens. As these vehicles reach the aftermarket “sweet spot” for replacement parts, “Litens is committed to ensuring that technicians and consumers have access to the right replacement parts.”
OE belt-drive systems on vehicles built with an OAD are specifically engineered to accommodate the functionality of an OAD and should never be substituted with a solid pulley or a one-way clutch. Ensuring that technicians and customers have access to the proper replacement parts is crucial to maintaining the longevity of a vehicle’s belt-drive system components.
“As the inventors of the OAD, Litens has played a pivotal role in allowing contemporary alternators to meet the heightened performance and efficiency requirements that underpin the modern driving experience we all enjoy today,” said Scott Howat, national sales manager, Litens. “We believe it is our responsibility to provide technicians and consumers with the essential parts required to maintain the vehicle throughout its entire lifespan.”
Litens developed the OAD to meet the demands of improved performance and efficiency in alternators, particularly in late-model vehicles. It achieves this through two design elements that mechanically set it apart from traditional solid pulleys: an internal torsion spring and a one-way clutch mechanism.
The OAD contributes to the optimal performance of the alternator system by providing essential features such as vibration damping, stable belt tension and protection against reverse rotation. Substituting an OAD with any other pulley compromises these critical functions and can lead to adverse effects, including increased friction, potential belt slippage and an elevated risk of component failure, ultimately undermining the reliability and performance of the entire belt drive system.
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By Counterman
Litens Aftermarket introduced its latest product lineup, featuring 28 new SKUs.
The SKUs consist of 15 pulleys covering 4.4 million vehicles in operation (VIO), and 13 belt tensioners covering 3.1 million VIO.
The expansion offers enhanced coverage for more than 7.6 million additional VIO, including coverage for more than 1 million VIO for 2016-2021 Honda models and innovative solutions for popular Ford F-150 applications.
The newly introduced belt tensioners include coverage for the 2016-2021 Honda models, such as the Piolet, Odyssey, Ridgeline and Passport.
“Litens is responding to the demands of millions of customers, enabling technicians to access the right tensioners for proper belt-drive system maintenance,” the company said in a news release. “These portfolio additions are timely as these vehicles approach the point of needing a system reset, ensuring optimal belt-drive system performance. A system reset involves replacing all components of the belt-drive system, including the tensioner, idler pulley(s) and the belt, simultaneously, to maintain proper belt-drive system performance throughout the vehicle’s lifespan.”
The
link hidden, please login to view portfolio expansion also includes extensive coverage for the most popular vehicle on U.S. roads, the Ford F-150, featuring late-model coverage for pulleys and tensioners for more than 1 million VIO. The new tensioners have undergone design enhancements to the OE products, including a lift feature and Litens Technician Assist Pin (TAP). The lift feature adds an extra inch of accessibility for technicians, providing greater ease of access. The Litens TAP eliminates the need for a second set of hands during installation, securely positioning the tensioner for independent and safe belt manipulation. These innovations streamline the replacement process, improving safety and efficiency, according to Litens.
Litens also is introducing a cost-effective and time-saving solution in the form of its new pulley kit, catering to multiple 2015-2022 Volvo applications covering nearly 500,000 VIO. The kit includes all three pulleys in one package, eliminating the need for OE bracket replacement. Vehicle owners now have an affordable option to replace only the components that experience the most wear – the three pulleys – saving technicians the labor-intensive process of removing and reinstalling a bracket with a functioning lifecycle, according to Litens.
“Litens is committed to delivering an innovative, engineering-first approach to the aftermarket,” said Randy Wolters, aftermarket product manager. “Our latest product lineup demonstrates our dedication to providing the most comprehensive range of high-quality OE-manufactured tensioners, designed to enhance the experience and efficiency for technicians.”
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By Counterman
Litens Aftermarket introduced its new “System Reset” campaign, aiming to bring awareness to the importance of proper drive-belt system maintenance.
In an effort to educate professional vehicle service technicians, Litens details what a system reset entails, its significance and the potential repercussions of neglecting this essential maintenance step when replacing a drive belt.
For a belt-drive system to perform optimally, the system’s components must be properly maintained and in tune with each other throughout the lifespan of the vehicle. When it’s time to replace the drive belt, it’s also time to replace the drive-belt system’s tensioners and pulleys. The system is properly reset when all components of the belt-drive system, including the tensioner, idler pulley(s) and the belt, are all replaced at the same time.
“As vehicle belt-drive systems become more complex, we’re aiming to equip technicians with both education and solutions,” said Scott Howat, national sales manager, Litens Aftermarket. “Properly resetting the belt-drive system enables the technician to reset the vehicle to its optimal OE level of performance.”
Benefits of a system reset – replacing the tensioner and idler pulley(s) along with the belt – include enhancing the system’s reliability and longevity, as well as reducing the risk of component failure and subsequent breakdowns. Resetting all of the belt-drive system components together promotes optimal power transmission, minimizing slippage and improving overall efficiency, which can contribute to enhanced fuel economy and performance.
Failing to fully reset the system can lead to imbalanced stress distribution, reduced overall system efficiency and premature wear of both the newly replaced parts and the remaining older components. This could result in increased friction, potential belt slippage and an elevated risk of component failure, ultimately compromising the entire belt-drive system’s reliability and performance.
Litens designs OE belt-drive systems and components to last for a designated period of time. While that number also depends on miles driven and the number of vehicle starts/stops, the belt-drive system typically runs for 100,000 miles before needing maintenance. As all of the system’s components are designed to work together, when the belt is due for replacement, it’s highly likely that the rest of the components in the system are also due.
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By Counterman
Litens Aftermarket recently introduced its “Reset to OE” campaign messaging, as the market share for OAD pulleys continues to grow, and the need to educate technicians about this component increases.
With virtually one-third of registered vehicles now equipped with
link hidden, please login to view, and as those vehicles enter the aftermarket “sweet spot” for replacement, bringing awareness about how an OAD impacts a belt-drive system is imperative. Advancements to improve the performance and efficiency of alternators have lead Litens to the development of innovative technologies such as the OAD pulley. An OAD helps synchronize the belt-drive system via two design elements that mechanically separate it from a traditional solid pulley:
An internal torsion spring that provides rotational flexibility, absorbing engine vibrations prior to reaching the alternator rotor, which could damage or negatively impact the performance of the accessory drive. A one-way clutch mechanism that allows the pulley to rotate freely in one direction (overrunning), while preventing reverse rotation when the engine decelerates or shuts down. When replacing an OE alternator that came equipped with a OAD, it’s critical to replace with an OAD equipped alternator in order to reduce stress on the alternator and other components, according to Litens.
“As more vehicles come equipped with a Litens OAD on the alternator, rather than a traditional pulley, it becomes increasingly more important for technicans to understand what an OAD does, and how critical it is to the longevity of a vehicle’s belt drive system components,” said Scott Howat, national sales manager, Litens. “As our campaign says, OEMs use a Litens OAD for a reason, and substitution could cause damage to other drive components.”
Technicians never should substitute an OAD with a solid pulley or a one-way clutch on vehicles that were built with an OAD, because OE belt-drive systems are specifically engineered to accommodate the functionality of an OAD.
The OAD provides additional functionality from a simple one-way clutch pulley, and they‘re not interchangeable. An OAD contributes to the optimal performance of the alternator system by providing vibration damping, stable belt tension and protection against reverse rotation. Substituting an OAD with any other pulley compromises these critical functions and can lead to several adverse effects including increased friction, potential belt slippage and an elevated risk of component failure, ultimately compromising the entire belt-drive system’s reliability and performance, according to Litens.
Litens’ OAD coverage for 2023 OE-equipped vehicles includes but is not limited to the Chrysler Pacifica; Ford F-250, F-650 and F-750; Toyota Tacoma, 4 Runner and Highlander; and Lexus.
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