Fruehauf, Chinese Start Joint Venture

Fruehauf Trailer Corp. said Friday that it has begun a joint venture with a Chinese company to assemble trailer axles for Pacific Rim markets.

The company, based in Anaheim, said that it will form Shunde Pro-Par Axle Co., which will assemble the axles at a new plant in the People’s Republic of China. The plant will be located in the city of Shunde, about 30 miles south of Canton. The axles will be used on frames produced by Shunde Guang Lian Hong Communication Machinery Manufacturing Co., based in Shunde.

Fruehauf and its partner are constructing a 70,000-square-foot assembly plant, to be completed in early 1993. Within several years, about 40,000 trailer axles are expected to be assembled there annually, the company said.