The Meggitt Group has made the transition to a new structure comprising five operating divisions: Meggitt Sensing Systems, Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, Meggitt Control Systems, Meggitt Polymers & Composites and Meggitt Equipment Group. Based on core capabilities, this is designed to build stronger, more integrated operating divisions. The transition should be completed in 2010, the company said.

As part of this process, operating units Endevco, Ferroperm, Vibro-Meter France (Sensorex), Vibro-Meter Inc, Vibro-Meter SA, Vibro-Meter UK and Wilcoxon Research have been combined into a single Meggitt Sensing Systems division. This combines expertise in sensing and monitoring physical parameters in extreme environments.

Meggitt Sensing Systems will incorporate best practices from each Meggitt unit to optimize business operations and align its customer-facing organization with its primary markets - aerospace; energy; and measurement. Meggit said it is confident this will provide its customers with easier access to the full range of Meggitt’s sensing and monitoring products and that, by combining resources, it will be able to provide more responsive service.

Over the next few months, changes in how the company identifies itself will become evident. There will also be branding, signage and name changes. However, as the company’s fundamental legal structure will remain unchanged and there will be no need to reassign any existing contracts or orders as the main contacts within the organization will remain the same. Meggitt said it will contact companies directly if a change will occur.

Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp. (Smith U.S.) has made a conditional offer to buy the Smith Electric Vehicles business based in the U.K. (Smith UK Division) from Tanfield Group Plc. The offer is conditional upon successful financing by Smith U.S. and shareholder approval on the part of Tanfield. The board of Tanfield has granted Smith U.S. a four month period of exclusivity.

In connection with the purchase of the Smith UK Division, the transaction includes the purchase of all of the Smith U.S. common stock currently held by Tanfield, as well as the license agreement by and between Tanfield and Smith U.S., and the intellectual property necessary to allow the combined businesses to operate globally.

“Once completed, this transaction will create a unified entity that will be well positioned globally for growth in the rapidly expanding electric commercial vehicle market,” said Bryan Hansel, CEO of Smith U.S. “We believe this combination will create operational efficiencies and market synergies that will help Smith continue its strong sales momentum and cost reductions.”

Smith U.S., headquartered in Kansas City, MO, is a privately held company owned that produces all-electric zero-emissions commercial trucks. It licenses its proprietary technology from the Smith Electric Vehicles business in the U.K. Tanfield is the parent company of the Smith U.K. Division, a manufacturer of zero-emissions battery-electric commercial vehicles in Europe.

Finalizing its plans to bring its first production commercial vehicle to the North American market, Nissan unveiled the 2011 Nissan NV (Nissan Van) commercial vans at the Work Truck Show in St. Louis.

Scheduled to launch in late 2010, the Nissan NV will be available in three models, the NV1500, NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD, and in standard and high-roof configurations. Powering the rear-wheel drive vehicles will two gasoline engines, a 4.0 L V6 and 5.6 L V8, both of which will be mated to a standard five-speed automatic transmission.

Additional details regarding standard features, trim levels and optional equipment will be provided later, the company said. The vehicles will be assembled by Nissan North America Manufacturing’s Canton, Miss., plant.

At the National Truck Equipment Association’s Work Truck Show, Navistar unveiled its new entry in the Class 4/5 commercial truck segment, the International TerraStar.

At the heart of the new truck is an all-new 6.4 L MaxxForce 7 V-8 diesel engine. An evolution of the engine Navistar once made for Ford, the engine is rated 300 hp with 660 lb. ft. torque. The engine incorporates a compacted graphite iron (CGI) block that Navistar said offers high strength without added weight. Navistar uses CGI blocks on its largest MaxxForce 11 and 13 L diesels.

The new MaxxForce 7 also includes twin turbocharging, a Siemens high pressure common rail fuel system and the company’s Advanced EGR emissions system. The engine is mated with a commercial-duty Allison 1000 transmission.

The TerraStar will initially be available with a 4 x 2 drivetrain, with a 4 x 4 drivetrain planned for 2011. The MaxxForce 7 engine is built at Navistar’s Huntsville, Ala., engine plant, while the truck is manufactured in Garland, Texas.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) expanded its alternative-power products for the commercial vehicle industry with the introduction of a plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV) chassis. The new chassis model is the only one domestically engineered and the first in the industry to be completely all-electric (includes HVAC system) in North America, the company said.

FCCC also introduced a new van chassis with a gasoline engines. Both new chassis were introduced at the Work Truck Show in St. Louis. The all-electric chassis, developed in partnership with Enova Systems, is built on the FCCC MT-45 WIV chassis platform. It incorporates Enova’s 120 kW all-electric drive system technology and Tesla Motors lithium ion batteries. All vehicle functions are electric, including the steering, braking and HVAC systems.

FCCC said the system provides an operating range of 100 to 110 miles before charging is required. The battery pack will charge from fully depleted to fully charged in six to eight hours, the company said. The batteries also capture and store energy during the regenerative braking phase of the vehicle’s operation.

The all-electric MT-45 chassis is expected to go into full production during the first quarter of 2011 and will undergo testing with major U.S. pickup and delivery fleets.

Designed to address a large segment of the WIV market, the gasoline-powered chassis is built on the FCCC MT-45 and MT-55 chassis platform. Equipped with a standard Allison 1000/2000 Series transmission and GM 6.0 L V8 engine, the gas-powered chassis is available in ratings up to 320 hp. Currently undergoing revenue-producing durability testing, the gas-powered chassis is expected to go into production during the third quarter of 2010 and includes a three-year, 50,000-mile warranty.