Dana, Eaton ending joint marketing relationship

Dana Holding Corp. and Eaton Corp. will end the marketing relationship between the two companies  by the middle of 2012. During the next six months, each company will be preparing to sell, market, and service customers independently of each other.

Both companies are committed to making the transition seamless for their manufacturer, dealer and fleet customers, said Mark Wallace, president of Dana’s On-Highway Driveline Technologies business, and Tim Sinden, president of Eaton’s truck operations in North America.

Eaton will continue to provide field services and support for all Eaton and Dana products through the middle of 2012 under the Roadranger brand, after which Dana will have the support systems in place to effectively service and support its customers independently.

“Going to market independently will afford Dana greater opportunity to communicatewith customers directly and to better understand their needs,” Wallace said in a written statement. “This closer, direct relationship with customers will, in turn, provide the foundation for innovation and technology in Dana’s core axle, driveshaft, wheel end, and tire management systems.”

Dana is developing new products for introduction in early 2012, said Judith Monte, global marketing manager. “It’s very, very important to make sure we’re in with our customers ever single day to get their feedback,” she said.

“Eaton intends to continue operating the Roadranger marketing organization as we have in the past – focused exclusively on serving our customers,” said Sinden. “We will continue to collaborate with our OEM customers, Dana and other powertrain providers on virtually integrated powertrain systems for the North Americancommercial vehicle marketplace.”

Eaton has been selling and servicing transmissions for commercial vehicles under its Roadranger brand for about 60 years, says spokesman Jim Parks.

The joint marketing arrangement with Dana under Roadranger was launched almost 14 years ago as a 10-year program, but it was extended, Monte said.

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Throughout the transition, customers can access Roadranger.com/alliance or Dana.com for updates.