The Gunite foundry at 302 Peoples Avenue in Rockford, Illinois, makes Gunite brake drums for heavy-duty trucks as Rockford Brake Manufacturing. It is a cupola foundry, not an electric arc furnace. Four former Gunite employees reopened the plant in 2025 after the previous parent, Accuride, restructured under Chapter 11.

Open in grid

Loading map…

Overview Profile Facility Permits and agreements Related records Timeline Sources

Overview

Rockford Brake Manufacturing is the exclusive producer of the trusted Gunite brake drums for the heavy-duty trucking industry. The permit notice describes a gray iron and ductile iron foundry.

Profile

Electricity and grid: The holding furnace was fully rebuilt. It is a cold-fired cupola foundry, not an electric arc furnace.

Ownership: Gunite Corp. at 302 Peoples Ave. closed in January while its parent company, Accuride, restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 2025, four former Gunite employees acquired the facility and reopened and rebranded it as Rockford Brake Manufacturing.

Recent changes: The Gunite foundry in Rockford poured its first iron on Nov. 20 as a stand-alone commercial vehicle brake drum manufacturing plant. The company said in its forecast that the plant would start at 30,000 units per month and reach 65,000 units per month by July or August 2026.