ConMet, an Amsted Industries company, believes Europe’s trucks are about to get lighter where the rubber meets the road. At IAA Transportation 2026, the Vancover WA-based supplier for commercial vehicles showcased its full range of wheel ends. The company is working with several European truck makers on their next generation of designs, with lightweight aluminium high on the agenda.
Speaking to this publication, Mr. Jeff Larson, Vice President – Core Product Engineering, ConMet, said, “You’ll probably see a different mix” within about two years. Wheel ends are one of the company’s three core businesses, and everything the company makes is built for commercial vehicles. Its stand showed hubs that look much alike but are each designed for a specific need: disc brake and drum brake hubs, iron and aluminium hubs, and hubs for steer, drive and trailer axles.
Cutting weight has long been a focus for ConMet. Aluminium is the obvious way to do it, but Mr. Larson explained that the company also makes optimised iron hubs, which are machined to remove weight without changing the material. Aluminium saves even more weight, though it typically costs about 30–40% more than iron.
In the US, around 70% of truck wheel ends are already aluminium. In Europe and China, where ConMet also has strong sales, iron is still the norm. According to Mr. Larson, this is largely down to habit, since the industry started with iron and has stuck with what it knows.
Electric trucks could change that, he said, adding that EVs carry heavy batteries, so every kilogramme saved elsewhere can go towards more battery capacity or more range. That is where ConMet sees aluminium demand growing fastest, and Mr. Larson noted that several high-profile electric tractors at the show were fitted with ConMet’s aluminium wheel ends. Combined with lighter wheels and high-performance tyres, he asserted that this can improve a truck’s overall performance and let it carry more cargo.
Beyond wheel ends, the company sees its next big opportunity in brake rotors. Its stand featured four different rotor technologies that look similar at first glance but represent ongoing innovation for better performance.
ConMet wants to be a global wheel-end supplier in any market that values high quality and reliability, whether in Asia, Europe, North America or India. As Mr. Larson put it, the goal has always been to deliver a product “that you put on a vehicle and you never have to worry about again.”