Working Through the Pandemic

This week’s journey to the past is to 2020 to see how Banks and Duramax continued working through the pandemic. Still fresh in relatively everyone’s minds, we don’t need to rehash things except to set the stage. Most businesses were closed, and the world was in quarantine. But from the start of the pandemic, Banks never shut their doors. Instead, it continued to manufacture Duramax-based Banks D866T engines for the military’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV for short). But Banks was running out of engines.

At Banks’ request, employees voluntarily reopened the DMAX engine plant in Moraine, Ohio, and got back to working on the assembly line. The plant builds Banks’ defense-specific 6.6L diesel base engines. The effort put people back to work in Ohio and at the Banks Tech engine assembly plant in Azusa, California.

“GM’s dedication to the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle production and America’s safety could not be demonstrated or validated at a higher level than this,” said Gale Banks, Chief Engineer at Banks Power. In an act of unparalleled patriotism, and with health and safety in mind, employees from both DMAX and Banks are proudly stepping up to support our national security in a time of crisis. This is a truly American story.”

To celebrate the hard work of both teams, Banks and Duramax hosted a family fun day.