SOUTH BEND – Doug Fozo has been named operations manager for South Bend Gear, a new joint venture of Schafer Gear Works Inc. in South Bend and Somaschini S.p.A of Italy.

South Bend Gear will produce gears for engines for the heavy-duty truck market in North America at a 50,000-square-foot plan being built in South Bend. Production is scheduled to begin later this year at 50 percent capacity with full capacity set for 2012.

The plant will employ 12 people in the first phase and 13 more when the plant is fully operational. The cost of the investment is $18 million.