 |
 |
||||||
[April 2009]
Brembo and SGL Aim to Merge Carbon Ceramic Brakes Activities
SGL Group (Wiesbaden, Germany) and Brembo SpA (Stezzano, Italy) are in an advanced stage of negotiations aimed to merge their respective activities in the field of carbon ceramic brakes for the automotive industry into a 50-50 joint venture. The initiative will combine the superior expertise from the respective parent companies: carbon fibre material know-how from SGL Group and high-end brake application competence, also in carbon ceramic, from Brembo.
It is envisioned that in a few years the carbon ceramic brake business could expand to a larger number of vehicles, thanks to the properties of the material such as light weight, longer lifetime, corrosion resistance and thermal stability compared to the current cast iron brakes. The execution of the deal is expected by May 2009, subject to the finalisation of the contracts and the approval of the relevant authorities.
Brembo SpA is reportedly the world leader and acknowledged innovator of the brake disc technology for automotive vehicles. It supplies high performance brake systems for the most important manufacturers of cars, commercial vehicles and motorbikes worldwide, as well as clutches, seats, seat belts and other components for racing only. Moreover, Brembo is also a leader in the racing sector and has won more than 200 championships. Today the company operates in 14 countries in three continents, with 33 production and business sites and a pool of about 5,800 employees, 9% of whom are engineers and product specialists active in the R&D. 2008 turnover is expected to be over €1 billion. Brembo is the owner of the Brembo, Breco, Marchesini, Sabelt brands and operates through AP Racing brand.
SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibres and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries.
www.sglgroup.com
www.brembo.com
ENDS