Daily coverage of the global brake and friction industry since 2012: OE and aftermarket suppliers, recalls, regulations, technology and executive moves.
Bendix's Bowling Green, Kentucky, brake plant earned the Governor's Safety and Health Award after logging 795,508 hours without a lost-time injury. That total exceeds the state's 750,000-hour threshold for a workforce of its size.
Apec has added 44 braking products to its Red and Black ranges, including a rear brake set for the BYD ATTO 3 and brake discs for the Land Rover Defender.
WBTL has secured two more EMB mass-production programs, reaching four with over $300 million in expected lifetime sales, and added two European EPB caliper programs this month.
GM is adding an electronic brake-boost system, 14.6-inch front rotors, and four-piston fixed front calipers to its 2027 Silverado HD and Sierra HD, separating braking from steering hydraulics.
First Line Ltd. says Euro 7's brake particle limits will gradually reshape aftermarket demand for replacement pads and discs, driving friction innovation while keeping safety and specification central.
NUCAP's NRS Fusion cures friction material separately and presses it onto a galvanized backing plate. After showing it at SAE Brake, the company is inviting friction suppliers to run trials.
J.JUAN exhibited braided brake hose solutions with Brembo and Bybre at CIMA 2026 in Chongqing, including the hose in Brembo's GR-PRO mountain bike kit and Bybre SSV applications.
Knorr-Bremse's EM brake, a brake-by-wire system that replaces pneumatic and hydraulic components with electric control and motors, is now running in regular service on a Trenitalia regional train in Italy.
Leisureways of Rotherham and Butlers Automotive have added 60 ABTEX brake caliper references, expanding the range to 250 part numbers for independent repair shops, with same-day and next-day delivery available.
AUMOVIO fitted Volkswagen’s Mission Efficiency concept with a semi-dry brake system, pairing MK C2 hydraulic front brakes with electromechanical rear calipers to reduce residual braking torque.
Delphi has added 198 new aftermarket part references, including 47 braking parts, with a master cylinder for Audi, SEAT, Škoda and VW models and Professional+ pads for MAN and VW vans.
Amsted Automotive is positioning its 11 U.S. plants in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin as a domestic sourcing option for automakers weighing tariffs on Canadian-made components, the company says.
DRiV has added 547 new Wagner brake caliper SKUs across North America, expanding the 100% new, no-core-charge line to about 1,100 part numbers and roughly 78% of vehicles in operation.
Tenneco is launching its Jurid 711 friction material for regional, long-distance and high-speed rail at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, alongside DEVA sliding bearings and Systems Protection sleeving and tape products.
AP Racing is extending its new brand identity to its motorcycle brake pad range, with a new logo, color palette, packaging, and brand film reaching products and channels from fall 2026.
Brembo has made its GR-PRO braking system for mountain bikes and eMTBs available across Europe through selected distributors, led by a kit with two calipers, two master cylinders, and steel braided hoses.
BYD is recalling 183,211 Tang and Qin vehicles in China. Regulators say brake pedal stopper pads can crack and detach, leaving brake lights illuminated. Dealers will replace the pads free of charge.
August's international brake recall activity: Stellantis' Ram trailer-module recall reaches Germany at 525,222 vehicles, Mercedes-Benz's parking brake campaign spreads to Canada, and NHTSA escalates its GM eBoost probe to 1.16 million vehicles.
TMD Friction is taking its Mintex Racing motorsport brake brand beyond the UK, offering seven compounds and 131 references across Fast Road, M-Series and F-Series tiers to club and track day drivers worldwide.
Brakes India is exhibiting a 22.5-inch monobloc Twin Piston Air Disc Brake, air brake compressors and ESC at IAA 2026, joined by TSF Group sister companies Wheels India, Axles India and Turbo Energy.
CDTL says its electromechanical braking system, now in small-series vehicle use, cuts vehicle weight by more than 220 lb, shortens braking distance about 10% and reduces braking-system energy use up to 85.4%.
CSIRO and Romar Engineering built a prototype stainless steel composite brake disc by laser cladding a boron carbide composite powder onto an SS410L substrate, more than doubling hardness and tensile strength, the agency reports.
ZF unveiled MAXX Uniper at IAA Transportation 2026, a next-generation single-piston air disc brake for heavy-duty trucks delivering 30,000 Nm and cutting brake-particle emissions up to 65 percent with a coated rotor.
Carlisle Brake & Friction has broken ground on a larger Chennai, India facility to produce off-highway paper wet friction discs and steel separator plates, with opening scheduled for 2027.
Knorr-Bremse and China Railway's CARS have signed an MoU covering freight digitalization, driver assistance, and heavy-haul braking, with Knorr-Bremse targeting more than €1 billion in long-term annual rail freight revenue.
ICER Brakes reports more than 200 commercial visits and 500 professionals at its Hall 3.0 stand during Automechanika Frankfurt 2026, where it showed First to Market references and a renewed website.
Five suppliers score in August's earnings-heavy window: Brembo unveils BOLDIKA at +4, ITT and Nisshinbo post brake growth at +3 each — Nisshinbo ending its sweep — while Aumovio slides to the bottom of the season at −9 and Akebono takes −2. Twelve suppliers remain untouched.
NUCAP will introduce NRS Fusion at the SAE Brake Colloquium, September 20–23 in Palm Desert. The process cures friction as a separate puck, then presses it into a galvanized NRS backing plate.
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2,404 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 49X trucks repaired incorrectly under two earlier recalls. Corroded front brake modulator valves may cause brake pull during ESC or RSC braking.
BPW unveils the Wheelend ECO Pro at IAA Transportation 2026, cutting 44 lb per 9-tonne trailer axle with an 8-year unlimited-mileage warranty, a bionic hub and brake disc, and series production from 2030.