Corona Crisis: TMD Friction Navigated 2020 Successfully

Source: TMD Friction announcement

LEVERKUSEN, Germany – The year 2020 and the Corona crisis have taken their toll on many automotive aftermarket suppliers. Brake pads & linings manufacturer TMD Friction, one of the leading providers of brake technology for original equipment and the spare parts market, nevertheless has good news to report: strategic decisions, a high level of supply chain transparency and flexible structures, especially in production and warehousing have, in the course of the year, almost fully compensated for the losses caused by the first “lockdown” in spring.

TMD Friction registered the strongest quarter in the company’s history from January to March of 2020, thanks to strong sales across the board in all regions, even though the downturn began as early as mid-March.

“We were very much on track and would certainly have had a record year if it hadn’t been for the pandemic” emphasized Clément de Valon, Executive Vice President Independent Aftermarket at TMD Friction. “As a premium manufacturer, we also provide premium service. Among other things, this means product quality as well as high delivery reliability and product availability.

“Our size allows us a degree of operational freedom and flexibility that some of our competitors do not enjoy. 2020 showed us that our flexible structures were one of the most important factors in successfully mastering the crisis.”

TMD Friction already set up an internal task force in mid-February 2020 when the Corona crisis in Asia was beginning to take shape. All the relevant roles and departments worldwide were involved in this undertaking. One of the success factors was flexibility, with the declared objective being to regularly reassess the situation as well as make decisions quickly and at an early stage.

“Our key to success was the ability to deliver continuously,” explained Christian Stange, Vice President Supply Chain and Managing Director of TMD Friction Services GmbH. “We monitored the changing demands of the industry and our customers‘ needs and were able to quickly adapt our supply chain processes to meet these requirements.

“When customer demand rebounded in the summer, we were one of the first to get off the starting blocks to supply our customers straight away. Unlike many competitors, we deliberately avoided cutting staff and reducing our production capacities, which was precisely the right decision, both for our employees and the success of our company,”

To view the entire announcement, click HERE.