NAPA has updated packaging across its aftermarket brake pad range to display Friction Material Group (FMG) Eurofren Systems branding, identifying the European supplier that produces over 130 million brake components per year for both NAPA and OEM customers. The new labelling appears on every box in the range and is intended to communicate the heritage and validation behind pads NAPA says are designed to exceed original-equipment standards. FMG carries 50 years of friction-material manufacturing history and runs roughly 3,500 performance tests annually for compliance and customer-satisfaction work. The supplier reports coverage of up to 98 percent of brake references in the global market.
Highlights
- FMG-branded packaging now appears across NAPA’s full aftermarket brake pad range, identifying the European supplier behind every box.
- FMG Eurofren Systems produces more than 130 million brake components per year and covers up to 98 percent of global brake references, per NAPA.
- FMG runs around 3,500 annual performance tests on its friction materials and operates its factories on 100 percent renewable energy.
- The packaging change formalizes a supply relationship that complements NAPA’s separate U.S. partnership with Brembo for premium braking parts.
Why FMG Was Chosen as Supplier
FMG Eurofren Systems is a European friction-material specialist with a 50-year manufacturing track record. The company supplies both OEM and aftermarket channels, a dual position NAPA cites as evidence that its pads are built to specifications consistent with factory-fitted braking components. FMG’s annual output exceeds 130 million brake components, and NAPA reports that the supplier’s catalogue covers up to 98 percent of brake references available in the global market. Those figures are sourced from the company itself and have not been independently verified.
The supplier runs around 3,500 performance tests per year for compliance and customer-satisfaction validation, and maintains an active R&D program testing new friction prototypes. NAPA frames the pads as “OE+” — designed to not only meet but exceed OE standards through validation in FMG’s R&D and testing program.
Sustainability and Manufacturing Footprint
FMG’s manufacturing approach is a central part of NAPA’s marketing for the relabelled range. The company’s friction materials are formulated free of heavy metals, which NAPA says improves recyclability at end of life. Production processes use high-pressure treatments to reduce pollution, and recycled materials are incorporated into manufacturing. FMG factories run on 100 percent renewable energy, according to NAPA.
Heavy-metal-free formulations reflect the broader regulatory direction in friction-material chemistry. Copper restrictions under U.S. state laws originating in California and Washington — mirrored by European Union limits on heavy metals in brake pads — have pushed the global aftermarket toward cleaner formulations over the past decade, with several North American suppliers, including AmeriBRAKES and Motorcar Parts of America, marketing copper-free pad lines on similar grounds.
Where the Eurofren Relationship Sits Alongside NAPA’s Other Brake Programs
The FMG packaging update applies to NAPA’s European brake pad range, which was introduced in the United Kingdom and Ireland with directional pad technology, triple-layer shims, and an EcoBond adhesive system designed to exceed EU regulations on heavy metals. NAPA has continued to expand its U.K. braking catalogue since that launch, including a dedicated brake caliper line added in 2024.
The Eurofren-supplied range is distinct from NAPA’s separate North American agreement with Brembo, which made NAPA the exclusive aftermarket distributor of the Brembo Beyond EV brake kit in the United States. Together, the two programs give NAPA different supplier relationships for its European and North American markets, with FMG anchoring the European aftermarket range and Brembo serving the U.S. premium and EV-specific segments.
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