SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF BREMBO

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Brembo was founded in 1961, when widespread prosperity allowed ever wider bands of the population to use the car.  It began as a small mechanics garage located a few kilometres from Bergamo, run by the current President Emilio Bombassei's father, who gave the company a strong family element right from the start.  Experience gained in mechanics and metallurgy was put to good use when the founder started working for customers like Alfa Romeo.

 
The first Italian brake discs

1964 marked a milestone in the company’s history: from then on, Brembo began manufacturing the first Italian brake discs for the aftermarket.  Until then, discs had been imported from Great Britain.  The production of brake discs was then followed by other braking system components.  The skill, specialization and quality of the products and services of this Curno-based company began to gain recognition on an international level, gaining leadership in Europe's brake disc aftermarket.  For the first time in 1972, the Brembo brand was applied to motorcycles manufactured in Europe, with a supply for Moto Guzzi. In short, Brembo became leader in the braking systems market for twowheel
vehicles.  In 1965, Brembo had 28 employees, including the four founding partners.

 
Leader in the racing sector

Brembo's high technological standards were consecrated in 1975, when Maranello’s patron, Enzo Ferrari, entrusted the Bergamo company with the task of attending to the most prestigious Formula 1 car.  Brembo soon became leader in braking systems for racing. Since then, teams equipped with Brembo brakes have won hundreds of car and motorcycle world championships.  Brembo amounted to 146 employees in 1975, with a turnover of 2.8 billion lire.  
 

Innovation and strategy

Following a precise strategy of expansion into specialized market niches, at the beginning of the eighties, Brembo started developing innovative products and technological processes for cars, racing and motorcycles.  The brake caliper for cars, added to the product range in 1980, was highly innovative in terms of design and material: aluminium.
The new aluminium calipers were later adopted by high performance car manufacturers, such as Porsche (still supplied 100% by Brembo), Mercedes, Lancia, BMW, Nissan and Chrysler.  In the mid-eighties, Brembo decided to also compete in the sector of brake discs for industrial vehicles.  The company later became the strategic supplier for Iveco, Renault Industrial Vehicles and Mercedes.

 
The Kelsey-Hayes era

Brembo's increasingly international outlook took a step forward in 1983 when Kelsey-Hayes, an American multinational working in the production of braking systems, acquired a share in the company.  This new collaboration allowed the management and Italian shareholders to continue setting corporate strategy guidelines.  In 1985, Brembo amounted to 335 employees, with a turnover of 51 billion lire. 

Brembo goes back to being Italian

At the end of 1992, the strategic ambitions of this Bergamo company took a different path from Kelsey-Hayes.  Brembo began focusing on its future and indirectly on competition in the Italian industry, where the company was already a strong competitor, by exploiting its management resources and technological capacity.  Once again, Brembo's men played the leading role: Alberto Bombassei, son of the founder Emilio and also co-founder of the company, set up a plan of action to repurchase the majority holding with the help of its managers.

When negotiations came to end in March 1993 and Kelsey-Hayes transferred its share, Brembo’s management won its challenge to reacquire the holding originally transferred to Kelsey-Hayes.  The company continued to grow over the following years and in 1995 it was quoted in the Milan Stock Exchange: a success gained through intense teamwork, as is always the case in Brembo.  In 1995, Brembo had a total of 1,115 employees, with a turnover of 331 billion lire.

 
Brembo extends its borders

At the beginning of the year 2000, Brembo concluded some important takeovers and agreements, extending its borders even further. 

In Brazil, it took over the company Alfa Real Minas for car brake disc machining and motor flywheel assembly for O.E.

Brembo clinched a Joint Venture in South Africa with a ZF Group company Lemförder and the South-African company Autoindustrial.  This Johannesburg-based Joint Venture controls a cast iron foundry manufacturing brake discs, a plant for hot pressing steel uprights and hubs, and a plant for component machining and assembly.

Brembo then took over the UK-based company AP Racing Limited, which is specialized in
manufacturing brake and clutch systems for racing, the upgrades aftermarket and O.E. brake and clutch systems for high performance sports cars.

In the aim to develop in the field of motorcycles, Brembo acquired 70% of the company Marchesini, which specializes in magnesium wheels for racing motorcycles.  Brembo then signed an agreement with the Swedish group SKF, for the development of Brake-by-Wire systems, which are destined for the high performance car market and replace the hydraulic ones currently in use.

The latest Joint Venture was signed in China with Yuejin Motor Group, forming the company
Nanjing Yuejin Automotive Brake System for the manufacture of braking systems for cars and light trucks.

Brembo had approx. 2,800 employees in the year 2000, with a turnover of 877 billion lire.

The new millennium

In 2001 Brembo received some prestigious prizes, including the Oscar for Annual Report and Financial Communication for quoted companies.

In addition, AT Kearney, one of the most influential American consultancy and management firms, awarded Brembo the GEO Awards (Global Excellence in Operation).  These prestigious awards go to the best factories in Europe and the world for global excellence. The Curno plant was awarded the prizes.

On 4th June 2001, Brembo took part in the “Ferrari Podium” dedicated to Ferrari’s and Maserati’s technical partners, and won the “Ferrari Innovation Award”.

Brembo also won the Production Award 2001 early in the year 2002. It was awarded by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. for the demonstration of excellence in its cooperation and support in the manufacture of the “Subaru Impreza” 2002 model (from December 2001 to March 2002).

Since Brembo has introduced the Brembo CCM, the Ceramic Composite material brake disc, it received in 2003 the Automotive News PACE award, the prestigious acknowledgement awarded annually by Automotive News, the foremost automotive trade publication and by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, leader in management consulting and IT services. This award is given to the world’s most innovative product in the car components market.

During Motortec in Madrid, last June, Brembo received the Innovation Award, for the same
product.

Last but not least the award for Brembo Easy Check, won during Equip’Auto. This new After
Market brake disc has been enriched with a simple component: a pair of very small dead holes on the braking surface that act as visual indicators of use. 

In November 2003, Brembo and DaimlerChrysler AG signed a contract for the establishment of a joint venture, for the manufacture of ceramic brake discs.

Brembo Ceramic Brake Systems SpA, the new company, is now located in the new Science and Technology Park “Kilometro Rosso”, in Stezzano (Bergamo) Italy and in January 2004, has started the production of the first ceramic brake discs.

In September 2004, Brembo was awarded with the Compasso d’Oro (Golden Compass award) for its CCM, ceramic carbon braking system for road vehicles. This award, the Oscar of Italian design awarded every three years by the ADI, the Association for Industrial Design, set up 50 years ago, goes to the 16 best examples of “Made in Italy”.

Brembo today

In January 2005 Brembo start to supply Harley Davidson with the 2006 VRSCR-Streetrod platform.  Podio Ferrari: in June 2005 Brembo wins for the second time the "Ferrari Innovation Award" as best Ferrari’s partner for its innovation capacity and for product development.

In July 2005, Brembo and SIMEST, a public-private finance company, signed an agreement for setting up a new production company in China.  The Joint Venture, participated by Brembo with 60% and SIMEST with 40% and by Venture Capital Fund for China (which will be deducted from the capital by 2013, as provided by the law) will specialize in the production and sale of braking systems for the original equipment.  The site of Brembo’s plant will be in the Beijing area and will supply the main car manufacturers in Europe and Asia who have production plants in the Far East.

Production is planned to start in the Spring of 2006 with expected revenues of about €20 million at full capacity.

In October 2005 Brembo and the Indian Bosch subsidiary Kalyani Brakes Ltd. Pune, India, and the Italian company Brembo signed an agreement to establish a 50/50 joint-venture company for the application engineering, production and sales of two-wheeler brakes.  The joint-venture company, KBX Motorbike Products Private Ltd, will be headquartered in Pune, India.

In November 2005 Brembo received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Quality leadership for its superior production of brake rotors and drums for the North American aftermarket.

In November 2005, Brembo North America received the prestigious Frost & Sullivan "Product Quality Leadership Award" for the superiority of its production of brake discs for the North American spare parts market and in February 2006 it received the “Product Innovation Award” for the Easy Check brake discs.

In February 2006, Brembo inaugurated its new foundry in Dabrowa Gornicza, Poland.
In May 2007 Brembo inaugurated its new Research & Development Centre in the Science and Technological Centre Kilometro Rosso in Stezzano, Bergamo.
 

In July 2007 Brembo has joined Harley-Davidson to supply braking systems for Harley-Davidson’s Touring Platform; this new supply is a very important step for Brembo, as it strengthens its position on the American market.

In September 2007 Brembo and Sabelt, SpA, a leading name in racing seat belts and child safety products, have signed a letter of intents with a view to integrate and develop their business operations in the area of components and special accessories for motor vehicles and motorcycles.

A joint venture company, Brembo Performance SpA, will be set up.

In November 2007 Brembo and Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. have announced the sale of Hayes Lemmerz’ Automotive Brake Components division to Brembo North America, Inc. Stezzano, January 2008