Based near Turin, Italy, in addition to being one of the market’s leading brake pad manufacturers, Newfren started as a brake shoe manufacturer and still offers “the most complete catalogue of motorcycle and scooter brake shoes in Europe”.
Founded in the 1950s by Alessandro Barbero, Newfren was an innovator and early adopter of a number of new brake technologies such as bonded friction material, gravity and high pressure die casting, and brake shoes without rivets.
The revolutionary glues that Alessandro developed “changed the production of the brake shoes forever”. Replacing the rivets for fixing the friction material on the jaws (“bells”) with glue established the first motorcycle and scooter brake shoe-bonding manufacturing process in Europe.
The process has since evolved, of course, with production processes such as the introduction of grinding with the open tumbling shaft perfecting the stopping power, durability and reliability of brake shoes thanks to the parallel evolution of industrial machinery for specific purposes.
Today Newfren remains the largest manufacturer of brake shoes in Europe and has continued to innovate, with developments such as the new, patented, water-grooved friction material for brake shoes.
Using a German made friction material that has been tested and developed specifically for the demands of each application, Newfren’s “archive” of hundreds of aluminium die-casting moulds means that tooling costs on existing models have already been absorbed with the production processes, making it quick and inexpensive to tool for new, late-model applications as they come to market, backed by an ongoing R&D investment that keeps the company on the cutting edge of new generation material opportunities.
The result is a comprehensive brake shoe programme with products at an exceptional value for money price point to quality ratio.
The company is still in family ownership with Valter Barbero at the helm, and in recent years has invested heavily in new manufacturing technology at its 65,000 sq ft facility/100,000 sq ft site.
Ahead of industry requirements where environmental manufacturing and compound formula requirements are concerned, Newfren has been granted UNI EN ISO 9001-2000 certification for its quality control systems and ABE certification from the German KBA for many of its products. As part of a continuing process, it is also on the way to obtaining environmental certification ISO 14000.
www.newfren.com
