British-based EBC Brakes Offers “World’s Largest Disc Pads Range”

EBC says it has developed and manufactured “the largest range of disc brake pads in the world, from mountain bike, motorcycle, passenger car, LCV, HGV, PSV , off highway and rail applications” using a range of specialist materials all developed in house at its R&D facility in Bristol. The company also announced the opening of a new distribution centre in Poland recently. The 500sqm facility is located near Krakow and carries “over 200,000 euro in EBC Brakes product inventory”.

Announced on the company’s blog, EBC has also opened a warehouse in Turkey (EBC Fren), whose stock the company claims represents “the largest single inventory of motorcycle and sport automotive brakes in Turkey.” The company is active on the world automotive show circuit too, with an appearance at the Autosport Show at the Birmingham NEC in mid-January and regular US appearances by “Ms. EBC”, Genevieve Chappell.

EBC brake pads branded with the Greenstuff & Redstuff logos, these EBC aramid fibre automotive brake pads use high-tech fibres such as Dupont Kevlar and Twaron. EBC use these types of fibres to produce premium quality pads that deliver low disc wear with minimal dust. All EBC pads feature the company’s “Brake-In” coating which helps to reduce bed-in time significantly. Centre line slots, to prevent cracking and noise and edge chamfers to further offset vibration and noise are all standard features on all EBC brake pads.

The total range of EBC brake pads is supported by a range of Brake Discs specifically designed to compliment the performance characteristics of EBC pads. These range from the Standard OEM replacement disc, Turbo Grooved Discs and Ultimax Sports discs.

EBC Brakes was founded in 1978 and based in Northampton. It is a privately owned company that manufactures friction materials at its own production facility in Bristol. EBC Brakes is part of the Freeman Automotive Group, which also owns a 100 per cent shareholding in European Friction Industries in Bristol. EFI has a 50-year history of manufacture in heavy brakes such as commercial vehicles (trucks and trailers), earthmover equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks, and railway applications. Its products have been used on numerous rail networks including the Docklands Railway and the Tyne Tees Metro system, and are specified by the original equipment builder Tectran in the United States. Managing director Andy Freeman says he is “a strong proponent of British manufacturing”, and therefore neither company imports brake products “from third world countries”, preferring to manufacture “every piece possible in its own facilities.”

With specific regard to the automotive aftermarket, EBC offers a range of materials through Ultimax, its general replacement range, fully compliant with ECE Reg 90 brake safety regulations. The company supplies colour-coded ranges named Greenstuff (Premium Street), Redstuff (Fast Street) and Yellowstuff, which are full race pads but are also road legal, being fully compliant with ECE Reg 90. In addition to its automotive products, EBC manufactures brake pads for specialist applications such as wind turbines.