1960
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's father Emilio Bombassei. Experience gained in
mechanics and metallurgy was put to good use when the founder started
working for customers such as Alfa Romeo.
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 two-wheel
vehicles.
In 1965, Brembo had 28 employees.
1970
Brembo's high technological standards were consecrated in 1975, when
Ferrari'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.
1980
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.
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.
1990
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.
2000
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 887 billion lire.
The new millennium.
In 2003, Brembo and Daimler Chrysler AG established a JV 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 January 2005 Brembo
started to supply Harley Davidson with the 2006
VRSCR-Streetrod platform; this new supply is a very important step for
Brembo, as it strengthens its position on the American market. In July
2005 Brembo and SIMEST, a public-private financial company, signed an agreement to establish 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. Brembo today
Brembo can anticipate the future technology, innovation and design,
creating a total quality product: from design to iron casting through
to assembly, by means of tests and simulations on test benches, on the
track and on road. Thanks to integration of the processes and
optimisatin of the whole production cycle, Brembo succeds in
garanteeing the maximum level of safety and comfort and improving product performance. The push to innovation involves new technologies, new materials, new shapes and new markets;
product performance is combined with the search for aunique style, in
line with design of the vehicles supplied. Finally, the increasing
application of ecocompatible technologies, the
recycling of all materials used during the processing phases and the
careful prevention of any form of pollution are the demostration of
Brembo's commitment to the environment. Brembo wants to be a high
performance company and its personnel represent its true assets, the
propulsive thrust and the engine that drives every innovation: a sigle
great team works for Brembo. The company currently operats in Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Grat Britan, France, Sweden, the USA, China, Japan and India
counting on the collaboration of over 4.300 people. 10% of these are
engineers and product specialists working in research and development.
The results obtained by Brembo have rewarded the efforts made in terms
of technological and process devolopment: the Group's 2005 turnover was 711,6 million euros.
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