Galfer continues to grow - success on the street and the track
Ivo Bristot , General Sales Manager : " In these tough times , here in Spain and throughout Europe and the rest of the world , Galfer is a ' Good News ' story ."
Industrias Galfer S . A , the Barcelona based Spanish brake
components manufacturer , has increased its sales in 2020 " and will end the year with very positive results , despite the pandemic ," says General Sales Manager Ivo Bristot .
" For 2020 we will have a + 15 % higher turnover compared to the previous year , despite having been forced to close our facilities in March due to the general lockdown in Spain . At the same time , we have also had to expand our production activity to meet the growth . This means that we have hired several new employees , extended our work shifts and acquired new machines so we can cover the increase in current and anticipated future demand . " In these tough times - here in Spain and throughout Europe and the rest of the world - Galfer is a ' Good News ' story ." In its Motorbike Division , Galfer has extended its collaboration with the KTM Group , where the company is once again supplying the brake discs for the entire new GasGas range - now owned by the KTM parent company . " We also have other deals close to finalisation with some of the leading race teams - altogether , the positive developments for Galfer make us confident that we can continue to grow in the coming years . " The increase in the supply of our sintered brake pads for several OEM customers , and the increase in our
export sales of replacement parts are also impressive , thanks in part to the recent distribution agreement reached with Parts Unlimited ( for America )." In its Bicycle Division , 2020 saw Galfer starting to supply its popular ' Disc Wave ' brake discs as standard fitment of several bicycles for national and international manufacturers such as Orbea , Fantic , Berria and Mendiz . It has also increased production of brake pads - the boom that the bicycle sector is currently enjoying has meant that sales figures for replacement brake parts have soared to more than double the sales achieved in 2019 and has broken into new markets in Oceania and Asia , where it previously had no direct presence . It has also been a great year for Galfer in terms of its race support , winning its second consecutive Supersport 600 World Championship with Andrea Locatelli and the new World Championship double of Toni Bou in X-Trial and TrialGP , among other achievements . One of the highlights for Galfer in product terms has been the success of its unique Cubiq brake rotor design . First seen at EICMA in November 2019 , it features an original brake track design with hexagonal shapes that " offers better braking than a conventional round disc design with up to 40 % weight reduction ," says Ivo . " The unique brake track configuration resembles the molecular and crystal structure of the steel itself . With this shape we achieve better cooling and improved weight loss , which also results in better manoeuvrability of the motorcycle . " The improved cooling is achieved because the design increases the convection perimeter , so there is more cooling surface around the brake track and better temperature dissipation . The increased cooling surface optimises the friction surface and enables a lighter brake track design . " Also , because there is the same contact surface between brake pad and disc on each rotation , the brake pads wear evenly and there ' s homogeneous
32 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021