International Dealer News IDN 144 August/September 2018 | Page 18

news ROOM
Newfren’s 60-year
brake shoe pedigree
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