2018 has been a big year of investment for Lumag. Not only has the company celebrated its 30th anniversary, but it also saw significant investment into its services, manufacturing capabilities and resulting products.
The year began with a €5million investment in a Bruderer Shim Stamping machine that was installed at Lumag’s Budzyń, Poland, manufacturing facility. This allows the company to manufacture its own rubber shims for its passenger car friction range – BRECK. Located between the brake pads and the rotors, shims correct small imperfections that cause brake noise.
The latter part of 2018 saw Lumag make one of its biggest investments since the formation of its manufacturing facilities. Representative of a €10 million investment, the new Feintool Technologie AG Fine Blanking Machine will enable Lumag to manufacture its own back plates from rolled steel, to improve efficiencies. Initially, Lumag will be utilising this machinery to manufacture backplates for its CV ranges, but also to sell externally to its requirements. This project will move into passenger vehicles within the next 12/18 months.
Finally, Lumag has also invested heavily in its new Green Coat technology – a high friction coefficient coating production line on all CV pads. This new production line – part of a €180,000 investment into Green Coat technology – will apply a high friction coefficient layer to the outside of the commercial vehicle brake pads. This allows for a quicker ‘bedding in’ of the pad in relation to the disc, shortening the braking distance from 50 to 0 kph during breaking-in of newly installed pads by up to 3m.
Colin Smit, Lumag MD, said: “In order to stay relevant and at the forefront of our industry it is vital that we continue to invest in systems and manufacturing processes that not only improve efficiencies but also provide products that meet the exacting needs of modern vehicles. These latest investments are demonstrative of our commitment to delivering the best possible services and market-leading friction products. We also feel we have a responsibility to bring to market products that provide cost effective solutions without compromising on quality or performance. In a market that is flooded with sub-standard quality and counterfeit parts, these latest investments will enable us to create products and accessories that counter the urge to buy ‘cheap’.”
