23rd June 2005 - TMD Announces Supply of Powder Paints for Coating Brake Friction

BASF Coatings and TMD Friction Agree on Supplier Ship and Joint Research Projects

Münster/Leverkusen. BASF Coatings is now the supplier of powder paints for coating brake friction at a total of ten TMD Friction Holding sites in Germany , France , the UK , Italy , and China . In addition, the two companies, which both operate globally, agreed to additional research and development projects for boosting efficiency in the coating process. One way to do this may be to use UV-curable paints, in particular in coating truck disk brake pads. This has just been announced by the two companies. TMD Friction has an annual production of approximately 220 million brake friction parts for passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, racing, and industrial applications. BASF Coatings is one of the largest coatings producers worldwide.

For Dietmar Dahlem, Group Sourcing Manager, and Dieter Wappler, Group Operations Engineering at TMD Friction, the agreement means that the cooperation started in 1994 will be further intensified: “By signing this contract, we have agreed upon a technological commitment to powder coatings, and we will be working together with BASF Coatings to find potential measures for increasing the efficiency of the coating process even more.” Carsten Vietze, Account Manager at BASF Coatings, explains: “Our objective is to continue to grow along with the customer.“ Vietze added that the partnership with TMD Friction was another sign that BASF Coatings is more than “just” a coatings supplier. “Supplying materials is just one of the things we offer. Developing innovations and measures for increasing efficiency are additional building blocks in our strategy to make our customer even more successful.”

The production of brake pads requires absolute precision work and poses high demands on the producer and its suppliers. For instance, the coatings need to be absolutely resistant to brake oil, they have to protect the metal from corrosion, and further on in the production chain of the brake pad, they need to withstand heating and cooling, as well as surface tension.

Vietze adds: “The powder coating for TMD Friction is produced to meet the individual needs of the customer.“ For TMD Friction powder coatings are now the only way to go. Up until 1994, TMD Friction had still worked with 2-component liquid coatings. Back then, there were a lot of disadvantages: Only 25 percent of the paint applied actually landed on the surface to be finished. 25 percent were solvents and 50 percent overspray, meaning paint that was simply squandered. On top of that, the paint sludge had to be disposed of, which meant that in addition to the expenses for disposal, there was always a production stop during the cleaning process. Powder coatings don’t have these negative side effects.

Another research project involves potentially reducing the baking temperature of the powder coating. “This will also mean concrete savings for us," says Dahlem, who is looking forward to successful research.

BASF : A major international player in coatings

BASF Coatings AG belongs to the global Coatings Division of the BASF Group. In 2004 the Coatings Division achieved world sales of 2.0 billion euros. The Coatings Division develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints, and also the processes needed to apply them. In this business, eco-efficient water-based, powder and high-solids coatings as well as radiation-curable systems play a special part. In Brazil, the company has been successful in the decorative paints market for years and holds the leading position. BASF has a major, global presence in the Coatings sector, with significant market positions in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia/Pacific region, for example with affiliates in Australia, China, India, Japan, and the Philippines. The internet address of BASF Coatings is www.basf-coatings.com

About TMD Friction

TMD Friction Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of brake friction materials in the original equipment market of the automotive and brake industry. Its product portfolio comprises disk brake pads and drum brake linings for passenger cars and commercial vehicles together with brake pads for racing and friction materials for industry. With manufacturing facilities in Germany and other European countries, the USA, Brazil, Mexico and China, TMD Friction generated a turnover of 641 million euros last year and employed 4,500 people worldwide. TMD Friction also supplies the global aftermarket with its Textar, Pagid, Mintex, Don, Cobreq, and Cosid brands.

Source: TMD Friction Press Release