21st February 2006 - AC Friction Resumes Brake Lining Manufacturing Activities

AC Friction announced on February 15, 2006 that its drum brake lining manufacturing plant has been relocated to Roxton Pond, Quebec and is now manufacturing an improved product within a restructured company, with stronger financial and technical resources.

"When we started that company, in 2003, our goal was to offer the best aftermarket drum brake lining available in North America.  Within the first year of operations, we succeeded in taking a substantial market share of the aftermarket business and in building a strong relationship with our customers" said Andre Kirouac, President.  "When we faced serious financial problems, early in 2005, this strong relationship combined to the quality of our products helped us to restructure our company and bring in new partners that believed in the future of this enterprise".

In 2005, two new partners joined AC Friction.  This allowed the company to revisit its operations and to make improvements where required.  "Since the beginning, we used innovative manufacturing methods and management.  After 2 years of operation, we have a much better understanding of our customers needs and we adjust ourselves to their requirements".

Since the last few years, the North American brake market is in perpetual motion and this creates lots of opportunities for AC Friction.  "Large companies are so focused on downsizing, they forget to listen to their customers.  In our case, our focus is on improving our efficiency and quality of service, in order to suit the increasing demand for our product" reports Stephane Kirouac, Vice-President.   "We are actually under a tremendous pressure from our customers to increase our capacity.  This demonstrates the market need for a reliable and flexible supplier.  This is one of the reasons why we moved to a larger facility and invested in efficiency".

AC Friction manufactures drum brake linings, bonded and riveted, for passenger cars and light-duty trucks, serving the North American aftermarket.  It was founded in 2003.  The company utilizes its materials, engineering and manufacturing skills to the benefit of its customers.

Source: AC Friction 2005 Inc. Press Release