21st June 2007 - New Brembo Research & Development Centre at “Kilometro Rosso”

Inauguration of the New Research and Development Centre in the “Kilometro Rosso” Science and Technology Park

Brembo R&D facilities are assigned with nearly 6% of the overall corporate turnover, on top of the commitment by approximately 10% of the corporate personnel, including engineers, technicians and product specialists.

Together with the Italian Prime Minister Mr. Romano Prodi, the President of Confindustria, the Italian Industrial Employer’s Confederation, Mr. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and a number of other Italian public authorities, Brembo’s key customers and suppliers were called to participate in the tape cutting ceremony of the new Brembo R&D Centre.

Brembo has consistently believed in breakthrough Research and Development activities as the backbone of corporate growth; R&D strategies have been implemented over the years in a virtually maniacal manner, be it for new product research or for new industrial and corporate organisation processes.

Cast iron brake discs, the new discs in ceramic material and brake callipers in new aluminium alloys: the Brembo R&D objectives and purposes, totally in-line with market requirements, consistently target increased performance, optimised comfort weight reduction, and decreased corrosion and wear and tear phenomena. Constant whirlwind innovation that, at the end of the development processes, undergoes the final improvement procedures in the Brembo Testing Area, with over 100 in-process units either on the dynamic load test benches or engaged in on-road and on-track trial testing.

On top of all the aforesaid objectives, new mechatronics research units have been deployed as of 2002, with the institution of the ‘Advanced Research Development’ head facilities. Mechatronics, i.e. the science of synergistic integration of mechanics, electronics, embedded control and IT in the design and realisation of intelligent products, processes and systems, is expected to result in the development of the new electro-mechanic “brake by wire” braking systems, due to gradually replace the hydraulic system brakes currently in use, thereby ensuring an impressively high braking system quality jump. It is electric power packs that will provide for braking control, instead of the driver having to physically exert pressure on the brake pedal.

And it is in the “Kilometro Rosso” Science and Technology Park that the development of mechatronics will furthermore find the maximum of Made in Italy contributions, where the new ‘Intellimech’ Consortium has just been founded with the initial participation of 18 companies, one of which is of course Brembo. The consortium targets the experimentation and integration of mechatronics-oriented knowledge and  technology to be developed for a wide range of different applications.

Built on an area of 392 thousand square metres of which 90 thousand covered-surface, the “Kilometro Rosso” is due to ultimately be hailed as one of the major European campuses in the research and innovation sectors and is expected to employ a total of 3000 technical and research specialists from groups such as Brembo, Italcementi, the “Istituto Mario Negri” research institute, the Bergamo University, Daimler Chrysler and a selection of other companies, small and large, crowned by the cooperation of Boston’s prestigious MIT.

Ideated by Jean Nouvel, the world-famous contemporary French architect, with coordination by Studio Blast in Milan, the “Kilometro Rosso” park is land marked by a red, 10 metre high lamellar aluminium wall built alongside the A4 motorway which, upon overall works completion is due to be one kilometre long. Aptly, the wall length features large openings moulded to be reminiscent of automobile body structure inlet air vents.

Source: Brembo Press Release