New manufacturing base for Lumag and Breck brake pads
CV friction materials manufacturer Lumag has opened its new production factory in Budzyń, Poland, which it says will help ensure a favourable market position for its Lumag and Breck brake pad brands.
Lumag and Breck brake pads are now in production at the new site, said to be recognised by experts as the most modern facility of its type in Central Europe.
The production capacity of the factory, covering an area of 19,000 square metres, is aimed at multiplying the potential of the Polish manufacturer and, by doing so, improving the profile of Lumag and Breck brands on international markets.
Today as much as 80 per cent of products made at the site are sold on foreign markets. Western European countries account for 60 per cent of this figure, while the majority of products are sold in Germany.
Marek Zak, CEO and company founder of Lumag, said: “The strength of the Lumag company lies in our long-term plan of systematic and consistent investment in cutting-edge production technology.
“In Autumn 2013 we completed the first stage of our greenfield investment project worth PLN 70m (€17m). It covers the construction from the ground up to the most modern production facility in this part of Europe, featuring the most advanced technologies for the production of friction materials available today. Alongside this are our new brand new offices.
“We are currently implementing the second stage of the investment project aimed at multiplying our facility’s production capacity, through the purchase of a number of high-tech lines and dynamic growth of our in-house research and development centre. The second stage, which will cost PLN 35m (€8.5m), proved to be necessary in order to meet the current high demand for our products from our long-term and new customers.”
The site incorporates fully automated technological lines, said to meet the highest quality and capacity standards applied in the friction material industry. All stages of brake pad manufacturing take place here, from the production of the friction material mixture, to packaging of finished goods. Quality assurance is strictly implemented, Lumag says, adding that a key logistical strength of the factory is its location at the crossing of transportation routes leading to Western Europe.
“The quality of products made here is clearly defined by the demands of the international market. The rule is simple: Lumag and Breck brake pads have to perform well on any road in the world, in any vehicle, and in any situation on the road,” the company said.
“A research team led by Tomasz Orłowski D. Eng., working exclusively for Lumag, is responsible for this important aspect. On the one hand, the team strengthens the well-established reputation of a market player implementing innovative solutions, while on the other hand it takes full control over the currently manufactured products. There is no exaggeration in saying that the factory is the crowning achievement of a good and reliable manufacturer, who won acclaim by painstakingly developing its products in its in-house laboratories.”
Lumag, which has operated within the industry for 26 years, offers braking components both for OE customers, and aftermarket clients. The company says its products are put to a test not only in its in-house research and development (R&D) centre, but also in other R&D centres and on test tracks in Poland, Germany, Austria, Spain and in other parts of the world.
Lumag added: “The factory… operates by striking a delicate balance between the expectations of its customers and drivers related to quality and price, and the needs of the environment… The factory was designed with many environmentally-friendly solutions in mind, which at the same time bring tangible benefits to the company by lowering its consumption of power and natural gas.”
