Brake-by-Wire - Joint development SKF and Brembo

Brake-by-Wire Joint development SKF and Brembo The SKF Group and the Brembo Group have decided to jointly develop a electro-mechanical braking system for the high-performance vehicle market. With this new system the brake pedal generates an electrical signal to act on the electro-mechanical actuators placed in the brake of every wheel. These so called brake-by-wire systems offer interesting possibilities for full active control of a vehicle's braking system with a higher level of integration. Such systems offer enhanced system packaging possibilities, removing the complexity of running hydraulic pipes, with the additional environmental benefit of dispensing with the need for hydraulic fluid. Brembo bring to the partnership high-performance braking systems. Brembo is a recognised specialist in this area and is today the largest manufacturer of brake disc rotors. SKF's expertise in bearing, linear actuator and sensor technology, seals and high power-density actuators for drive-by-wire applications and Brembo's overall system knowledge with subsystems that provide the heart of electromechanical calliper designs complement each other. Tom Johnstone, President, SKF Automotive & Seals Divisions: Mechatronics is a major strategic focus within SKF's Automotive Division. For the automotive industry, "drive-by-wire" is now established as the technology to replace many of the traditional hydraulically and mechanically operated systems and will increasingly be introduced in the coming decade. Within SKF's Automotive Division, we have established a dedicated drive-by-wire Business Unit to focus specifically on this increasing important market. This partnership is part of SKF's strategy to strengthen and develop its businesses through partnership with leading companies". Alberto Bombassei, President, Brembo: "We at Brembo are very pleased of this agreement, that we strongly wanted as it perfectly combines the skills we have built and refined over these years in the advanced braking solutions with the will to bring to the market a radical innovation. Brembo brand is today synonymous for the best brakes when it comes to demanding applications for nearly every vehicle. Brake-by-wire is something we have been working on over the last three years and has great potential. To pursue this objective there was the need of a very efficient linear actuator in order to provide the best possible solution for a brake-by-wire system to our customers that could include all of the advantages it can deliver". The SKF Group, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden is the leading supplier of rolling bearings and holds a strong position in high-precision linear actuators and sealing systems. The Group's sales in 1999 were SEK 36 693 million (Euro 4 159 million) and employs just over 40 000 people. The Brembo Group, headquartered in Curno, Italy is the leading supplier of high performance braking systems for both cars and motorcycles and holds a strong position in the emerging corner assembly supplier market. The Group's sales in 1999 were 685 billion Italian Lire (354 million Euro) and employs just over 2,500 people. Göteborg, March 3, 20000 Aktiebolaget SKF (publ.) For further information, please contact: Lars G Malmer, SKF Group Communication, tel: 031-3371541, e-mail: Lars.G.Malmer@skf.com Roberto Vavassori, Investor Relations, Brembo S.p.A., tel: +39-035 605 223, e-mail: ir@brembo.it Aktiebolaget SKF, SE-415 50 Göteborg, Sverige, tel:+46-31-3371000, fax: +46-31-3372832, www.skf.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/03/20000303BIT00290/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/03/20000303BIT00290/bit0002.pdf