Chapel-en-le-Frith, U.K., March 23, 2023 - Ferodo® has played a central role in the development of the motor and transportation industry since its foundation in 1897 by Herbert Frood (1864-1931). Frood was a British industrialist and entrepreneur who invented brake pads when he produced the first materials designed to brake horse-drawn carts in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Frood gave his name to Ferodo, based on an anagram of his surname, and set in motion the start of the brand´s outstanding heritage and global reputation as an innovator in the braking business. 

More than 125 years later, Ferodo brake products are found on one in every four new cars. Not only is Ferodo the original equipment (OE) choice for nearly 25 million vehicles a year, but it is also appreciated by customers in other global transportation segments as well as in the automotive aftermarket and among racing teams worldwide.

“It’s a unique privilege to be able to look back on Ferodo´s more than 125 years of braking excellence,” said Neville Rudd, Group Vice President and General Manager of Tenneco´s global OE Braking business. “But Ferodo is also constantly looking forward to new developments and technical solutions to keep its business – and that of its customers – ahead of the competition.”

Strong global engineering and manufacturing footprint

Tenneco´s Ferodo OE Braking business today employs around 4,500 people in 11 manufacturing plants and 8 engineering centres worldwide. The home of Ferodo remains in Chapel-en-le-Frith where R&D and manufacturing activities are performed. 

	OE Manufacturing Plants	OE Engineering Centres
Europe	Badalona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Chapel, UK Glinde, Germany Mondovi, Italy Ploiesti, Romania	Bad Camberg, Germany Brno, Czech Republic Chapel, UK Glinde, Germany
Americas	Glasgow, US Smithville, US Tepotzotlan, Mexico	Plymouth, US Smithville, US
Asia Pacific	Chongqing, China Wuhan, China	Chongqing, China Shanghai, China

 

Broad portfolio of leading friction solutions for a variety of markets

Ferodo braking products are supplied as original equipment to virtually all major light vehicle (LV) and commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers and are marketed in over 200 countries around the world. In addition to its strong position in the global LV and CV sectors, Tenneco´s braking business serves customers in the two-wheel segment as well as in the off-highway, agricultural, industrial and railways markets.

Some 52 percent of Tenneco´s OE global braking activity serves customers in Europe, with the balance in North America (28 percent) and Asia Pacific (20 percent). LVs account for around 75 percent of the global activity with CVs at approximately 18 percent and railway products at 7 percent (source: internal data).

For installers and end consumers, Ferodo friction products, which are fully homologated and meet all OE quality standards, are marketed and distributed through Tenneco´s DRiV aftermarket business. Today, Ferodo covers more than 98 percent of the European aftermarket for brake pads, offering parts for the vast majority of cars on the road. In addition, Ferodo´s aftermarket portfolio includes an extensive range of brake discs, shoes, hydraulics and accessories for light and commercial vehicles as well as disc brake pads for motorcycles, all-round and electric bikes.

Unparalleled track record of braking innovation

In 1901, Frood received a patent for brake blocks. These were the first commercial brake pads using friction materials that included cotton cloth filled with resin, camel hair, leather and wood.  By 1907, commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses were using Ferodo products.

Ferodo was the first brand to supply original equipment linings for a mass-produced car when in 1922 linings were fitted to the Austin 7. The first Ferodo replacement linings were marketed in 1923. In 1956, Ferodo was also the first brand to supply disc pads for a mass-produced automobile, the Triumph TR3, fitted with disc brakes as standard.

Maintaining its innovator position, Ferodo was also the first to introduce non-asbestos brake materials, which were developed with many of the leading vehicle manufacturers around the world, leveraging the company’s advanced research and development (R&D) facilities and specific know-how on brake pad design and production. Ferodo asbestos-free materials were supplied as original equipment from 1980.

Since then, Ferodo has carried on setting the pace, with ground-breaking advances such as the first European non-asbestos brake pad, and the introduction of its low-copper and copper-free brake pad range in 2012, in the aftermarket known as Eco-Friction® braking technology products.  

2019 marked the technical release of Ferodo´s advanced copper-free hybrid friction material composites for OE vehicle applications, combining the advantages of low steel (LS) and non-asbestos-organic (NAO) composites in one concept for brake pads. Simultaneously serving braking performance and comfort requirements in both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles (EVs), the new hybrid friction material composites are expected to cover a range of different market demands with a single approach, also ensuring sufficient friction power for emergency braking purposes to comply with safety requirements. 

In 2021, Tenneco´s DRiV aftermarket business introduced its range of Ferodo Fuse+ Technology brake pads, bridging the gap between outstanding braking performance and high-end comfort.  One year later, DRiV made bike disc brake pads available to workshops and end consumers.

On the OE side, in 2022 Ferodo continued its track record of bringing innovative friction materials early to market and to different segments. 

The new copper-free hybrid friction material composites entered series production in China, serving a global premium light vehicle manufacturer. Additional projects are in the testing and evaluation phase in Europe.

2022 also saw the technical release of Ferodo copper-free brake pads for OE CV applications and the first respective series introduction for truck applications in the North American market. Further developed to match the specific demands in the heavy-duty segment, the new offer significantly expands Ferodo´s zero-copper brake pad portfolio, complementing the brand´s existing broad copper-free friction product range for light vehicles.  

Enhancing its portfolio in the railways sector, in 2022, Tenneco´s braking business introduced its advanced, second-generation LL brake block for rail freight customers in Europe. The advanced LL brake block has been homologated by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and is optimized to reduce noise emissions, the rate of wheel wear and likelihood of costly wheel damage, thus helping reduce total Life Cycle Costing (LCC), improve operational security of freight wagons and support compliance with the latest European noise standards.

Putting its extensive brake know-how and material science expertise to work, Tenneco´s Ferodo OE Braking business is intensively working on the development of advanced friction material and product innovations to support OE customers to the best possible extent. The Ferodo Engineering team is working to provide OE customers with appropriate technical solutions that enable compliance with the proposed, stricter Euro 7 regulations regarding limits for brake particle emissions. 

In addition, Ferodo experts are now validating a state-of-the-art brake particle emission measurement test rig according to UN-GTR requirements, to further accelerate the development of the next generation of Ferodo friction materials which aim to comply with the new proposed regulations.

Outstanding heritage and record of achievement in motor sports

An innovator in the field of advanced friction formulations and a leading supplier of high- performance braking products, Ferodo has also remained at the forefront of motor sports, helping drivers and teams to win. 

In Formula One, the track record encompasses over 330 Grand Prix Championship races won by famous racing drivers using Ferodo friction products, including Juan Fangio, the winner of the inaugural Formula One World Championship in 1951. 

“The success of Ferodo Racing is strong testament to the innovation that has always defined us and makes Ferodo a first name in braking,” said Rudd. “Our racing activity creates a strong and compelling connection between our OE and specialized racing applications. I´m proud to say that no other brake component manufacturer can claim such an exemplary record of achievement.”

In 1998, all Ferodo racing related activities were centralised in one location at Mondovi, Italy – the new home of Ferodo Racing. Remaining committed to its philosophy of innovation, Ferodo Racing continues to strive to support drivers and teams to finish first.

Ferodo has a strong presence in circuit racing and rally championships on both national and world stages. In motorcycle racing, Ferodo is official technical partner of the Yamaha World Superbike (WSBK) team that won the 2021 championship and came in second last year. The Ferodo name is also prevalent in various top enduro as well as road racing series where in the Isle of Man T.T. races, Ferodo products have been used by virtually every major race winner since 1924.  

Most recent successes in car racing series include the ADAC GT Masters (third overall with Land-Motorsport / Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) and the GT4 European Series (Pro-Am and Am team title winners with Akkodis ASP Team / Mercedes AMG, 2nd overall in the silver class with NM Racing team / Mercedes AMG GT4) as well as the Italian GT Championship (GT3 AM sprint title with Audi Sport Italia). In addition, various podiums were collected throughout the season in other championships such as Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, FFSA, NLS, TCR Europe, and Rallies.

One of the keys to success is the close collaboration with the teams that Ferodo Racing is braking partner of. The ongoing development process involved in these demanding partnerships in the racing field helps Ferodo to develop, test and launch new, high-performance friction materials and products, be quicker on the racetrack, and to continue to shape motorsports and the braking industry as a leading innovator.


Ferodo Timeline

1897	Ferodo is founded by Herbert Frood (1864-1931), who invented brake pads when he produced the first materials designed to brake horse-drawn carts.
1901	Frood receives a patent for brake blocks.
1902	Ferodo introduces first automotive brake linings.
1907	Commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses are using Ferodo friction products.
1922	Ferodo is the first brand to supply original equipment linings for a mass-produced car, the Austin 7.
1923	The first Ferodo replacement linings are brought to market. 1956 Ferodo is the first brand to supply disc brake pads for a mass-produced automobile, the Triumph TR3.
1980	Introduction of the first European asbestos-free OE brake pad
1995	Ferodo makes a strong move to the European continent with the opening of the Bad Camberg, Germany Engineering centre.
1998	Federal-Mogul acquires T&N including the Ferodo business.  Ferodo Racing is created as a central unit in Mondovi, Italy.
2005	Ferodo Racing introduces siloxane braking technology in motorsports
2010	New Ferodo brand promise: you´re in control.
2012	Ferodo presents its cutting-edge braking technology Eco-Friction® at the Automechanica aftermarket trade show.  Technical release of Ferodo copper-free friction materials for OE light vehicles, well ahead of industry regulation.
2014	Federal-Mogul acquires Honeywell´s OE braking business, further broadening Ferodo´s global manufacturing and R&D footprint.
2016	Opening of a new R&D facility in Brno, Czech Republic to cover OE customer development and support needs in Eastern Europe.
2018	Full Eco-Friction® range available for the aftermarket  Federal-Mogul is acquired by Tenneco Inc. (NYSE: TEN). Ferodo becomes a fully integrated part of Tenneco´s OE Braking and DRiV aftermarket businesses.
2019	Technical release of Ferodo´s advanced copper-free hybrid friction material composites for OE vehicle applications, simultaneously serving braking performance and comfort requirements in both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles (EVs).
2021	Tenneco´s DRiV aftermarket business introduces its range of Ferodo Fuse+ Technology brake pads, bridging the gap between outstanding braking performance and high-end comfort.
2022	DRiV makes bike disc brake pads available to the aftermarket. Tenneco´s braking business introduces its advanced, second-generation LL brake block for rail freight customers in Europe at the InnoTrans railway show.   Ferodo OE copper-free hybrid friction material composites enter series production in China, serving a global premium light vehicle manufacturer. Technical release of Ferodo zero-copper brake pads for OE commercial vehicle applications; first series introduction for truck applications in the North American market. In November 2022, Tenneco becomes a privately held company.

 
Images: 
Click Here to Download High Resolution Images


While the 125th anniversary year was actually in 2022, due to the pandemic situation then still prevailing, the official celebration was scheduled to March 2023 to allow for in-person participation and to enjoy this historic milestone for Ferodo together as a team, with families and other stakeholders. 
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.







Chapel-en-le-Frith, U.K. – the home of Ferodo 
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Chapel R&D centre
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Bad Camberg, Germany OE Braking Engineering centre – the site is also home to Tenneco´s Ferodo OE Braking Engineering and Sales leadership teams.
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Mondovi, Italy – Ferodo OE Braking manufacturing plant and home of Ferodo Racing

© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Dynamometer testing hall
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Vehicle testing workshop
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.









Test preparation
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.









Prototype workshop
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Laboratory
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Ferodo OE copper-free brake pads for commercial vehicle applications
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Ferodo´s OE copper-free advanced hybrid friction material composites combine the advantages of low steel (LS) and non-asbestos-organic (NAO) composites in one concept for brake pads, simultaneously serving braking performance and comfort requirements in both internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles (EVs). 
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Second-generation LL brake block for rail freight customers in Europe, homologated by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and optimized to help reduce total Life Cycle Costing (LCC), improve operational security of freight wagons and support compliance with the latest European noise standards.
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.

Ferodo experts are now validating a state-of-the-art brake particle emission measurement test rig according to UN-GTR requirements, to further accelerate the development of the next generation of Ferodo friction materials which aim to comply with the new proposed EU7 regulations.
© 2023 Tenneco Inc.