Foundation brakes, friction materials

Brake discs, brake drums (Casting products)

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  Brakes are a system that is linked to one of the basic functions of vehicles, which is that of "stopping". The characteristics of the system are such that it is considered a critical safety part, requiring the control of production and quality assurance. This report does not especially address in detail brake control systems such as ABS and ESC, or accessories and auxiliary brakes such as brake boosters and brake pedals. The focus of this report is on the foundation brake parts, specifically the three brake mechanism parts of disc brakes and the three brake mechanism parts of drum brakes, as well as provide an analysis of the Japanese market situation based on a business overview of the major suppliers and installation information. Additionally, in recent years, electric parking brakes (EPB) have rapidly spread to rear brakes, and the market share has changed significantly, so parking brakes have been added to this report. As for commercial vehicles, the explanation will be limited to the types of drum brakes and the vehicle models to which they apply.

  In general, the braking force ratio in four-wheeled vehicles is distributed at a 7:3 ratio, 7 at the front and 3 at the rear. Since most vehicles have a front-wheel-drive (FWD) layout, disc brakes are adopted for nearly 100% of all FWD vehicles. In addition, disc type brakes are adopted for the rear wheels on C-Segment and above vehicles and for compact passenger cars with engine displacements over 1.5L, which together account for more than half the market. However, drum type brakes are adopted for almost half of all vehicles in the market: mainly mini-vehicles, compact low-cost cars in the B-segment and below, and commercial vehicles due to cost-related factors.

  Looking at the trends for each Japanese OEM, Subaru and Mazda, which do not currently produce commercial vehicles, have the most models equipped with disc brakes. All Mazda models, with the exception of the Mazda 2, are equipped with four-wheel disc brakes.

  On the other hand, Daihatsu and Suzuki, whose main production models are mini-vehicles and small cars in the B segment and below, have many models with drum brakes.

  In between are Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mitsubishi. Many of Mitsubishi's mini-cars and small commercial vehicles for the Japanese domestic market are equipped with drum brakes. For Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, many models are equipped with all-wheels disc brakes, but many models with drum brakes can also be seen since the companies also produce several B-segment vehicles and commercial vehicles.

  In total, the proportion of brake products produced for the Japanese market is approximately 3/4 disc type and approximately 1/4 drum type. It is estimated that the proportion of disc type brakes will continue to increase in the future. Although drum brakes have a long history, in recent years new products integrating electric parking brakes (EPB) with drum brakes have been put into practical application. However, new production of EPB drum brakes has large tooling costs, and disc brakes, with their lower tooling costs, are more likely to adopt EPB.

  This report provides an analysis of the Japanese market, but since the major suppliers are working to strengthen their overseas manufacturing footprint due to globalization, this analysis will also reference the subject from a global perspective as appropriate. Looking at the recent overall trend of Japanese foundation brake suppliers, with the exception of a few suppliers, the trend of restructuring through business integration and downsizing has become more prominent than the development of new products and expansion of production countries. Two of Honda's main suppliers of foundation brakes have left the Honda group. Asama Giken Co., Ltd. is already an affiliate of Sumitomo Corporation, and Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd. was merged into Hitachi Astemo Co., Ltd. (an affiliate of Hitachi, Ltd.) in January 2021. In addition, some major suppliers, such as Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., even if they are large, are in the process of restructuring their operations. The foundation brake business, representing must-have products whatever the progress of electrification and automated driving and whichever products have reached the point of being mature components, is undergoing active corporate restructuring.