Technological Innovation And Market Pattern Changes in The Brake Pad Industry
Recently, the brake pad industry has witnessed many new developments, with significant progress in technological innovation and market expansion.
In terms of technological innovation, Jiesha (Dongying) Brake System Co., Ltd. has obtained a patent for "a brake pad pressing device" with the authorization announcement number CN223013933U. The device drives the moving component through a deceleration motor to realize the left and right movement of the upper mold, and the hydraulic cylinder controls the up and down movement of the upper mold. When the first brake pad is pressed, the operator can reload the second lower mold, which greatly improves production efficiency by about 50% compared with the past, effectively reduces labor costs, and brings a new breakthrough to brake pad production technology. At the same time, Shandong Heze Detong New Material Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on the research, development, production and sales of brake pads for high-speed EMUs and passenger and freight trains. Its products cover most high-speed rail models of "Harmony" and "Fuxing" and are sold well overseas. The company has accelerated digital and intelligent transformation, with the annual production capacity of brake shoes and pads jumping from 400,000 pieces to 1 million pieces. It has also started the construction of a braking material laboratory for high-speed railway products, which can simulate high-speed rail braking scenarios to test the friction material coefficient. The maximum operating speed of the equipment can reach 537 km/h, and various performances meet domestic and foreign operation inspection standards, effectively promoting the technological improvement of high-speed rail brake pads.
From the perspective of the market pattern, the global brake pad market scale continues to grow, reaching 6.036 billion US dollars in 2024, and is expected to grow to 7.087 billion US dollars by 2031 with a compound annual growth rate of 2.5%. The regional market shows a differentiated trend. Although Europe accounts for 30% of the global market share, its growth rate has slowed down; the Asia-Pacific region has become the growth engine, with the Chinese market scale exceeding 40 billion yuan, and Thailand has become an important market for Chinese brake pad exports, with China's export volume to Thailand reaching 296,000 tons in 2023. Due to supply chain restructuring and tariff pressures in the North American market, Chinese enterprises are accelerating the layout of production capacity in Southeast Asia to avoid cost pressures. In terms of product transformation, the new energy wave has promoted the expansion of the market for non-metallic NAO brake pads and ceramic brake pads. The market for non-metallic NAO brake pads reached 2.907 billion US dollars in 2023, and the global market scale of ceramic brake pads reached 3.14 billion US dollars in 2024. However, under the electric vehicle regenerative braking technology, there is still a gap in the demand for brake pads under extreme working conditions. In terms of the competitive pattern, international brands such as Bosch and ZF (TRW) control more than 60% of the procurement share of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Chinese manufacturers dominate 80% of the domestic after-sales market with the strategy of "cost performance + localization" and are accelerating their penetration into OEMs, with export volume increasing by 15% year-on-year in 2023.
While the industry is facing challenges such as environmental protection regulations and supply chain fluctuations, such as the implementation of asbestos-free regulations by the European Union and China, and the increase in costs due to U.S. tariff policies, emerging markets and technological innovations also bring opportunities. The number of cars in Southeast Asia and Africa is low but growing rapidly, and the after-sales market has great potential. New technologies such as intelligent brake pads, carbon-based composite materials and powder metallurgy pads are constantly emerging. Shandong Huaruifeng Machinery Co., Ltd., as an important enterprise in the industry, is committed to the development and production of brake pads for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It currently has 5 production lines with an annual production capacity of 6 million sets and more than 1,200 product models. The company has independent research and development capabilities, and its expert team has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. It can independently design and develop formulas and keep pace with OEMs. The formula system is complete, covering more than 80 products in 5 major series such as carbon fiber-based friction plates and semi-metallic brake pads. It serves many well-known enterprises such as Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology and FAW Group, meeting the needs of different customers from high-performance formulas to low-cost formulas, and providing world-class products and services with advanced technology and expert teams.
