TMD Friction bullish on demand for premium brake pads in India

TMD Friction, a leading manufacturer of brake friction materials from Europe, is eyeing business in the Indian automotive aftermarket on the back of the growing fleet of premium passenger cars in the local market.

While the company sells disc brake pads, brake linings and other associated components for cars from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Porsche among others, it also supplies these products for the premium Volvo buses in India.

Known for its market leading position in the global replacement parts market, TMD Friction sells its products under brand names such as Textar, Mintex, Pagid, Cobreq and others. The company, however, is keen on marketing its Textar brand in the aftermarket in India currently. It has a permanent distributor based in Delhi, Maya Trading Corporation, which supplies these products to a network of 400 customer touch-points across India.

Imported into India as complete products, officials associated with the company say, a customs duty of 30 percent on the European prices is levied on these premium products currently.

The TMD Friction Group, which employs close to 4,800 people worldwide, has operations in Germany as well as in Europe, USA, Brazil, Mexico, China, Japan and South Africa.