Brembo, a world leading company in braking systems recently inaugurated its new new Research and Development Centre in the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park in Bergamo, Italy. Together with Brembo’s key customers and suppliers and a number of other Italian public authorities, were called to participate in the tape cutting ceremony of the new Brembo R&D facilities that are assigned with a good 6% of the overall corporate turnover on top of the commitment by approximately 10% of the corporate personnel comprising engineers, technicians and product specialists, coming from 15 different Countries.

“This year Brembo turns 46 years old and has consistently believed in breakthrough Research and Development activities as the backbone of corporate growth: we have been implementing R&D strategies over the years in a virtually maniacal manner, be it for new product research of for new industrial and corporate organisation processes”, stated Mr. Bombassei, during his speech on the overall corporate policies that have allowed the group to reach a record high 806 Mil. turnover in 2006, representing total branch turnovers in 12 countries spanning 3 continents and an overall corporate personnel count of approximately 5 thousand employees.

Cast iron brake discs, the new discs in ceramic material and brake callipers in new aluminium alloys: the Brembo R&D objectives and purposes, totally in-line with market requirements, consistently target weight reduction, optimised comfort, decreased corrosion and wear and tear phenomena, to provide for increased performance. Constant whirlwind innovation that, at the end of the development processes, undergoes the final improvement procedures in the Brembo Testing Area, with over 100 in-process units either on the dynamic load test benches or engaged in on-road and on-track trial testing. On top of all the aforesaid objectives, new mechatronics research units have been deployed as of 2002, with the institution of the ‘Advanced Research Development’ head facilities. Mechatronics, i.e. the science of synergistic integration of mechanics, electronics, embedded control and IT in the design and realisation of intelligent products, processes and systems, is expected to result in the development of the new electro-mechanic “brake by wire” braking systems.
 

These are due to gradually replace the hydraulic system brakes currently in use, thereby ensuring an impressively high braking system quality jump. It is electric power packs that will provide for braking control, instead of the driver having to physically exert pressure on the brake pedal.

And it is in the Kilometro Rosso Science and Technology Park in Bergamo that the continuing development of mechatronics will furthermore find the maximum of Made in Italy contributions, where the new ‘Intellimech’ Consortium has just been founded with the initial participation of eighteen different companies, one of which is of course Brembo. The consortium targets the experimentation and integration of mechatronics-oriented knowledge and technology to be developed for a wide range of different applications.

Built on an area of 392 thousand square metres of which 90 thousand is covered surface, the Kilometro Rosso is due to ultimately be hailed as one of the major European campuses in the research and innovation sectors and is expected to employ a total of 3000 technical and research specialists from groups such as Brembo, Italcementi, the “Istituto Mario Negri” research institute, the Bergamo University, Daimler Chrysler and a selection of other companies, small and large, crowned by the cooperation of Boston’s prestigious MIT.

The bold concept for this new technology park was created by Jean Nouvel, the world-famous contemporary French architect, with coordination by Studio Blast in Milan, the Kilometro Rosso park is land marked by a red, 10 metre high lamellar aluminium wall built alongside the A4 motorway which, upon overall works completion is due to be one kilometre long. Aptly, the wall length features large openings moulded to be reminiscent of automobile body structure inlet air vents: here the entrance of the parking and the pedestrian access to the different buildings inside the campus, behind the wall.