Bosch has received the Frost & Sullivan 2010 North American Technology Innovation of the Year Award in the Brake Components Aftermarket for its QuietCast brakes, which “represent the first major technological improvement in friction products in more than five years,” Frost & Sullivan notes in the award.
Frost & Sullivan’s Automotive & Transportation group – which provides global industry analysis, custom consulting, market research, market forecasts and insights into emerging technologies – officially presented the award to Bosch at the Frost & Sullivan February Awards Banquet in New Orleans.
“Featuring a shim molded to the pad’s backing plate – rather than one attached after the friction with tabs or adhesive – this patented design significantly improves brake pad noise and vibration performance over competing aftermarket products,” says Frost & Sullivan. “Bosch QuietCast is the only aftermarket brand that includes a molded shim.”
“The Frost and Sullivan Technology Innovation Award is recognition of Bosch’s accomplishments in the North American brake components aftermarket,” says Rob Backode, director of product managemen for Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Brake Components North America. “By recognizing the excellence and advantages of QuietCast brakes and its impact on the aftermarket, this award underscores the great benefits these brakes provide the motorist as well as the installer and distributor.”
Derived from Bosch’s portfolio of OE brake technologies, QuietCast’s molded shim features a vulcanized rubber and steel construction found on new high-end vehicles and is featured throughout the QuietCast line. “QuietCast also includes new friction material formulations that have undergone rigorous OE testing,” according to Frost & Sullivan.
For this award, Frost & Sullivan used several criteria to benchmark Bosch’s performance, including uniqueness of technology, impact on new products/applications, impact on functionality, impact on customer value and relevance of innovation to industry. One of the major advantages of Bosch’s molded shim technology, Frost and Sullivan notes, is its two attachment methods between the shim and backing plate.
First, the heat and pressure of the molding process attaches the friction, backing plate and shim together through holes in the backing plate. In addition, there is a thermoset adhesive on the shim attaching it to the backing plate. It directly addresses the problem of shims moving and buckling against the backing plate because of ineffective design and manufacturing, and reduces the warranty risk for buyers and sellers in the aftermarket.
“QuietCast is an attractive aftermarket solution for service professionals looking for OE quality in a full-line brakes program.,” Frost & Sullivan says. “Frost & Sullivan believes this will have a significant market impact on the $3 billion brakes category, which makes up one-fourth of revenues for some of the aftermarket’s top distributors. Plus, to date, none of the company’s shear tests has broken the attachment between QuietCast’s shim and backing plate. This gives Bosch an advantage over competing brands in positioning QuietCast as a premium product favored by professional installers.”
