Boost for Hartlepool plant after TMD Friction invests £2m in machinery

TMD Friction has invested the large sum into new state-of-the-art machinery at its Hartlepool plant that will help to increase efficiencies and production of its premium quality brake pads.

The investment will replace three paint lines and some of its grinding machines with the latest technology, providing the factory improved flexibility and agility and simplification of its combined pad handling system. It means it can produce a wider range of the product portfolio.

TMD Friction, which is based at Oakesway Trading Estate in West View, Hartlepool, manufactures more than 400,000 parts per week, covering 95 per cent of the European car pad range for the independent aftermarket.

The Hartlepool site employs 485 people. Last year, it made 85 agency worker roles permanent – the first time in the firm’s history that so many temporary workers had been offered permanent jobs.

Michael Findlay, UK Engineering Excellence Manager at TMD Friction, has described the investment as a “real boost”.

He said: “The new paint lines will make a big difference to our production outputs and will really bolster how efficient we are able to operate.

“Having the best machinery and equipment at our disposal is imperative to us manufacturing our high-quality brake brands and meeting our production targets, so this new investment really has come at a crucial time for the business.

"The new machinery has provided the plant with a safe, compliant and more energy efficient process, which is already proving to be more reliable with a reduction in scrap waste.

“The investment has given a real boost to the Hartlepool site and demonstrates the support and backing it has from the wider global business to ensure a long and sustainable future in Hartlepool.”

TMD Friction is a global manufacturer with sites across Germany, Europe, the USA, Brazil, Mexico and China.

There are also support sites in Warrington, Cleckheaton, Seaton Ross and Darlington. The firm employs around 4,500 people worldwide and is among the world’s largest manufacturers of brake friction materials.

The UK production facility in Hartlepool was established in 1974.