Automotive brake manufacturer Brembo S.p.A. conducted a successful first pour of iron at a new foundry in Escobedo, Mexico, to check the performance of the manufacturing systems prior to initiating the start-up sequence. The furnaces and molding operations were reported to be operating according to expectations following the test pour.
When it begins production, the new, 269,000-sq.ft. plant will cast iron rotors to be finished at a disc machining plant nearby.
The iron foundry is adjacent to an aluminum casting plant that started up at Escobedo in 2016, and which is producing automotive brake calipers.
Brembo has reported the capital investment for the entire complex is $131 million, and total employment at the site is 700.
The new plant is Brembo’s second iron foundry in the NAFTA region, following last year’s start-up at Homer, MI. Moreover, it becomes the ninth foundry in Brembo’s global manufacturing network.
“The first pour in Mexico is the result of a combination of efforts by our strong, existing team in North America, our global foundry experts around the world, and the newly hired workforce in Mexico,” commented Matteo Tiraboschi, deputy executive chairman.
The output from both Mexican foundries will supply U.S., European, and Asian OEMs who are (or will be) manufacturing vehicles in Mexico.