Bendix celebrates 70 years in Australia

BENDIX has celebrated its 70th anniversary in Australia this week with an event at its historic Ballarat production plant.

The facility, which is the only one in the country producing automotive friction components, also serves as the company’s research, development, and engineering base, producing over 1.3 million sets of brake pads per year – or 70 per cent of the number sold into the Australian market.

Founded in 1955 as Mintex Limited, Bendix operates on a former government ordnance site and has previously produced OEM components for Chrysler, Ford, Holden, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota, becoming the exclusive brake linings supplier to GMH way back in 1967.

Bendix attributes much of its success to the proactive collaborations formed with its customers.

It says that in understanding the multitude of changing requirements expected from buyers it is able to deliver a world-class product that was at its peak exported to over 40 countries. The company still exports brake pads to overseas destinations to this day.

The demise of local automotive manufacturing showed the resilience of the Bendix brand. Its relentless drive to innovate and adapt saw it become a powerhouse in the automotive aftermarket while at the same time developing new products for emerging markets.

“We have certainly seen the car industry evolve in Australia,” Bendix chief executive officer George Kyriakopoulos told GoAuto.

“We have some staff who are still with us who have been responsible for some of the greatest formulations in braking products this company has ever seen.

“It is fair to say that many of our innovations have changed and transformed the market over the years.

As well as producing brake friction products, Bendix now supplies related braking components to an ever-increasing number of new models, including commercial vehicles, electric vehicles, four-wheel drives, hybrids, luxury cars, motorcycles, SUVs, and trucks.

It has even complemented its range with brake upgrade kits to suit numerous applications, particularly centred around GVM upgrades and heavy towing. To that point, Bendix further offers state-of-the-art electric brake controllers suitable for most popular models.

“In recent years, we have added more and more to our portfolio. Not only do we have brake pads and friction products, but now rotors as well. We see a lot of growth in that segment,” added Mr Kyriakopoulos.

“We have also recently introduced our wireless Ultimate Tow Plus brake controller which, again, is a game-changing product that pushes the boundaries for the Bendix brand.

But it’s the manufacturing facility, its people and processes that are arguably the company’s biggest strength.

Efficient, and to a large degree highly automated, the Ballarat site features not only mixing and pressing lines but specialised automated grinding equipment that allows Bendix technicians to apply complex grinding geometries to its products, improving stopping performance and minimising brake noise.

The Ballarat facility currently employs around 120 technicians and engineers across two shifts, preserving critical sovereign knowledge and local jobs.

Moving forward, Bendix continues to innovate with research underway into the sustainable use of waste product.

Bendix is currently working with road makers and building construction firms to find uses for recycled friction materials in a range of applications that will see it become one of the cleanest facilities of its kind anywhere in the world.

That spirit of innovation is one that has been part of the Bendix ethos from day-one, and one it is hoped will see it continue to produce high quality braking components locally for many years to come.