What TMD Friction makes

TMD Friction is one of the world's largest makers of brake friction, the disc brake pads and drum brake linings that actually stop a vehicle. It develops and manufactures friction products for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, supplying both vehicle manufacturers as original equipment and the independent aftermarket through a portfolio of seven brands: Textar (its OE-premium line), Mintex, Pagid, Don, Cobreq in Brazil, and Bendix, which marked its 100th year in 2024. Pagid Racing is the group's motorsport brand, with its US motorsport operation based in Troy, Michigan.

The company describes itself as a material-science business first. It says it has engineered more than 50,000 friction formulations over the last three decades to cover almost the entire worldwide car parc, and produces over one million braking products every day. Product work now includes a heavy R&D push on brake particulate emissions ahead of the EU's Euro 7 rules, which for the first time regulate brake dust as well as tailpipe emissions. A 200-plus person R&D team supports the OE and aftermarket ranges, and Textar reported 153 new products in 2025, including 43 first-to-market references.

The US company, TMD Friction, Inc., anchors North American operations and Pagid Racing USA from Troy, Michigan. North American demand is served largely from the group's own regional plants in Mexico and Brazil rather than a large US factory, a structure common among global Tier 1 friction suppliers.

Ownership and history

TMD Friction traces its friction-technology lineage to 1878 and has operated under the TMD Friction name since 2000, when several long-established European brake brands, including Textar, Mintex, Don, Pagid and Cobreq, were combined into a single group. The company supplied clutch linings for the Ford Model T in 1910, fitted Textar brake linings to the car Stirling Moss drove to his first British Grand Prix win in 1955, and has supplied brakes to the London Underground since 1967.

Ownership has changed twice in the last 15 years. Japan's Nisshinbo Holdings acquired TMD Friction in 2011, creating what was then the world's largest automotive brake friction manufacturer. In 2023, Nisshinbo sold the business to AEQUITA SE and Co. KGaA, a privately held industrial group based in Munich that focuses on carve-outs, successions and recovery situations. That acquisition closed on December 5, 2023. TMD Friction stayed independent with its own brand, and Robert Roiger, a partner at AEQUITA, joined as Co-CEO alongside CEO David Baines to drive a stated recovery and performance plan the company calls "OneTMD."

The group is headquartered as TMD Friction Holdings GmbH in Leverkusen, Germany. It employs roughly 3,900 people, down from more than 4,200 at the time of the AEQUITA closing, and operates across 21 locations in 12 countries, with 16 manufacturing plants spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia and South Africa.

Certifications and quality

TMD Friction runs its plants to the automotive sector's standard quality system, IATF 16949:2016, on top of ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management, per the certification records held by its German certifier. The IATF 16949 scope covers the design and manufacture of friction materials and the assembly of braking components, which is what an OE brake supplier is expected to carry. As with any multi-plant group, certification is site by site, so buyers evaluating a specific program should confirm the certificate covering the exact plant and part.

Known customers

TMD Friction supplies original equipment to vehicle manufacturers worldwide and is one of a small number of global brake friction suppliers, but it does not publish a current OE customer roster, and individual program awards are rarely disclosed. Rather than infer customers from indirect data, this profile reports only what is on the public record.

Beyond these documented relationships, the company states that it supplies premium products to vehicle manufacturers for original equipment and is a driving force in the international aftermarket. Specific current OE programs are not publicly disclosed and are not asserted here.

Sourcing evidence

TMD Friction's US import footprint is modest and, on the record, largely internal. The Troy, Michigan entity shows 48 US sea-import shipments in the bill-of-lading record, with the most recent dated December 8, 2026, so the lane is active. The named counterparties are mostly the group's own plants:

That pattern, finished friction products and materials moving between TMD's own regional plants, is the signature of a manufacturer that produces near its markets and ships within its own network, not an importer of third-party goods. A separate customs entity, TMD Friction Mexico S.A. de C.V., registered in Fort Worth, Texas, carries a larger 354-shipment record; that is the Mexican plant's own US-import lane rather than the US company's.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck and rail movements, including most cross-border US-Mexico flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does TMD Friction make?

TMD Friction makes brake friction products, primarily disc brake pads and drum brake linings, for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It supplies vehicle manufacturers as original equipment and the independent aftermarket through seven brands, including Textar, Mintex, Pagid, Don, Cobreq and Bendix, plus the Pagid Racing motorsport line. The company says it produces over one million braking products every day.

Who owns TMD Friction?

TMD Friction has been owned by AEQUITA SE and Co. KGaA, a privately held industrial group based in Munich, Germany, since the acquisition closed on December 5, 2023. AEQUITA bought the business from Japan's Nisshinbo Holdings, which had owned TMD Friction since 2011. TMD operates as an independent company with its own brand.

Where is TMD Friction headquartered?

The group is headquartered as TMD Friction Holdings GmbH in Leverkusen, Germany. Its US company, TMD Friction, Inc., is based in Troy, Michigan, which also houses Pagid Racing's US motorsport operation. In total the group runs 21 locations across 12 countries.

How many employees does TMD Friction have?

TMD Friction employs roughly 3,900 people worldwide, according to its current company figures. That is down from the more than 4,200 reported at the time of the AEQUITA acquisition in December 2023, reflecting the recovery plan the new owner put in place. It also runs a research and development team of more than 200 people.

What certifications does TMD Friction hold?

TMD Friction holds IATF 16949:2016, the automotive quality standard, along with ISO 9001:2015 for quality management and ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management, per its certifier's records. The IATF 16949 scope covers the design and manufacture of friction materials and the assembly of braking components. Certification is plant by plant, so buyers should confirm the certificate for the specific site and part.

What brands does TMD Friction own?

TMD Friction markets seven friction brands: Textar, its OE-premium line; Mintex; Pagid; Don; Cobreq, which is strong in Brazil; and Bendix, which reached 100 years in 2024. Pagid Racing is the group's dedicated motorsport brand, with US motorsport operations based in Troy, Michigan.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.