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KAPICO and Federal-Mogul Motorparts launch test promotion for Ferodo taxi brake pads and discs

Jul 10, 2017 Kapico, Federal-Mogul, Taxi, BrakePads, BrakeFluid



KAPICO South Africa has announced that it will provide free fitment of Ferodo taxi brake pads and discs, in addition to any top-up or changeouts of brake fluid required, all supplied by Federal-Mogul Motorparts.


The brands believe that the feedback from ten selected taxi operators' - in terms of driveability and comfort and safety levels, in addition to testing of the used Ferodo brake pads and discs in terms of wear characteristics – will provide tangible results on the applicability of these products for the South African taxi industry.


The Ferodo brake pads and discs have been designed specifically for Toyota Quantum minibus taxis, which transport millions of commuters across South Africa on a daily basis. Extensive field testing conducted as part of the initial development of the new pad and disc range revealed the dangerously poor conditions of a number of brake systems in taxis on the road every day, which poses a serious safety risk to daily commuters should these systems fail.


The particular innovation behind the Ferodo taxi brake pads and discs is a specially-formulated solvent to replace the industry-standard heavy metals used in traditional taxi brake pads. This results in improved pad and disc wear, which translates into less downtime for taxi drivers, while improving the overall performance of the brake system. An additional environmental benefit is that, by replacing these heavy metals with the new solvent, the Ferodo taxi brake pads and discs eliminate emissions of major pollutants such as copper and other particles.


Apart from its Johannesburg head office, KAPICO also has branches in Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Polokwane. “We plan to open a branch in Bloemfontein as well, and are in the process of finalising suitable premises,” Ahmed reveals. In addition to South Africa, the multinational is also present in six other countries.


“Our relationship with Federal-Mogul Motorparts is based on the mutual synergies we can exploit between our businesses. This allows the former to sell more products from Federal-Mogul’s extensive range, while it gives us access to products and brands unavailable to us before, thereby benefiting our customers and the industry at large,” Ahmed explains. He points to the Champion range of aftermarket products, encompassing filters and wiper blades.


Select KAPICO taxi customers will have Ferodo brake pads and discs fitted free of charge at the Johannesburg fitment centre, which includes brake-fluid checks. The parts will be replaced after a month’s use and sent for testing, which is anticipated to provide invaluable data on the products’ performance in real-world South African operating conditions.




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