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Sinter – It is all about braking!
The company
We are proud of our 25-member team, our 50+ year history, and our laboratories and our production line. 90% of our production is delivered straight to OEM producers and large customers. More than 5 million pieces annually! In some of our segments, we are the only manufacturer who is not located in Asia.
Sinter is most known for our race and rental karting brake pads, brake discs and lamellar clutches, and we are growing our market share in the off road, road and electric bicycle segment with our diverse set of brake pads. You can even find our brake pads on top high-performance motorcycles, such as Aprilia and KTM Duke. As specialists we take on industrial challenges to deliver tailor made friction applications to specific customers.
Our implemented ISO-9001 Quality Management Certificate enables us to manage our own in-house research & development, and all our production quality. We want and we need to be consistent, as we sell brake pads in more than 130 countries.
There is no room for inconsistencies.
Mission
We recently celebrated 50 years of existence and 50 world go-kart champions. The young, up-coming generations today would call it “next level”. We call it “doing our job”. We love it.
We have been proudly supplying brake pads to the winners, and we are focused on providing “next level” materials for the best go-kart teams and rental businesses in the world, as well as OEM manufacturers.
It is our unique approach to each individual racer and his needs, and our skill to develop completely new braking materials quickly. That enables us to improve rapidly and help winners race on the edge of their performance!
Sinter employs 25 experts and we operate our own laboratories and production line. We deliver 90% of our production straight to OEM manufacturers and large customers - more than 5 million pieces annually! In some segments we are the only manufacturer located outside Asia.
We specialize in race and rental karting brake pads, brake discs and lamellar clutches, and a growing offering of brake pads for the off road, road, and electric bicycles. We are a factory supplier for top high-performance motorcycles, such as Aprilia and KTM Duke.
It is an honor and luxury that we can test our developing products with the most demanding riders in the world and use their feedback to provide the best brake pads for specific use in any given segment. All this, while our production meets the strictest European environmental demands.
As friction specialists we take on industrial challenges to deliver tailor made friction applications to specific customers.
The ISO-9001 Quality Management Certificate implementation enables us to manage our own in-house research & development, and production quality to the highest standard. We want and we need to be consistent, as we sell brake pads in more than 130 countries. There is no room for inconsistencies.
Stopping or slowing down at the right moment in the right way is the most important thing for your safety. We take it personally!
ISO Certificate
Timeline
The 50 years of Sinter power growth!
1969
Sinter was founded by Jože Krapež, together with his brother Miloš Krapež. They assembled most of the machines that they needed with their team, as there were not enough funds available to purchase machines from renowned manufacturers.
1975
The first disc brakes manufactured with in-house technology. These were the first disc brakes manufactured in the former state of Yugoslavia.
1979
10-year anniversary and we start sponsoring sports teams. The first contract was signed in 1980 with the Slovan basketball club.
1981
We started building new manufacturing facilities to improve work conditions and accelerate growth.
1984
We were busy improving braking distances. The development team came up with braking technology to radically shorten braking distance and enable higher speeds in automotive sports. The same year we established our own racing team and started holding the Sinter Cup race.
1986
The first asbestos-free brake pads were produced! This was a revolutionary step, as we had to change the friction mixture completely to avoid the harmful effects of the asbestos. Within a year we started mass production.
1991
We sold 80% of our products to the Yugoslavian market, which is why we found ourselves at a crossroads when Yugoslavia started breaking apart in 1990. We needed to find new markets elsewhere in Europe. We were successful! In 1992 we started manufacturing braking calipers for the Škoda car factory.
1995
A milestone was achieved with the new factory in China, which produced brakes with in-house technology. This was a magnificent success for our 36-member team.
1998
Powerful new go-karts needed much improved braking technology, so we developed new braking discs with better heat dispersion, cutting braking distances significantly. We accepted the challenge in 1998 to develop braking discs made of aluminum alloy – this improved braking surface cooling and braking power. This was an innovation in the global market!
2000
We started to deliver braking technology and torque limiter technology for Tajfun and Uniforest wood logging winches.
2005
We started to equip Aprilia motorcycles with our brake pads. We are proud to continue delivering to them up to this day!
2012
Higher production capacities were needed, so we purchased new production facilities. We moved our headquarters to further improve the quality of our working environment and the quality of our products.
2015
We started producing brakes for mountain bikes, and we were the only manufacturer outside of Asia to do so. We successfully implemented the ISO-9001 certificate. We started to manufacture brake pads for KTM Duke motorcycles.
2019
We celebrated our 50th anniversary! Sinter is active in more than 130 countries globally. Motivation and strong will are still the driving forces behind our ambitious milestones, as well as our insistence on proving ourselves over and over again in the world’s most demanding markets.
Milestones
- In 1972 we developed the first disc brake pads in the former Yugoslavia.
- In 1989 we were among the first in Europe to develop asbestos-free brake pads, in collaboration with Slovenia’s premier research lab, the Jožef Stefan Institute.
- In 1996 we set up a “turn-key” brake pad factory in the Chinese city of Changde in the Hunan region, together with the company Teca.
- In 1998 we developed the MMC composite brake discs that provide 20% more braking power for racing vehicles. This was a world’s first! We have applied for a patent.
- In 2002 and 2004 we equipped factories in Indonesia and Ukraine with modern technology and production machines.
- In 2008 we cofounded a brake manufacturing factory in Russia, to produce one million brake pad sets annually.
- In 2009 we relocated within Ljubljana to accommodate 50% larger production capacity
Today, Sinter’s production is split across two locations.
- The old facility serves as a production site for industrial applications.
- The new location covers more than 2500 square meters and it was opened in 2011 to increase product quantity and quality.
We are especially proud of our skills and technology, and the knowledge and experience that our employees have accumulated over the decades. Among the important machines that we have built or remanufactured for our purposes, we would like to mention the following:
- Multistage grinding machine RPF.11 for grinding, slotting, and chamfering around 1000 brake pads per hour for bicycles, medium-duty vehicles, and trucks.
- Brake testing machine BTM-11, developed by Sinter in collaboration with a local machine building company, designed especially for bicycle and scooter brake systems. The machine accommodates flexible test procedures and protocols, as well as simulations of real-life conditions.