Alcon announces GBP 300,000 machine investment to increase brake and clutch production capacity.

Alcon Components Ltd, a global brake and clutch company, has announced a £300,000 investment in new machinery focussed on increasing production capacity to meet the demands of their growing specialist vehicle division. The investment in new machinery will help service the increasing number of orders being received for volume production braking components from axle manufacturers, military vehicle OEMs and armoured vehicle conversion specialists.
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Alcon manufactures brake calipers for the Patria 6x6 (Picture source: Patria)

Installed at their Tamworth site and working alongside their existing Northampton production site, Alcon’s new machinery will boost Tamworth’s production capacity and will increase the security of supply by spreading the specialist vehicle production work across multiple Alcon sites. The new machinery will primarily be used for volume production in the defence and security sector where Alcon is fast becoming the global braking partner of choice.

This further investment decision comes off the back of some recent milestone successes in the defence and security sector. Alcon is the selected braking partner for Patria’s 6x6 and 8x8 vehicles that are winning multiple orders globally, securing a considerable volume of braking component manufacture for Alcon. Alcon’s armoured vehicle braking kits are also in high demand as the new Toyota LC300 armoured designs are rolled out by the world’s leading armouring companies. Behind the scenes, Alcon is working with a number of premier defence vehicle manufacturers working on global vehicle projects that cannot yet be announced.

Alcon has over 35 years of experience in engineering high-quality and high-performance brakes and clutches for specialist vehicles; from F1, World Rally and prestige performance cars to 60ton-plus military armoured vehicles. This, combined with their proven pedigree in rapidly solving the unique braking problems created by the operational demands of the military environment, put them in a strong market position. Alcon braking solutions have been sought out by some of the world’s finest defence industry vehicle OEMs. Alcon braking systems are used by over 20 defence and security equipment OEMs, including Patria, Supacat, BAE, Ricardo and Jankel because Alcon provides bespoke braking systems that fully meet the demanding requirements of the challenging, high-performance, modern-day battlefield.

Jonathan Edwards, Group Sales Director at Alcon, said: “As you can see from today’s announcement, we’re continuing to take the defence and security sectors very seriously with ongoing investments made to enable further growth. Our specialist vehicle business, including defence, forms a significant percentage of our turnover and our plan is to expand that further still within the next 3 to 5 years – and that is bearing in mind the fact that the rest of the business is also growing”. He added: “We’re very proud of the fact that multiple armoured vehicle manufacturers and modifiers are contacting us to solve their specific braking problems that occur every time weight is added to any vehicle. We’ve got some fantastic new projects on the go that we’re not yet able to disclose and having added production capacity sets Alcon up to be ready for those, whilst continuing to deliver our current orders”.

Alcon machines manufacturing brake calipers for the Patria 6x6 (Picture source: Patria)