Brembo announced Nissan veteran Daniele Schillaci as their new CEO replacing Andrea Marescotti. Schillaci mentioned his first priority is to double the size of the brake company.
Double?
There's an important lesson here for those of us from the motorsports and performance aftermarket side of the business.
I recall Brembo being this exotic brake company with great niche products and terrible distribution. I speak from direct experience as my primary race car has had Brembo brakes from a Euro F3 car since 1996. This predates the modern Brembo era when just getting new seals was a multi-month project. Not has bad as the 9 months to get a spare Lancia key, but that's a different story!
However, this lesson includes a press release from a few years ago announcing Brembo's first BILLION dollar year.
They achieved this through possibly the most successful blending of branded OEM supply with motorsports desirability. They've become standard on the finest cars in the world without "selling out" their core enthusiast that established the brand. After all, it's this small core that made Brembo desirable for the branded OEM opportunities in the first place.
I'm sure they serve all levels of OEM private label and aftermarket, but their selection of branded opportunities has balanced and driven the brand like no other company. One could argue that Recaro is the only other company in the same league.
Credit also goes to Brembo for turning brakes into fashion. The brakes (Brembo sourced) on my Cadillac are color matched to the body. This is a uniquely Brembo driven trend.
It is possible to go mainstream and become a large company without losing your commitment to the enthusiast, performance, and quality.
I wish them luck with doubling it. I'm just impressed with where they are today and pleased I can get brake seals in a little less time.