Please give us a brief history of NUCAP and its involvement with brake systems.
JK: NUCAP was founded in 1994, remains privately owned, and has more than eight operating locations in four countries designing and manufacturing disc brake backing plates, shims, hardware, electronic wear sensors and system solutions like NRS, piston cushions, DRT and Brake Align. We are a major supplier to the original equipment market, and the largest supplier of aftermarket brake components for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial applications. Our mission is to support our customers/partners with innovative braking system products that improve the value, performance, durability and safety.
In May, NUCAP launched a pretty bold promotion – the 100 percent brake pad performance guarantee on any brand of brake pad equipped with NUCAP’s NRS technology. Tell us about the technological advancement (NRS) that is enabling you to offer such a guarantee.
JK: Brake pads have been treated as a commodity item where price has been the one and only selling point for way too long, and the product has suffered as everyone has been looking to take cost down. We know many technicians and end-users understand this ultimately cost them performance and more money in the long run. These customers want to purchase and use high-quality products, and we feel that products like NRS help ensure that they are receiving a top-quality product. We hope the 100 Percent Brake Performance Guarantee will help raise awareness for the brands that are providing the best products and solutions as well as bring awareness to products that do provide a safe, quiet, more durable braking product.
How are you getting the message out about this technology, and the guarantee, to your customers, and on to their customers?
JK: NUCAP is holding direct discussions with our manufacturing partners, both OE and aftermarket, on a consistent basis to show them how NRS can improve the quality of their product while not increasing their final production cost. We are also communicating the benefits of a more secure friction attachment directly to technicians and enthusiasts with a fully integrated marketing effort, including trade media, an active Web presence, public relations, direct mail, social media, plus, we are actively involved on 40 enthusiast magazine websites like Hot Rod, Car and Driver and Motor Trend, to name a few.
