The brake pad market is one of the most competitive within the Irish aftermarket with more than 60 brands vying for market position. Against this backdrop, Comline Ireland Ltd., formerly Car Parts Distribution Ltd. and a subsidiary of the rapidly expanding Comline Auto Parts organisation, has been enjoying great success with its Allied Nippon brand. The company says that these pads offer a complete combination of performance, consistency, reliability, market coverage and value-for-money that customers are looking for.

Allied Nippon offers a comprehensive range of ECE R90 approved brake pads. Each brake pad reference is fully-certified under these regulations. However, the brand is keen to stress that it goes far beyond R90 with a more stringent testing protocol. Dr. Keith Ellis, Director of Braking Product Development for the brand, explains, "Allied Nippon goes to great lengths to ensure the performance, reliability and safety of its pads. An additional series of tests, both on-vehicle and using a dyno, are employed to push our brake pads well beyond the R90 standard. This includes hot-shear testing at 300°C; wear testing, which examines durability across a range of temperatures up to 500°C; and noise testing at a range of speeds and pressures. None of these tests are required under R90 legislation but are vital to guaranteeing the quality of the Allied Nippon pad.”

Combined with this quality the brand also recognises the importance of value for money. Comline Ireland General Manager, Damien Larkin, says, "Both factors and garage owners, are looking for reliable product that inspires confidence, but they are equally looking to run a successful and profitable business. The Allied Nippon philosophy has always been to deliver value-for-money for the customer, and I firmly believe it’s a ‘best of both worlds’ product that offers genuine performance with the promise of profitability for Comline Ireland customers. The Allied Nippon range is ‘business proven’ here in Ireland and with aftermarket business all over Europe.”

A third vital strand in the Alllied Nippon success story has been its continuous range development programme. This sees an ongoing flow of new to range part numbers covering European, Japanese and Korean applications. Recent examples include:

• ADB32230 – Front - Hyundai i10 13->
• ADB02157 – Rear – VW Passat 14->, Audi A3 12->
• ADB32304 – Front – Nissan X-Trail 13->
• ADB32309 – Front – Opel Astra 15->

Allied Nippon is also taking another progressive step in removing copper content from its whole brake pad range. This follows studies in the United States, and subsequent regulations limiting the use of copper in brake pads. This copper free policy demonstrates an environmentally-responsible ethos and proactive approach to product development.