Vehicle braking systems company Advanced Braking Technology has capped a successful first half which featured strong sales growth and a A$3 million capital raising by delivering its maiden profit result, for the six months to 31 December 2010. The Western Australia-based company – whose core business is the design, development, manufacture and sale of a range of products encompassing its internationally patented single rotor enclosed wet brake technology – said the maiden profit result was a key milestone and significant turning point in the company’s 10-year history.
Said ABT’s CEO, Ken Johnsen, “the strong increase in revenue, in particular the strong performance of our Australian sales division, has provided the platform for the company’s first ever profit since it was established nearly 10 years ago. That is a great credit to our team and a vindication of the strategy we have been pursuing to continue to grow our sales in the core mining market while at the same time diversifying into mainstream applications.”
The company’s principal market is the sale of its internationally patented Sealed Integrated Braking System (SIBS®) to mining customers across the globe – including some of the world’s largest miners such as BHP Billiton, Xstrata and Rio Tinto. Johnsen said a key highlight of the first half was the sale of just under A$0.8 million worth of SIBS brake sets – 96 in total – to Xstrata Zinc, together with an improved performance across the entire product range.
“This included increased sales of the concrete agitator or ‘Agi’ brake including a number which have now been fitted to trucks for carrying mining explosives. These sales demonstrate the important market need ABT is fulfilling in providing a safer braking solution for heavy rigid trucks,” he added.
Perth-based Advanced Braking Technology’s key asset is the Sealed Integrated Braking System (SIBSTM), a comprehensively patented Australian invention. SIBS is a fully enclosed, single rotor, high speed wet brake. The brake rotor runs in a bath of oil that serves to cool the brake and minimize wear at the braking interface. An innovative fail safe feature is incorporated into the rear axle brake. As a result, the brakes are virtually wear and maintenance-free and may outlast the vehicles they are fitted to, unlike conventional drum and disc brakes. SIBS brakes deliver unparalleled safety, improved productivity and lower operating costs, and are engineered to survive the world’s harshest conditions.
The proven technology is also environmentally friendly, eliminating brake dust emissions and noise and squealing, and provides a wide-range of benefits for on-road, off-road and industrial applications in terms of safety, reliability, performance and adaptability.
Based in Perth, Western Australia, Advanced Braking has a manufacturing plant in Thailand, worldwide patents on its technology and an extensive reseller network.
