Fras-le is a company in the road materials segment, a pioneer in the manufacture of transportation materials in Brazil. Present in six countries, the company operates with factories and distribution centers that produce products for over 120 countries across four continents.
The company is responsible for producing and marketing products that are part of a broad portfolio, where the Company offers a complete line of brake linings and pads for heavy vehicles.
In addition, Fras-le also manufactures packaging materials, shoes for engines, shoes and pads for trains and subways, molded and woven linings, as well as universal plates.
The products offered by Fras-le are primarily used in trucks, semitrailers, trailers, buses, cars, motorcycles, tractors, subways, trains, elevators, aircraft, oil rigs, and industrial machines.
In Brazil, the company was a pioneer in the production of friction materials. Because of its product arsenal, Fras-le is the largest company in Latin America and one of the world leaders in its sector. In fact, it was the first manufacturer of friction materials to receive the ISO 9001 certification, in addition to ISO 14001 and ISO TS 16949.
In the production centers, the company has a vast repertoire of equipment, as well as chemical, pilot, and physical laboratories that ensure stability and continuity in the generation of products supplied by the Company.
Fras-le's history began in 1954, when the Company was founded in Caxias do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Shortly after its founding, the company began its first exports in 1960.
With the start of the 1970s, Fras-le went public and entered the Stock Exchange in 1971. During the same period, the company inaugurated its first Research and Development Center in Caxias do Sul, as well as celebrating a technological agreement in Germany, at which point the Company began its internationalization process.
The technology agreements expanded during the 1980s to England and the United States, where the company formed partnerships with foreign companies. Still in the 80s, the company began manufacturing friction materials without the aid of asbestos.
By 1990, the Company inaugurated its subsidiary Fras-le North America Inc. which, at the time, started only as a commercial office. Later, the company added a distribution center located in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Also in the 90s, Fras-le began operations in another subsidiary, Fras-le Argentina S.A, in addition to Fras-le Andina Comercio Representaciones Ltda., both subsidiaries located in Argentina and Chile, respectively. During the same period, due to the quality of the supplied products, the company received ISO-9001 and ISO 14001 certification.
In 1996, Fras-le became part of Empresas Randon, after the Company acquired control of the company. With the arrival of the 2000s, the company's expansion process continued, and in 2008, Fras-le made a series of international inaugurations, such as in Dubai, Germany, and Mexico.
In addition, the Company implemented a factory for the production of brake linings and pads in China and, furthermore, acquired friction materials from Haldex, a U.S. company located in the State of Alabama.
In 2012, the company began to operate in the manufacture of auto parts, automotive polymer solutions, and brake components, after taking control and management of Freios Controil Ltda. With this, Fras-le diversified and expanded the company's product portfolio.
In 2013, after a general assembly, the company's shareholders decided to convert all of the company's preferred shares into common shares. Later, in 2017, the company completed the construction of a commercial office in the city of Bogotá, Fras-le Pan-americana.
Also in 2017, the Company made a series of acquisitions and continued the international expansion process by closing an agreement with the association ASK Automotive Private Limited in India. At the end of 2018, the subsidiary ASK Fras-le began operations, focused on the production of brake linings and pads.
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