Friction One commences operations in Mexico

Recently, the brake pad production base in Juarez, Mexico, acquired by Friction One Brake Technology (Xiantao) Co., Ltd., a Chinese National-Level “Specialized, Sophisticated, and Innovative” Little Giant enterprise, has officially commenced operations. This marks a critical step in the global layout of this leading Chinese brake manufacturer.

The facility, formerly a production plant of the international industry leader DRiV, was acquired by Friction One after a year-long bidding process against more than ten global competitors. Strategically located in the northern Mexican border city of Juarez, which faces the U.S. city of El Paso across the river, the base leverages the zero-tariff advantages for the U.S. market under the USMCA agreement. The plant currently has an annual production capacity of 9 million brake pad sets and plans to increase this to 10 million sets by August 2025 through equipment upgrades.

According to Zhang Zewei, the person in charge of the enterprise, the Xiantao factory in China will focus on producing core components, while the Mexican base will handle final assembly, creating a globally synergistic network. Friction One’s output value reached 1.5 billion yuan in 2024. In the first four months of 2025, its output value hit 650 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38%. The Mexican base is expected to help drive the company’s total annual output value to exceed 2.5 billion yuan in 2025.

This operation not only strengthens the company’s position in the global industrial chain but also deepens China-Mexico industrial integration through the “Chinese technology + Mexican manufacturing” model, injecting practical momentum into trade between the two nations.