Wagner Brake Helps Consumers And Installers Recognize Certification Markings On Low-Copper Brake Pad Packaging

Federal-Mogul's Wagner Brake brand is reaching out to automotive parts distributors and service providers to increase awareness of the new packaging "LeafMark" designation covering "low copper" compliant brake pads. Recent legislation in California and Washington has mandated the dramatic reduction of copper and other potentially hazardous substances in original equipment and replacement brake pads and shoes.

Federal-Mogul’s Wagner Brake brand is reaching out to automotive parts distributors and service providers to increase awareness of the new packaging “LeafMark” designation covering “low copper” compliant brake pads. Recent legislation in California and Washington has mandated the dramatic reduction of copper and other potentially hazardous substances in original equipment and replacement brake pads and shoes.

To help professional technicians and consumers determine whether brake pads comply with the low copper requirements, the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and industry brake manufacturing registrar NSF International established a series of LeafMark designations to be used on product packaging:

Level “A” designates compliance with requirements concerning cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and asbestos. Level “A” compliance is required by Jan. 1, 2014, in California and January 2015 in Washington state.

Level “B” designates compliance with each of the above metals — all of the requirements of Level “A” — as well as copper, which must be reduced to less than 5 percent of material weight. Level “B” compliance is required by 2021.

Level “N” designates compliance with the “Zero Copper” requirement, which takes effect in 2025.

Federal-Mogul recently introduced Wagner ThermoQuiet CeramicNXT brake pads featuring what Federal-Mogul states to be the first full-line offering of 2021-compliant low-copper formulations. The Level “B” LeafMark designation, indicating full compliance with 2021 requirements, is now being added to ThermoQuiet CeramicNXT packaging.

“Thousands of automotive service providers are now beginning to see the industry’s low-copper LeafMark on Wagner ThermoQuiet packaging,” said Martin Hendricks, vice president and general manager, braking, Federal-Mogul Vehicle Components segment. “Federal-Mogul and Wagner Brake are proud to lead the industry in adopting of these important new product requirements at the OE and aftermarket levels.”

To learn more about the industry’s shift to low- and zero-copper brake pads, visit www.WagnerBrake.com. All trademarks are owned by Federal-Mogul Corp. or one or more of its subsidiaries in one or more countries.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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