News & Events

GMP Friction Products Buys Specialty Metal Press

New Machine Offers Improved Speed and Quality Consistency

AKRON, OH (November 25, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, recently added a 200-ton Yoshizuka powder metal press to the manufacturing equipment at their Home Avenue plant. The press, which was purchased from HWF Incorporated of Cincinnati, features robust construction and replaces multiple less-efficient presses.

"This new press allows us to improve our clutch plate, brake pad, and clutch button production processes," said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. "While we had equipment that allowed us to make all the parts this press can make, the new press is faster, and offers more consistent quality output."

The new machine is able to process a wide variety of GMP Friction Products’ sintered metallic friction materials, particularly the company’s sintered bronze and sintered iron materials.

GMP Friction Products produces brake pads, clutch plates, and clutch buttons for manufacturers of off-road vehicles, ATVs, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, and marine applications. Their engineering expertise and range of available friction materials and groove patterns allow them to carefully select the best material and part design for any application. In addition, their engineering department offers extensive custom design for a wide range of specialized projects.

For more than 78 years, GMP Friction Products has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. As a leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226 or visit their website at www.gmpfriction.com.

GMP Friction Products Sponsors Educational Programs

Students Gain Hands-On Research Experience, Contacts, and Skills Through Industry Partnerships

AKRON, OH (October 1, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, has recently launched educational initiatives to promote collaboration, research, and new developments in engineering. GMP staff worked with students from several universities to develop relationships with future engineering professionals and assist engineering programs in serving their students.

“We are really excited about our collaborations with the Penn State Learning Factory, Southern Illinois University’s Friction Center, and Ohio State University,” said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. “Working with students helps us stay aware of current trends, bring in new ideas and innovations, and build relationships with the engineers of the future.”

GMP Friction Products sponsored the PSU Learning Factory’s College of Engineering Student Design Project Showcase. The showcase is a university - industry partnership that gives students hands-on experience with projects designed to solve real-world industry problems. GMP Friction Products also sponsored the Center for Advanced Friction Studies at SIU, where undergraduate and graduate students study the science of friction materials and gain firsthand research experience by working with companies in the friction materials and braking industries. A team of OSU students worked with GMP Friction Products to help them achieve the requirements for ISO 9000 Certification for their facility in Akron, Ohio.

GMP Friction Products produces brake pads and clutch plates for manufacturers of off-road vehicles, ATVs, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, and marine applications. Their engineering expertise and range of available friction materials and groove patterns allow them to carefully select the best material and part design for any application. In addition, their engineering department offers extensive custom design for a wide range of specialized projects.

GMP Friction Products Offers Paper Friction Materials

New Product Line Allows Manufacturer to Meet Additional Friction Material Needs

AKRON, OH (July 24, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, announces that they are expanding their expertise to include the design, manufacture and sale of paper friction materials. The paper line GMP will be offering employs a technology that allows them to offer products with extremely high, stable coefficients of friction as well as superior energy capacity. Their product line up includes a variety of paper formulations available to meet customer specific applications.

"Many of our sintered metallic friction material customers have been asking us to offer paper friction materials allowing them to make us their one-stop shop," said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. "This expansion of our product line allows us to offer everyone paper friction materials of the same high quality that our existing customers have come to expect from GMP Friction Products’ sintered metallic materials."

The new paper friction materials can be used in both brake and clutch applications. They are well-suited for use in transmissions, wet clutches, wet wheel brakes, power take-off clutches and powershift transmissions. Adds Lynch, "We are very excited to offer our new paper line and are confident our track record of superior quality and delivery on any size order will make our cost competitive paper line an advantage to customers with paper applications."

GMP Friction Products Expands Production Capabilities

New Capabilities Allow Manufacturer to Fill Smaller Orders, Make Specialty Sized Parts

AKRON, OH (July 10, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, announces that they have enhanced the efficiency of their manufacturing facility. The completed enhancements allow GMP Friction Products to cost effectively produce shorter runs for low volume orders and specialty parts ranging from small to oversized.

"We have recently seen an increase in the demand for short run volumes in the friction products industry, and we wanted to be able to meet the needs of customers who only need small quantities, or who needed oversized or undersized parts for specialty applications. We also wanted to be able to meet those needs at a price point that would allow our customers to be competitive in their marketplaces," said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. "These recent improvements to our facility also allow us to offer very responsive service and delivery and excellent pricing on standard orders."

GMP Friction Products can meet orders for specialty-sized parts, from tiny clutch plates and brake pads used in hand tools to enormous clutch plates used for seagoing ships. The shorter run volumes can be difficult to outsource, but companies requiring low-volume delivery can now use GMP Friction Products as their source for brake pads and clutch plates. GMP Friction Products has now positioned itself to competitively produce orders of any size.

GMP Friction Products produces brake pads and clutch plates for manufacturers of off-road vehicles, ATVs, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, and marine applications. Their engineering expertise and range of available materials and groove patterns allow them to carefully select the best material mix and part design for any application. In addition, their engineering department offers extensive custom design for a wide range of specialized projects.

GMP Friction Products Enhances Customer Service

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Adds Support for Sales Staff and Customers

AKRON, OH (April 30, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, recently hired Dawn Szakacs as Sales Administrator.

“Our customers at GMP Friction Products were looking for additional help with their brake pad and clutch plate component orders,” said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. “Adding Dawn to our staff gives our customers and our sales team additional internal support.”

Szakacs is a 2007 graduate of the University of Akron’s Marketing Management program and will be responsible for providing customer follow-up, support, and solutions. As Sales Administrator, she will also work closely with customers to ensure their satisfaction with their clutch plate and brake pad orders.

GMP Friction Products produces brake pads and clutch plates for manufacturers of off-road vehicles, ATVs, industrial equipment, and marine applications. Their engineering expertise and range of available materials and groove patterns allow them to carefully select the best parts for any application. In addition, their engineering department offers extensive custom design for specialized projects.

GMP Friction Products Expands Market Coverage

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Adds Support for Growing Customer Base

AKRON, OH (April 30, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, recently added new support through their sales group. The new additions include Sarah Ford as Marketing Coordinator and Tommy Garnett as a sales representative for the Mid-Atlantic region, with additional representation in Michigan serving Michigan and Canada.

“Our company’s sales support efforts have increased significantly in recent months,” said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. “The expansion of our sales group Industrial Components means our products will be more conveniently available to customers across the country.”

Ford will function as a marketing coordinator and has experience in marketing and sales, with a strong educational background from the University of Illinois. Garnett is based in Raleigh, North Carolina and has more than 15 years of OEM industrial experience. Tom Hassett continues to support the Midwest region from the Illinois office.

GMP Friction Products Expands West Coast Presence

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Adds to Staff to Support New Regional Market

AKRON, OH (January 31, 2008) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications, recently hired Eric Jackson as the company’s West Coast Sales Manager.

"Our company has undergone tremendous growth recently, and our staff has expanded accordingly," said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. "Eric’s extensive engineering background and sales experience in national accounts will help us reach out to new brake pad and clutch plate customers in the Western U.S."

Jackson’s main responsibilities in his new role will be increasing sales, obtaining leads, and assisting current customers. In this role, he will develop marketing plans, business plans, sales strategies and action plans for potential customers in the Western U.S. He has several years of experience in sales.

Jackson is a native of Northeast Ohio and has a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio University. He lives in Southern California with his family and enjoys surfing, rock climbing, and scuba diving.

GMP Friction Products Launches New Website

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Adds Friction Materials Information to Site

AKRON, OH (November 28, 2007) – GMP Friction Products, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications headquartered in Akron, recently unveiled a new website to spotlight their custom friction material mixes and advanced parts manufacturing capabilities.

"With our recent name change, we wanted to update and modernize the site so it was easier to use and offered more information to our customers," said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. "The new site showcases our mixing, sintering, and production capabilities, as well as the research that goes into each GMP Friction Products part."

Potential customers can download Technical Data Sheets for a variety of custom friction material mixes, and can learn more about GMP Friction Products’ rigorous quality testing procedures. The new site features information about the markets GMP Friction Products serves. It also showcases the many available groove patterns GMP can use on the clutch plates the company manufactures.

For more than 78 years, GMP Friction Products has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in agriculture, ATV, construction, aerospace, industrial, and specialty applications. As a leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226 or visit their website at www.gmpfriction.com.

Akron Clutch Manufacturer’s Quick Turnaround Saves the Day for Gulf Oil Rig Operator

Rapid Delivery of Order Allows Oil Rig to Avoid Repairs Shutdown

AKRON, OH (November 14, 2007) – When GMP Friction Products (formerly General Metals Powder Company) receives an order for their custom-designed clutch plates, they quickly and efficiently fill the order to keep their customers up and running. But their response time on a recent order from industrial clutch manufacturer The Carlson Company was truly impressive.

The Carlson Company supplies custom-designed industrial clutches for a variety of heavy industrial applications. One of the four clutches in use on a customer’s oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico had malfunctioned, leaking hydraulic fluid and warping the clutch plates until they were non-functional. To keep the rig in operation, the replacement parts needed to be on the rig within two weeks. Unfortunately, replacement parts were unavailable, so The Carlson Company relied on GMP Friction Products to quickly produce new parts.

“We needed the components for the new clutch immediately,” said Rodney Bruntz, Chief Engineer at The Carlson Company. “GMP Friction really saved the day with their rapid parts delivery.”

The original GMP Friction Products parts order had taken two weeks to manufacture and ship to The Carlson Company. When the GMP Friction Products staff received the replacement parts order, they were able to turn it around over a weekend, receiving the order on Friday and shipping the parts out on Monday. Thanks to GMP Friction Products’ rapid response time, the oil rig was back up and running in a week and a half, saving hours of labor and significant costs related to productivity.

For more than 78 years, GMP Friction Products has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. As a leader in sintered metallic friction materials, GMP Friction Products specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226 or visit their website at www.gmpfriction.com.

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Updates Name

Friction Products Producer Changes Name as Part of Modernization Campaign

AKRON, OH (September 18, 2007) – GEMPCO, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications headquartered in Akron, recently changed their name to GMP Friction Products as part of a companywide modernization campaign.

“Over the years, we have expanded the services and products we offer to our customers,” said Jerry Lynch, president of GMP Friction Products. “The new name is intended to give our customers a clearer picture of what we can do.”

For more than 78 years, GMP Friction Materials has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. As a leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226.

Akron Clutch and Brake Manufacturer Expands Midwest Market Coverage

Friction Products Producer Hires Manufacturer’s Rep to Diversify Customer Base

AKRON, OH (July 27, 2007) – GEMPCO, a manufacturer of sintered metallic friction materials for industrial applications headquartered in Akron, recently hired sales representative Tom Hassett to enhance their relationships with customers in the Midwest.

“Tom has years of experience selling OEM industrial components to manufacturers throughout the Midwest, so this arrangement is ideal,” said Jerry Lynch, president of GEMPCO. “With his help, we’ll be able to reach additional companies who are looking for custom engineered clutch plates and brake pads.”

GEMPCO produces brake pads and clutch plates for manufacturers of off-road vehicles, ATVs, industrial equipment, and marine applications. Their engineering expertise and range of available materials and groove patterns allow them to carefully select the best parts for any application. In addition, their engineering department offers extensive custom design for specialized projects.

Through his company, Industrial Components, Hassett will represent GEMPCO’s brake pad and clutch plate products to manufacturers throughout the Midwest. Hassett has almost 20 years of sales experience since his graduation from Kent State University. He is an avid golfer and participates in a variety of martial arts. He lives outside St. Louis with his wife and daughter.

For more than 78 years, GEMPCO has designed and manufactured brake pads and clutch plates for use in a variety of industrial and automotive applications. As a leader in sintered metallic friction materials, they specialize in working with clients to engineer and create customized parts in a range of materials for controlling, stopping, or transmitting power. For more information, call 330-633-1226.