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Behind the FMSI Award: How DFC Leads in Quality and Innovation for Automotive Brakes

DFC Wins the FMSI Award 8 Years Running

Recognizing Excellence: What the FMSI Award Means for DFC and the Brake Industry

The FMSI Award is a distinguished honor in the automotive brake industry. It recognizes companies that excel in innovation, quality, and contributions to industry standards. For Dynamic Friction Company (DFC), this award is not only an honor but also a validation of their commitment to quality and leadership. Join us as we explore the Friction Materials Standards Institute (FMSI), the significance of its prestigious award, and the influential role DFC plays in shaping the industry.

What is FMSI?

The Friction Materials Standards Institute (FMSI) provides a standardized numbering system for friction materials. This system helps manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors match friction materials and brake parts accurately across brands. According to Jesus “Chuy” Villalobos, DFC’s Research and Development Manager, FMSI “serves as the standard bearer for the part numbering system that the entire industry uses.” Thus, this standardized approach simplifies product identification, ensuring compatibility and quality across products.

The Importance of the FMSI Award

The FMSI Award for New Assignments and Applications honors companies that make significant contributions to expanding the FMSI catalog. For companies like DFC, this award represents their dedication to advancing FMSI’s objectives. By introducing new friction materials and part numbers, DFC helps improve accuracy and efficiency across the industry. For automotive brake manufacturers, these contributions are essential to smooth product identification and distribution.

Since 2017, DFC has earned this award multiple times. Each year, DFC submits around 100 new part numbers, covering approximately 95% of all new entries to the FMSI system. This dedication solidifies DFC’s influence on industry standards and ensures compatibility across brake programs.

DFC’s Role in Setting Standards and Driving Innovation

DFC’s commitment to quality extends beyond individual products. Instead, it’s about advancing industry standards as a whole. Jesus “Chuy” Villalobos, who has worked with FMSI on behalf of DFC since 2015, takes great pride in this work. As his colleagues explain, “Once he’s done identifying everything, it comes directly after FMSI, and as a result, he supplies the most data and wins the award year after year.” For DFC, this dedication to cataloging new parts and identifying applications makes them a leader in the industry and highlights their focus on quality.

Additionally, DFC’s R&D team ensures all products meet or exceed OEM quality standards. This commitment shows in their high-quality brake pads and rotors, which are designed to suit various vehicle needs. Through these innovations, DFC has become a reliable choice for distributors and customers looking for premium brake products backed by high standards.

Why the FMSI Award Matters to DFC Customers

For DFC’s customers, the FMSI Award is more than a symbol of excellence—it’s a mark of trust. By choosing DFC brake products, customers know they are selecting parts from a brand committed to safety, quality, and innovation. Reflecting on his passion, Chuy shared, “Every time I open a box of pads or a rotor, it’s like opening a Christmas present.” This excitement, combined with DFC’s dedication to FMSI’s system, drives their delivery of award-winning quality.

Driving the Future of Braking Excellence with FMSI Leadership

Ultimately, DFC’s FMSI Award proves their leadership in the automotive brake industry. Their work in maintaining industry standards shines through in every product they manufacture. By supporting FMSI and introducing new part numbers each year, DFC reaffirms its position as a leader in braking. Through their dedication to compatibility, consistency, and performance, DFC shapes the industry’s future.

FMSI Honors DFC for a 6th Consecutive Year!

For the 6th consecutive year, DFC (Dynamic Friction Company) has been honored by FMSI (Friction Materials and Standards Institute) with the 2022 award for New Assignments and Applications.

DFC is proud of its contribution to the brake industry and honored by the recognition. We have been recognized in the following categories:

New Vehicle Applications: 67
New Disc Steel: 35
New Disc Friction: 35
New Relationships: 4
Total: 141
Carry Overs: 43

We look forward to serving the automotive industry by continuing to provide new vehicle friction applications.

“DFC continues to demonstrate unwavering commitment to providing the aftermarket with high quality brake components. This year’s FMSI award is an affirmation of the competitive advantage we offer our customers. We provide unrivaled quality and are consistently bringing first-to-market brake components to the automotive community.”

– Jesus “Chuy” Villalobos, R & D Manager

Founded in 1948 as a trade organization, FMSI has a 70 year tradition of providing the automotive aftermarket industry with the most recognized standardization of original equipment part numbers, universally used by brake component manufacturers and suppliers.

FMSI works closely with manufacturers around the globe to bring the aftermarket the most reliable and current brake part number data for every sector of the distribution and installer network. It relies heavily on progressive and innovative manufacturers like DFC in order to achieve that goal.

DFC Awarded the APA 2022 New Supplier Award

Dynamic Friction Company has been awarded the Automotive Parts Association (APA) 2022 New Supplier Award.

To be considered for the Award, you must demonstrate consistently high order fill rates and supply timely, updated catalogs — including new numbers, field support, and ease of returns and credits. We are humbled and honored by the distinction, while mindful of the ever growing challenges. We look forward to facing these challenges and continuing to grow and serve our partners, including the APA.

About APA

Celebrating its 49^th year of service in the automotive aftermarket industry, Automotive Parts Associates is one of the oldest program distribution groups in operation as a member-owned not-for-profit cooperative with approximately 60 independent Warehouse Distributor shareholders in North America.

DFC Presents: A Commitment to Research and Development

Product Research and Development is one of the cornerstones of DFC.

However, it’s not as simple as getting parts, cataloging them and selling them. Instead, we reverse engineer every single new OE product from all OE manufacturers and collect key data points. For example, does this part differ from last year’s part? How?

There is added complexity when you consider that each OE manufacturer has a different discipline (friction, hardware, rotors, etc.)

One example is friction. At any point we may source friction parts from Germany, Thailand, India or China. Each of these manufacturers has a different focus: one may be great at higher performance materials, while another may be great at copper-free ceramics or semi-metallics. Our job is to identify these innovations and match (or exceed) the OE specifications so that when you’re using a DFC part, you know you have a premium product.

Click the video above and join Co-founder Dino Crescentini as he walks you through DFC’s extensive and decorated Research and Development process.

“Honest Product, Honest Answers” A Commitment to People

DFC Presents:

“Honest Product, Honest Answers”
A Commitment to People

Co-Founder Dino Crescentini highlights our commitment to people, starting with our DFC Customer Support Team, and extending all the way to the Customer’s Experience.

At DFC, people are “our most valuable asset.”

We’ve gone above and beyond to create a best-in-class Customer Support Team, capable of handling any challenge that comes our way. DFC is committed to keeping our products, and service levels, “beyond what the industry is used to.”

Respect is at the core of everything we do. If our team is shown respect, they will in turn treat each other and our customers with the same respect.

Our Customer Support Team is at the heart of everything we do. We all understand what it’s like to be a Customer looking for help, or needing answers fast. Our Team is set up to do exactly that, one Customer, one question at a time.

“Born Into a Family of Auto Mechanics” – The Dino Crescentini Story

It often happens that the greatest stories are born from taking a wrong turn.

It was the Summer of 1972. Italy clothed itself in cheer and festivity ahead of a monthlong holiday. All roads seemingly lead to celebration. Meanwhile, the Crescentini family, having veered about a mile off the highway, chanced upon a factory moments before closing.

“How come there’s been a 6 month back order for this one filter (an Alfa Romeo rear filter)?”

When it was revealed that the bureaucracy of Alfa Romeo couldn’t decide what to do with their parts, sparks flew and an idea was born.

“I was born into a family of auto mechanics,” said Dino Crescentini, DFC Co-founder, whose father and grandfather nurtured his passion for cars and mechanics.

Dino relates that as a young man, the “only way” to hang out with his father was “to go to the shop.” His father was affiliated with many race car drivers from the 70’s, including the famed Ken Miles.

Surrounded by cars, professional drivers and a family passion, Dino’s fire grew…igniting the engine of curiosity, innovation and engineering.

Few people have done more for the aftermarket brake sector than Dino Crescentini, the Godfather of Brakes.

Having been inducted to the Auto International Association (AIA) Hall of Fame in 2009, Dino was honored with the “Legends of Industry” award from the Friction Materials & Standards Institute (FMSI) in 2018.

“I am among the few,” comments Dino, “who are fortunate enough to do what they love while getting the opportunity to work with others who have the same curiosity for parts and passion for the industry.”

In this original documentary, we bring you Dino’s story–one that began with a wrong turn and ended turning a whole industry on its head.

Today…Dino’s vision lives on through DFC. “We continue on our mission,” he says, “and success manifests itself for ourselves and our customers.”

FMSI Honors DFC for a 5th Consecutive Year!

For a 5th consecutive year, DFC (Dynamic Friction Company) has been honored by FMSI (Friction Materials and Standards Institute) with the 2021 award for New Assignments and Applications.

DFC is proud of its contribution to the brake industry and honored by the recognition. We have been recognized in the following categories:

New Vehicle Applications: 113
New Disc Steel: 39
New Disc Friction: 37
New Relationships: 17
Total: 206
Carry Overs: 54

We look forward to serving the automotive industry by continuing to provide new vehicle friction applications.

– Jesus “Chuy” Villalobos, R & D Manager

COVID-19: An Important Message from DFC

All of us at Dynamic Friction Company // DFC hope this letter finds you, your families and those around you safe and healthy.

COVID-19 has created uncertainty and we want to provide you with an update on what we are doing at DFC to mitigate disruptions to your business.

We are open and continuing with business to continue to serve your needs. As defined by CISA.GOV, we are part of the critical manufacturing sector and transportation / logistics sector. We have measures in place to ensure continuity of service and to prevent supply disruptions where possible.

Protecting the health and well-being of our employees is a top priority at DFC. We have implemented preventative measures to control COVID-19 in our operations and amongst our teams. Should we anticipate disruptions in our operations that may affect your business, we will inform you immediately.

We are committed to helping you, our business partners get through these difficult times with the resources we have at hand.

Thank you for being our partner in business. We are proud to work in and serve an essential industry that is crucial to helping other essential industries triumph over this challenge before us.

To health,

Dan Biezonsky
Vice President Sales -Dynamic Friction Company