Australia’s Pacifica group has signed a joint development agreement with SKF to develop parking brake-by-wire systems for passenger cars.

Pacifica is the world’s leading supplier of lightweight aluminium parking brakes for the automotive industry. In 2001,the group posted sales of more than 1 billion Australian dollars (520 million euros).
The “mechatronics”system to be developed will allow the driver to actuate the parking brake at the flip of a switch through an electromechanical actuating unit that applies force and travel to each drum brake.The parking brake can be applied either progressively or all at once.It will also assist the driver in hill starts.
Pacifica’s agreement with SKF is to develop an electro-mechanical version of its patented “Banksia”parking brake. “
“SKF’s technology is more advanced and more appropriate to the Banksia than other comparable technologies at this time,”says John MacKenzie,managing director of Pacifica.
“By combining our resources we will be able to accelerate the development of the electric Banksia and make it available to the market far more quickly than if we worked alone.”