FOS Polmo Łódź: compressors for pneumatic braking systems

FOS Polmo Łódź is the largest in Poland and an internationally recognized manufacturer of compressors for pneumatic braking systems, which are used in trucks, buses and agricultural tractors. The company has extensive experience in the production of automotive accessories, the best proof of which is the fact that the history of the company dates back to 1908. The company specializes in complete compressors, compressor components and spare parts. The company also produces housings for turbochargers and is a supplier of complete braking systems mounted on agricultural tractors. Our interlocutor is Andrzej Janiszewski, commercial director and member of the company’s management board.

Without working brakes, there is no safe driving, and your company specializes in the production of pneumatic braking systems. Please describe the company in this respect.
Indeed, an efficient braking system is the basis of any vehicle. Pneumatic braking systems use compressed air generated by a compressor installed at the engine. Such systems are highly reliable and are therefore currently used in most trucks and buses. Since the 1960s, FOS Polmo has been producing components for braking systems and complete braking systems for agricultural tractors. It is an important part of our production as a company operating in the automotive market.

Is your production standardized or only for specific vehicles?

The braking systems we produce are designed for agricultural tractors and are developed in close cooperation with the manufacturer. Compressors have a more universal application and we do not always interfere with how they are installed.

Please tell me more about your brake systems. What makes them stand out?
The production of brake systems must comply with the relevant regulations, so our products also comply with the applicable standards. In this sense, they cannot be distinguished by anything, but they are certainly characterized by the highest quality of workmanship.

The company specializes in complete compressors and their accessories.
Yes, FOS Polmo is the largest Polish and internationally recognized manufacturer of compressors for pneumatic braking systems, which are used in trucks, buses and agricultural tractors. We also make components for the production of compressors and supply spare parts. Compressors are the most important part of our product range and I think the company is mainly associated with compressors.

Brakes and compressors are quite a specific specialization. It is probably not easy to carry out such production.
Of course, such production requires a lot of technical knowledge and experience of the staff as well as a professional machine park. However, FOS Polmo is a company with a really long experience in the automotive market – the seeds of the present plant date back to 1908. I believe that we have managed to achieve a high level of specialization. I think that our competitive advantage consists precisely in the experience thanks to which our products are of high quality and enjoy the trust of customers.

Who are the recipients of your products?
Our products go primarily to the primary market to foreign companies. Our clients include, among others WABCO, Knorr-Bremse, BorgWarner Turbo Systems, Haldex, Same Deutz-Fahr. It can be said that they are giants on the automotive market and the long-term cooperation with these companies proves the excellent quality of FOS Polmo products. We also have Polish customers and sell parts intended for the aftermarket.

Let’s talk about the technologies used in your company.
FOS Polmo performs professional processing of details using modern technologies, such as plasma nitriding, which is a very technologically advanced process. In our production, we use numerically controlled machine tools with high accuracy and measuring devices of the highest class. We also have stands for the receipt of finished products.

You are constantly investing and expanding the machine park.
It is necessary to meet the increasing market demands. We want to be up-to-date and adapt our technologies to the development of the automotive industry. Currently, we can boast of a modern machine park that affects the efficient production process.

Star, Jelcz, Ursus, Fiat – these are brands for which you used to produce accessories. It can be said that POLMO SA contributes to the production of icons of the Polish automotive industry.
That’s right. Before we focused our production mainly on exports, we operated successfully on the Polish automotive market. We sold carburetors, fuel pumps, compressors and compressor units to Polish companies.

The perfect brake – can you construct such a brake?
As far as we mean a brake that stops the vehicle immediately, this is unlikely to be possible. Anyway, it would be dangerous for the user. The design must always take into account the braking distance, different types of road surfaces and the like. Of course, the design of braking systems is successively improved in terms of shortening the braking distance and improving the quality of braking on various surfaces. So we are dealing with continuous progress in this area.

What about the future of brakes?
As part of the aforementioned progress in the design, one can expect an increasing share of electronics in the control. The goal is the greatest possible safety and the improvement of the comfort of the vehicle user.

Please boast about the company’s staff.
Currently, the company employs about 270 people. Our staff is distinguished primarily by experience and technical knowledge. We have specialists in technological processes, construction, planning of production processes, quality and measurements. Many employees have been associated with our company for years, which may prove that FOS Polmo is a stable employer.

Do you intend to expand your production beyond braking systems and compressors?
Of course, we are open to the possibilities of product diversification, which is why we introduced turbocharger housings to our offer a few years ago. We are currently focusing on the production and processing of new types of products that are already in our offer. These are the brake systems, compressors and parts for them – steel and cast iron crankshafts, flanges, heads, cast iron and aluminum alloy housings, air and water cooled valve plates, aluminum alloy connecting rods, cast iron cylinders with Plateau honing. We constantly improve the production processes of these details.

What are POLMO SA’s plans for the future?
The long-term goal of FOS Polmo Łódź SA is continuous improvement of the production process and further investments in new technologies and modernization of the machinery park. Our ambition is to acquire new clients and continue cooperation with those who have already trusted us. We want to constantly strengthen our image of a stable and reliable company with an established position in the automotive industry, offering high-quality products for the international market.