The company’s North American manufacturing locations also renamed their facilities as follows: Akebono Brake, Elizabethtown, Ky., plant (formerly Ambrake); Akebono Brake, Glasgow, Ky., plant (formerly Amak); and Akebono Brake, Springfield, Ky., plant (formerly Amtec). The R&D facility in Farmington Hills, Mich., has also been renamed Akebono Engineering Center.

The company said it made the name changes to strengthen its global brand positioning.

Akebono recently relocated its headquarters from Farmington Hills, Mich., to Elizabethtown, Ky., to “align all of Akebono’s North American facilities,” according to the company.

“As we continue to expand our North American operations, it is important that Akebono become synonymous with superior brake technology, quality and safety,” explained Laura Sullivan, brand manager. “Our new company name, Akebono Brake Corp., more clearly defines our commitment to the brake industry.”