Knorr-Bremse - Braking and On-Board Systems for Railway Vehicles

More than a billion people worldwide rely daily on Knorr-Bremse systems.

Knorr-Bremse is one of the world's leading manufacturers of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. As a technology pioneer, for over 100 years Knorr-Bremse has been a driving force in the development, production and sale of modern braking systems for a variety of applications in the area of rail and commercial vehicles.

Knorr-Bremse thus contributes significantly to safety on the road and on railways. Other lines of business include door systems and air conditioning systems for rail vehicles as well as torsional vibration dampers for internal combustion engines.

With just over 16,000 employees worldwide, the company earned sales in 2010 of €3.7 billion. The success of the company is grounded in the synergy of its two divisions, rail vehicle and commercial vehicle systems, the group's global perspective as well as the innovative power and performance readiness of its staff. Knorr-Bremse will thus continue to be a leader in shaping progress in rail and commercial vehicle technology.

Pneumatic, electro-pneumatic and electro-hydraulic rail brake systems

The trend for railway vehicles towards greater comfort, higher speeds and increasing wheelset loads as well as lower life cycle costs and higher availability are the challenges for today's brake systems. Knorr-Bremse offers an extensive product range with pneumatic, electro-pneumatic and electro-hydraulic brake systems for all types of vehicles.

Products include:

• Bogie equipment such as brake discs, pneumatic actuators, track brakes, block brake units and eddy current brakes
• Air supply systems such as compressors, air treatment and integrated systems
• Brake control systems such as brake controllers, brake panels, brake control units, control valves and complete carrier systems
• Complete hydraulic brake and suspension systems

Innovative brake discs and brake control systems - future orientation

As the technological leader in the field of brake systems, Knorr-Bremse is known for its permanent drive for innovation that allows it to accompany its customers in their development and operation of modern rail vehicles. With major investments in the research and development field, Knorr-Bremse manages and manufactures products that give significant competitive advantages to its customers.

Examples are:

• High-energy brake discs that reduce weight and lifecycle costs
• Eddy-current brakes which set the standard for non-wearing systems
• Oil-free compressor technology that helps to reduce lifecycles' costs, is sustainable, and avoids the need to dispose of oil and oil-contaminated waste following oil changes and air filter replacement
• Modular brake control systems for locomotives for enhanced efficiency and diagnosis-aided maintenance
• Distributed brake control systems for higher brake performance, system availability and lower installation costs

Worldwide support

The structure of the Knorr-Bremse Group is based on the regions Europe, North America and South America, and Asia/Australia, and the development of the Group is geared to meeting the specific requirements of the markets and customers in these regions.

This regional organisational structure is designed to offer globally active customers uniform technical platforms worldwide, while at the same time taking specific local needs into account. It also ensures that customers who operate on a regional basis are supplied with globally proven systems and components.

With over 60 locations in over 25 countries across all continents Knorr-Bremse manages to comply with its customer requirements for local presence and support at short notice. With its global divisionalised structure Knorr-Bremse is able to fulfil country specific needs while bringing in its experience from a large number of international railway projects.

On-board rail systems

The demand for comprehensive overall solutions is growing. Knorr-Bremse is facing this requirement by constantly expanding its product range.

Sanding systems, windscreen washers and wipers, train safety systems and toilet systems have long been standard segments of the Knorr-Bremse range. Additional products such as dampers, passenger information systems, traffic control and ticket management systems expand the product range.

Knorr-Bremse integrated companies Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors (UK) and IFE Automatic Door Systems complete the wide range of on-board solutions.

Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors are one of the world leaders in rail-based automatic platform screen door systems. With platform screen doors, platform edge doors and platform screen gates, Westinghouse provides three platform screen types and each of these are designed and engineered to improve safety levels for metro passengers.

Highly modern automatic entry systems such as automatic door systems, ramps and moveable steps are offered by IFE Automatic Door Systems. Ensuring reliability without compromise for more than 50 years has made IFE one of the world's leading manufacturers of automatic door systems for railway vehicles.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul of rail brake systems

Besides modern and efficient brake and on-board systems, Knorr-Bremse also offers economy and quality for operators and manufacturers in the service and aftermarket sector. Knorr-Bremse is able to provide a wide field of highly qualified services with respect to the maintenance, overhaul and repair of braking systems, which can be modularly adjusted to the customer's requirements.

As a whole, Knorr-Bremse offers a worldwide capability and support on all subjects concerning brake systems and on-board systems.