Annual Report 2012 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

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In this market environment, the Group’s US subsidiary
New York Air Brake Corp. won a large number of orders for
its driver assistance system LEADER. Since the product
was launched, more than 2,500 systems have been sold
to eight customers. In the year under review, the largest
order, for 1,125 LEADER systems, was received from freight
operator Norfolk Southern Railway Corp.
In the mass transit sector too, Knorr-Bremse was able to
build on its existing position and won orders for several additional
important mass transit projects. Knorr-Bremse subsidiary
Knorr Brake Corporation is to supply the braking,
door and HVAC systems for 78 car sets that are being built
for the Los Angeles Metro by Kinkisharyo International. With
these new vehicles, from 2015 onward, metro operator Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is
expanding its capacity and modernizing its fleet. The operator
has also taken out an option on a further 157 car sets.
Knorr Brake Corporation is also to supply the braking, door
and HVAC systems for 80 driverless vehicles to be built by
AnsaldoBreda S.p.A. for operator Honolulu Authority for
Rapid Transportation. The light rail vehicles (LRVs) will be operating
on a new commuter line starting in 2015. From
2013, braking and door systems from Knorr Brake Corporation
will also be installed in 39 CAF LRVs destined for new
mass transit lines in Houston, Texas.
Commercial Vehicle Systems
While the recovery of the North American truck market
continued in 2012, it did so at a modest pace. Compared
to the prior year, air-braked truck production (over 6 t)
was up 4% at 353,000 units. Nevertheless the market still
trails 29% behind its 2006 peak of 500,000 units.
Knorr-Bremse’s North American business is handled by
its subsidiary Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC,
Elyria, Ohio, under the Bendix brand. With delivery of
the 200,000th Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program
full-stability system in August, the company reached a
major milestone in the year under review. The technology
was introduced in 2005 and today there are over
222,000 units in the field.
In 2012, Bendix further reinforced its market leadership
in North America by securing a variety of orders. In May
2012, for example, the company’s Bendix ESP stability
system with Automatic Traction Control (ATC) became
standard on the majority of US commercial vehicle
manufacturer Peterbilt Motors Company’s Class 8 trucks
and tractors. Peterbilt also made Bendix Wingman Advanced
– a collision mitigation technology – an option
on all Class 8 on-highway trucks and tractors. In this
system, a radar sensor constantly measures the distance
to the forward vehicle and automatically regulates the
speed in accordance with the data acquired. If the distance
closes too fast, the system first provides audible
and visual alerts to the driver. If the driver fails to respond
adequately, the Wingman Advanced system will
actively intervene, reducing throttle, engaging the engine
retarder or, if necessary, applying the foundation
brakes. Wingman Advanced was launched in 2011 with
Navistar and is released not only at Peterbilt, but also as
an option at Kenworth (on select new Class 8 models),
Mack and Volvo.
In 2012, US manufacturer Kenworth Trucks also added
the SmarTire Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitoring
System (TPMS) by Bendix as an option on selected new
Class 8 vehicle models. TPMS continuously monitors the
pressure and temperature of each tire, providing realtime
status information. If the tire pressure falls below a
set value, posing a potential safety hazard, the system
alerts the driver. In addition to the safety aspect, the
system also makes a valuable contribution to cutting
fleet operating costs: tire wear and fuel consumption
can be substantially reduced by maintaining correct
tire pressures.
Bendix scored another success with US commercial vehicle
builder Navistar when the company chose to rely
exclusively on door systems modules from Bendix for its