Annual Report 2012 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

48
Report
Site-specific projects // Rail vehicle systems
Rail Vehicle Systems
Microelettrica moves to new headquarters
Knorr-Bremse subsidiary Microelettrica Scientifica is a global market leader in the field of electronic
and electro-mechanical control components for rail vehicle applications. The company’s product
portfolio includes switches and breakers, resistors, high-voltage transducers and fans. In the past
these products were manufactured at four facilities around Milan in northern Italy. To consolidate the
production shops and bring the approximately 300 employees under one roof, Microelettrica decided
to build a new facility in Milan’s Buccinasco district. The new plant was officially opened in August
of the year under review.
The various components are now manufactured in “lean flow” operations. Each block has its own logistics
and warehouse. In addition, the planning process allowed for expansion areas for each block,
giving the company the capacity to respond quickly to changes in the business environment. The
numerous integrated test facilities document the strength of the in-house development capability at
the new Microelettrica headquarters.
Knorr-Bremse further
expands its market
position in Russia and
the CIS states.
RZD Supervisory Board approves joint venture in Russia
After more than four decades in the Russian rail market, Knorr-Bremse is set to further expand its
position. In June of the year in question, the supervisory board of the Russian railway company RZD
approved the formation of a joint venture between its subsidiary Federal Cargo Company FGK and
Knorr-Bremse. The board of the company, which was officially set up on February 12, 2013, consists
of representatives of the Russian government and ministries as well as other sectors of Russian
industry.
The name of the new company – “Knorr-Bremse 1520” – is derived from the Russian track gauge of
1,520 millimeters. The joint venture is based in the city of Tver, roughly 170 kilometers north of Moscow.
Manufacturing activities will initially take place at the existing Knorr-Bremse plant in Voronezh.
Construction work on a new factory in Tver with almost 16,000 m² of production space began in 2012,
and the joint venture will transfer its entire production operations to Tver in 2014, creating some 400
jobs at the new plant. Knorr-Bremse already commands an extensive product portfolio specifically
geared to the needs of the CIS market and which from now on will increasingly be manufactured
locally. In addition, the existing portfolio will be extended in the medium term to include further
products that are also adapted to local requirements and will be manufactured in Tver. One new core
product of the joint venture company will be control valves for the CIS market, destined for use in the
various rail vehicles operating in the cargo sector. Another focus will be on the production of disc
brakes and oil-free compressors.
For Knorr-Bremse, this new joint venture offers numerous opportunities to win a more extensive share
of the railway market in the CIS states. In the medium to long term there will be many new-building
and modernization projects in this market. And operators are increasingly focusing on vehicle life cycle
costs and component reliability as rail vehicle speeds rise. As a result of its long years of experience in
the Russian and CIS markets, Knorr-Bremse can draw upon a deep pool of experience and expertise
that the company will be able to translate into customer benefits in the course of future projects.
In the Russian railway company and its subsidiary, Knorr-Bremse also has two partners who bring with
them an extremely broad field of possible applications for technical rail products in the fields of passenger
and freight transportation.