Annual Report 2012 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

Report
97
NEO Version 5 is introduced
NEO System Diagnostics is an electronic diagnostic platform for commercial vehicles that provides comprehensive,
rapid and professional support for the servicing of electronic systems. NEO communicates
either via a diagnostic interface or via the vehicle’s onboard electronic control unit. It covers a range of
functions from error code diagnostics right down to complete systems analysis. Even complex faults can
be easily traced. During the year in question, Knorr-Bremse introduced NEO 5 – a new version that extends
the tool’s functionality by adding ABS6 and the EAC2 electronic air treatment unit.
Knorr-Bremse India expands it service network
In the long term India promises to be one of the world’s biggest growth markets in the commercial
vehicle sector, and this has led Indian dealers and workshops to assign increasing priority to fleet servicing.
Knorr-Bremse India responded to this market trend in the year under review with the further
substantial expansion of its service network. The number of authorized Knorr-Bremse dealers was increased
by seven to 52, and ten additional service centers opened for business.
On the product side, in the aftermarket sector Knorr-Bremse India introduced a new, high-precision
manual slack adjuster. The company also developed a footbrake valve that will in future provide an alternative
to a competitor product in the aftermarket.
Service Training Center for brake equipment starts up in Pune
Several years ago, the charitable organization Knorr-Bremse Global Care e. V. funded the construction
and equipment of a hostel for over a hundred trainees at Don Bosco Tech – India, an organization that
provides training programs for young people, amongst other places in Pune, Central India. The hostel
offers places to vocational students from poorer areas in Pune and the four neighboring districts in
Maharashtra state.
Employees from
Knorr-Bremse India
teach trainees to
repair brake components.
In the year under review – again in collaboration with Don Bosco – a brake equipment service training
center was opened close to the hostel where employees from Knorr-Bremse India teach the students
to repair the most common brake components in India. This training will greatly improve the
students’ chances of finding work – with a good chance of some being taken on by one of the many
Knorr-Bremse service centers.
Knorr-Bremse further develops aftermarket strategy for the Middle East
Every year, more than 100,000 commercial vehicles over six tonnes are sold in the Middle East, making
this one of the most rapidly developing regions in the world. Growth is driven in particular by urban
buses and trucks used in the construction and logistics sectors. The need to keep these on the road
is boosting demand for OEM-quality spare parts and comprehensive service.
During 2012 Knorr-Bremse actively developed its sales strategy for the Middle East in a bid to benefit
from the high levels of growth in the region. A targeted aftermarket strategy was developed, with a
range of measures aimed at improving the service support offered by the local sales network.