Hu Yadong visits Knorr-Bremse in Munich

Chinese Vice Minister of Railways Hu Yadong led a high-caliber expert delegation from the ministry’s Department of Safety that visited Knorr-Bremse in Munich at the weekend. The visit to the headquarters of the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail vehicles and commercial vehicles was the conclusion of a
trip to Europe spanning several days. One key focus of the visit was on innovations such as the eddy-current brake for high-speed trains; as they operate with zero wear, these brakes offer substantial customer benefits. At the same time, the Vice Minister was also given a demonstration of the uniform global quality standards
applied by Knorr-Bremse.

The guests from China were shown a test-bench simulation of the emergency braking of a planned Chinese high-speed train on a downhill gradient and from a speed of 380 km/h. This is the cruising speed envisaged for these Chinese trains, which will make them the fastest in the world. In just a few years' time, China will
have the world's largest fleet of high-speed trains, which goes to underline the prime importance of safety and quality. A few weeks ago, Knorr-Bremse obtained the largest order in its corporate history from China: Together with its Chinese partners, the company is to equip a total of 2,720 cars for the Chinese CRH3 high-speed train
with braking and door systems. The value of the supply agreements for this project runs to approximately €500 million.

Following the visit, the Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG responsible for Rail Vehicle Systems Dr. Dieter Wilhelm said: “This intensive encounter has lent even greater depth to the good relations between the Chinese Ministry of Railways and Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems.” Vice Minister Hu has long been familiar with Knorr-Bremse, having first met Dr. Wilhelm just a few months after he took up his position at the ministry in 2003.

Knorr-Bremse has maintained contacts with China since the late 1970s. The company's first major project in China came in 1990 and concerned the supply of complete braking systems for 96 cars for the Shanghai metro. Since then, the current Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Heinz Hermann Thiele, has been a key driving force behind the development of the company's business in China. Under his aegis, in the years that followed, Knorr-Bremse gradually expanded its product portfolio beyond its core business with braking systems to include automatic door systems and air conditioning equipment. Thanks to a strong local presence with five
joint ventures and its own production facility in Suzhou, the company is able to meet the high local-content requirements, as well as supplying Knorr-Bremse quality made in China. Today, Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems has a workforce of roughly 1,400 employees in China and in recent years has obtained orders relating to numerous high-speed train, locomotive and metro projects.
 

Source: Transportweekly