“Break the Limits, RIDE THE FLOW” is the dynamic banner headlining Knorr-Bremse’s invitation to customers attending the world’s largest railway trade fair InnoTrans. Knorr-Bremse will be presenting safe, efficient, sustainable technologies for the rail industry on an impressive 1,000-square-meter exhibition area. InnoTrans will take place in Berlin on September 24-27, 2024, and Knorr-Bremse will be ready to welcome visitors at Booth 250 in Hall 1.2.
The Knorr-Bremse booth at InnoTrans will focus on five areas of innovation: improved transportation capacity and performance (Traffic Flow); sustainable, eco-friendly fleet solutions (Ecological Footprint); optimized travel comfort for passengers (Traveling Comfort); long-term support for operations and servicing (Operations & Maintenance), and digital solutions (Digital Solutions).
Dynamize your TRAFFIC FLOW
Transforming the mobility experience depends on smoother rail traffic flows and higher network capacity so that streams of passengers and freight can be optimally routed and distributed. Here, new-generation braking system technologies play just as important a role as digitized, automated rail freight services.
The Knorr-Bremse Evolution of Braking exhibition space at InnoTrans will include a large-scale exhibit covering almost 11 square meters, presenting the latest stages in the evolution of the digital-electropneumatic braking system and the – totally new – digital-electromechanical braking system in a side-by-side comparison. The installation will juxtapose the functional components of both braking technologies, illustrating the integrated systems concept behind their respective solutions for brake signal transmission, signal processing and high-precision braking force transfer.
The digital-electropneumatic braking system features the latest generation of the CubeControl brake control unit, which enables even more advanced interaction between the system’s pneumatic (“brake-by-air”), electromechanical and software components to further improve safety, reliability and performance. The pioneering digital-electromechanical braking system works on the innovative “brake-by-wire” principle.
The system relies entirely on electricity to transmit braking signals and braking force, with no need for air or oil to act as a fluid pressure-generating medium. The result is a genuinely “dry” brake-by-wire system. Active control of the digital-electromechanical braking system’s clamping force in all operating conditions enables it to achieve its full potential. This combination of electrification and connectivity with weight savings of up to 15 percent makes a huge contribution to eco-efficiency, optimized performance, sustainability and ease of maintenance.
Knorr-Bremse will also play a key role in the future of rail freight thanks to the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) and other advanced automation technologies. To do so, Knorr-Bremse is applying its integrated systems approach – high-quality hardware (DAC) plus an automation system backed by data-driven services – to create a pioneering, all-in-one package for efficient freight forwarding, a concept dubbed Future Rail Freight Transportation. The next stage in the DAC’s evolution – DAC 5 – will feature, among other things, a high-performance electrical actuator in the coupling head, enabling the automatic uncoupling of freight cars and locomotives.
Knorr-Bremse will be exhibiting the DAC at its own booth at InnoTrans, in the European Union Village, at the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) booth, and mounted on two freight cars built by Slovakian vehicle manufacturer Tatravagónka in the trade fair’s outdoor area.
Optimize your ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
For rail transportation to establish a strong position in the mobility mix, train fleets need an optimized ecological footprint characterized by sustainability and energy efficiency. This entails reducing fleet consumption of energy and resources, and minimizing carbon, noise and particulate emissions.
Knorr-Bremse supports customers by devising solutions that meet all the technological, transportation-related and social criteria for sustainable mobility. Thus the System Integrated Functional Unit (SIFU) developed by Group brand Microelettrica is specifically designed for energy efficiency with its energy measurement concept. And the multifunctional AirSupply Smart platform with its low-maintenance ScrewSupply Eco screw-type compressor for supplying air on demand to electropneumatic braking systems reduces energy consumption, noise emissions (in Silent mode) and lifecycle costs.
The Sustainable Friction Pairing exhibit uses a brake disc consisting of three different materials, combined with brake pads optimized for each of them, to highlight the impact of durable, low-emission friction pairing on sustainability and particulate matter emissions. Group brand Merak’s energy-efficient green[air] climate control solutions also conserve resources and protect the climate by, for example, using heat pumps and natural refrigerants such as propane and carbon dioxide.
Intensify your DIGITAL SOLUTIONS
The rail industry is aware of the major benefits of digitized rail operations – and Knorr-Bremse is steadily expanding its modular range of data-driven solutions. Almost all Knorr-Bremse systems can be upgraded to become smart products, enabling them to generate operating data as networked assets. In particular, Software as a Service (SaaS) and immediate (real-time) data availability add significant value to customers’ rail operations.
Knorr-Bremse will be showcasing the depth and breadth of its solutions in a Data2Action installation resembling a double helix and standing over 4 meters high. Among other presentation techniques, Knorr-Bremse will use interactive monitors to demonstrate how much value the company already adds to major customer projects through intelligent data analytics. For example, remote diagnostics and smart recommendations for action are raising fleet planning, operations and maintenance to new heights of efficiency. Here, Knorr-Bremse also works very closely with Swiss asset intelligence specialist Nexxiot.
Rail Computing & Communication (RCC) systems from Group brand Selectron make a key contribution to safety, efficiency and operational stability by acting as a control hub that securely manages and interconnects train subsystems. As digitalization becomes ubiquitous, cybersecurity is more important than ever. Thanks to security-certified, multi-stage, multilayered solutions (“secure by design”), train fleets are effectively protected against unauthorized external access.
Increase your TRAVELING COMFORT
Attractive rail services prioritize passenger comfort – by removing barriers, improving accessibility, and providing onboard climate control to make journeys enjoyable. Examples include Merak’s clean[air] climate control solutions, which include innovative ventilation, filtration and purification solutions for delivering clean air to train compartments in eco-friendly ways. On many clean[air]-equipped services, passengers can even check air quality in real time using a smartphone app.
ZeroStepBoarding from Group brand IFE is a sophisticated solution for train doors that enables virtually barrier-free boarding and alighting. The innovative access concept with a maximum door threshold of 9 mm is specifically designed for the use in high-speed trains.
Streamline your OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
Highly available rail vehicles are an essential prerequisite for cost-efficient, successful fleet operations. RailServices supports customers through the entire vehicle lifecycle by covering innovative action areas. Tailored services help to improve train availability by extending train service lives and optimizing operating costs and maintenance processes. Among other aspects, the aftermarket specialist focuses on solutions for component maintenance, modernization and refurbishment. Two of the exhibits on display will demonstrate the possibilities and potentials offered by resource-saving component reconditioning: a brake caliper and an electronic component, shown before and after refurbishment.
Knorr-Bremse at InnoTrans: Making green mobility possible
To provide customers with efficient support, Knorr-Bremse has set ambitious goals for the development of a full range of sustainable products and systems. The company’s development processes include, for example, EcoDesign and circular economy criteria. Knorr-Bremse is also tightly focused on meeting strategic climate protection commitments – which are readily quantifiable.
Over 95 percent of Knorr-Bremse’s electricity now comes from renewable sources. To date, Knorr-Bremse has succeeded in reducing production-related carbon emissions by some 70 percent (relative to baseline year 2018). The company’s targets for 2030 – all validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – are equally ambitious; by then, Knorr-Bremse aims to reduce the Group’s global production-related carbon emissions by 75 percent relative to baseline year 2018.
External rating agencies regularly recognize Knorr-Bremse’s sustainability management by awarding above-average ratings and rankings. Most recently, EcoVadis promoted the company from Silver to Gold status. As a result, Knorr-Bremse now ranks among the top five percent of its peers in the Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement categories. Previously, CDP (the Carbon Disclosure Project) awarded Knorr-Bremse another improved rating (A-), elevating the company above the European average (B) and global sector average (C) to the CDP’s Leadership level.
Meet up with Knorr-Bremse at InnoTrans
Knorr-Bremse’s 1,000-square-meter booth will bring together all the company’s key brands and business units. Anyone interested in working with or for the technology leader, or who would like to know more about career opportunities and pathways, is very welcome to visit the HR team at Knorr-Bremse’s Talent Corner.
Otherwise, Group brand Selectron (Rail Computing & Communication) will be showcasing its products and services in the competitive environment of Hall 27, at Booth 410; Group subsidiary Zelisko (signaling and traffic management systems) will be represented in Hall 25 at Booth 120. And the Aachen Rail Shuttle pioneered by RWTH Aachen University – a self-driving rail bus equipped with Knorr-Bremse systems – will be inviting visitors on tours of the summer garden.
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