Longer service lives: Knorr-Bremse and VR FleetCare sign service agreement to maintain braking systems of 46 locomotives

2020-08-27 09:58:54
Summary:▪ Knorr-Bremse and Finland’s state-owned railroad vehicle maintenance companyVR FleetCare, a subsidiary of VR...
▪ Knorr-Bremse and Finland’s state-owned railroad vehicle maintenance company
VR FleetCare, a subsidiary of VR Group, have concluded a lifecycle management
contract featuring overhaul and repair service for the braking systems of 46 freight
and passenger locomotives
▪ The contract in the single-digit million-euro range runs until the year 2028
▪ By supporting customers with advanced service models and made-to-measure
support concepts, Knorr-Bremse contributes to ensuring trains’ operability over
their service lives and helps increase availability of rail transport

Munich, August 26, 2020 – Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking andother systems for rail and commercial vehicles, and Finnish railroad vehiclemaintenance company VR FleetCare, a subsidiary of VR Group, have signed a serviceagreement in the single-digit million-euro range for a fleet of 46 Sr2-type locomotives.Until the year 2028, Knorr-Bremse RailServices will be maintaining the brake controland wheel slide protection units of the vehicles’ braking systems.


“Knorr-Bremse is geared towards helping its clients maximize the availability of their railvehicle fleet through customized lifecycle management concepts,” says Dr. Jürgen Wilder,Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG and responsible for the Rail VehicleSystems division. “Thereby, we are helping operators to provide even better, safer and moreefficient mobility by rail both for passenger and freight transport.”

“For the first time, Knorr-Bremse is supporting a client with one of its new two-prongedcarefree packages – covering both refreshment and repair service”, adds Mark Cleobury,Member of the Management Board of Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems. “We are delightedto be able to assist VR FleetCare in ensuring the operability of VR Group’s locomotive fleetacross the Finnish railroad network.”

Refreshment and repair service: a carefree maintenance package
In order to help secure the smooth and trouble-free operation of VR Group’s Sr2 locomotivefleet, the service agreement, which runs to the year 2028, consists of two modules: arefreshment service, i.e. planned overhaul of the brake control and wheel slide protectionunits, and a repair service, including proactive obsolescence management, i.e. preventivemeasures to secure the vehicles’ life time should critical parts be discontinued or becomeout-dated.

After the Sr1 locomotives, the Sr2 series is the second generation of electrically poweredlocomotives. Operated by VR Group since the mid-1990s and with a 1,524 mm gauge, theSr2 fleet is used both for passenger and freight transport at top speeds of up to 210 km/h.Both brake control and wheel slide protection units have been developed and delivered byKnorr-Bremse. However, after reliably running for more than 30 years, the electroniccomponents are increasingly affected by aging effects and obsolescence. Knorr-Bremse willnow be assisting VR FleetCare in ensuring the fleet’s operability over their entire lifecycle.

RailServices: Enhancing availability and extending service lives
Offering optimal and customized service packages for rail vehicle manufacturers andoperators worldwide, Knorr-Bremse RailServices is the strategic service partner in theaftermarket. As part of an integrated lifecycle management, the unit enables trains to operatefor up to 40 years and helps optimize operating costs.

Besides original parts supply, overhauls, repairs and training, RailServices helps to preventvehicles from being discarded due to obsolete components by providing modernization andlifecycle services for electronic components. For example, Knorr-Bremse RailServices hasbeen chosen to modernize the braking systems of at least 155 of German operator DeutscheBahn’s VT 642 regional multiple units – a key contribution to extending the vehicles’ servicelife, avoid obsolescence and foster resource-sensitive rail transport.

RailServices is advancing the aftermarket business: As a one-stop shop, the partner supportsits customers with innovative and digital service models in the fields of energy saving, partsavailability and operational optimization. In this way, Knorr-Bremse is helping to furtherimprove the ecological footprint of vehicles and fleets and is thereby strengthening thecompany’s future-driven service business.

Caption:
Figure 1: Knorr-Bremse and Finland’s state-owned railroad vehicle maintenance company VRFleetCare, a subsidiary of VR Group, have concluded a comprehensive lifecycle management contractfor 46 freight and passenger locomotives. | ? Sini Mesilaakso/VR Group

Knorr-Bremse (ISIN: DE000KBX1006, Ticker symbol: KBX) is the global market leader for brakingsystems and a leading supplier of other rail and commercial vehicle systems. Knorr-Bremse’s productsmake a decisive contribution to greater safety and energy efficiency on rail tracks and roads aroundthe world. About 29,000 employees at over 100 sites in more than 30 countries use their competenceand motivation to satisfy customers worldwide with products and services. In 2019, Knorr-Bremse’stwo divisions together generated revenues of EUR 6.9 billion (IFRS). For more than 115 years thecompany has been the industry innovator, driving innovation in mobility and transportationtechnologies with an edge in connected system solutions. Knorr-Bremse is one of Germany’s mostsuccessful industrial companies and profits from the key global megatrends: urbanization,sustainability, digitization and mobility.

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