Knorr-Bremse at InnoTrans 2018: Connecting People and Systems

• Focus on electrification and system connectivity
• Solutions for subsystem connectivity, lower life cycle costs and greater transportation capacities
• Ecodesign: Mobility revolution goes hand-in-hand with energy revolution

Systems.People.xConnected is the motto that Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking systems and a leading supplier of other safety-critical rail and commercial vehicle systems, has coined for its presence at InnoTrans 2018 in Berlin this September.

Knorr-Bremse is reinforcing the connectivity trend while focusing attention on customers, passengers and a consistent agenda of environmental and social responsibility. The company has aligned its groundbreaking subsystems and solutions with four major themes around the main market drivers: system connection, life cycle efficiency, transportation capacity and ecodesign.

• System connection covers vehicle subsystem connectivity and the whole range of digital topics, including iCOM (the digital platform for rail transportation) and use of Ethernet technology to streamline and reduce wiring in vehicles.
• Life cycle efficiency refers to the potential savings that operators can achieve by introducing modular products and enabling longer maintenance intervals. The keywords here are RailServices and modernization of older rail vehicles.
• Under the heading of transportation capacity, Knorr-Bremse will show how larger and faster entrance systems and shorter braking distances can increase train frequency and how to carry more passengers or freight instead of reducing weight.
• Under the heading of ecodesign, the company will show how optimized products and production processes can cut CO2 emissions and noise while lowering energy consumption during both production and operation.

Klaus Deller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division says: “Our development work centers on system electrification and connectivity. At this year’s InnoTrans fair, we’re going to showcase modular products and systems, as well as our solutions for subsystem connectivity, lower life cycle costs and greater transportation capacities, while at the same time maintaining a constant focus on ecodesign. Because the fact is that the mobility revolution is going hand-in-hand with the energy revolution.”

Products and systems for high-performance rail transportation

Many new modular and upgraded products from Knorr-Bremse are contributing to the electrification and sustainability of rail transportation. The company’s Brake Distance Management solution, for example, enables extremely precise braking in all weather conditions. Particularly in conjunction with IFE’s larger and faster entrance systems, this meets all of the prerequisites for increasing train frequency.

With the new EP2002 3.0 brake control system, Knorr-Bremse is expanding the range of applications of its highly successful predecessor from metros to regional commuter trains. The EP2002 3.0 will make its debut at InnoTrans 2018.

The company has thoroughly redesigned its most important control valve to create the new Knorr-Bremse Standard Valve (KEf): Based on an ingenious modular system, even the standard model can be easily accommodated in tight low-floor-vehicle installation envelopes with no need for special adaptations. Servicing has also been dramatically simplified: the KEf can be conveniently detached from its bracket, which remains in the vehicle.

A new combined roof-mounted equipment container from Kiepe Electric GmbH, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, integrates traction, on-board power and control functionality, all harmonized and accommodated in an ultra-low-profile housing for space-saving installation on vehicle roofs. This solution is contributing to near-complete electrification of local mass transit services.

Bringing the focus back to the passengers, Knorr-Bremse’s IFE brand is presenting a new door sealing system. As part of the entrance system, this innovative solution improves the acoustic insulation of sliding doors for a greatly enhanced passenger experience. It also has a positive side-effect in both summer and winter: the headwind forces less hot or cold air into the vehicle, reducing the energy consumption of the HVAC system. It also means that IFE can design its entrance systems to rapidly open and close the doors so that passengers can board and exit faster when the train stops.

Knorr-Bremse will be exhibiting in Berlin at four booths: The two main booths are in the Main Hall 1.2 (booths 106 & 203). In order to present additional subsystems near competing suppliers, Selectron will be showcasing its TCMS train control systems in Hall 6.2 (booth 212). Microelettrica (control components and systems) and Knorr-Bremse PowerTech (energy supply systems) will share a double booth in a suitable competitive environment in Hall 17 (booth 206 & 208).