- Knorr-Bremse
Infobox_Company
company_name = Knorr-Bremse
company_
company_type =
company_slogan =
foundation = 1905 inBerlin
location = Munich, Germany
key_people = Chairman of the Executive Board: Dr.Ing. Raimund Klinker
num_employees = Over 13.000
revenue = Sales of 3.1 EUR billion
industry =
products = braking systems (rail and road)
homepage = [http://www.knorr-bremse.com www.knorr-bremse.com]Knorr-Bremse is a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated in the field for over 100 years. The company also produces door systems for rail vehicles and
torsional dampers . In 2006, the Group's workforce of over 13,000 achieved worldwide sales of EUR 3.1 billion.History
Inventor Georg Knorr founded knorr-Bremse in 1905 in Berlin. The initial basis for the company’s commercial success was provided by an agreement with the Prussian State Railways to supply single-chamber express braking systems offering considerably enhanced safety performance compared with traditional systems. In the early twentieth century, train guards still had to operate the brakes by hand, from so-called "brake vans.” The first pneumatic brakes were of a basic design, but before long, indirect automatic systems using a control valve were developed.
SeeHistory of rail transport in Germany .The second main area of activity for Knorr-Bremse emerged in 1922, when they moved into pneumatic braking systems for commercial road vehicles. Knorr-Bremse was the first European company to develop a new pneumatic system that applied the brakes simultaneously to all four wheels of a truck as well as its trailer. The resultant reduction in braking distances made a significant contribution to improving road safety.
A less talked about part of the company's history was the manufacture of the
MG35/36 machine-gun , known as the "Knorr-Bremse",” for the Waffen SS and the Wehrmacht.Products
Knorr-Bremse not only produce complete braking systems for all types of rail vehicles but also
door systems ,toilet s,air-conditioning , couplings andwindscreen wiper s. In 2000, it purchased British manufacturer, Westinghouse Brakes, fromInvensys , and subsequently moved its operations fromChippenham to the nearby English town ofMelksham . [Invensys investor relations news release, April 25, 2000 " [http://web.archive.org/web/20060314205854/http://www.invensys-investor.com/isys/news/2000/2000-04-25/ Invensys Sells Westinghouse Brakes to Knorr-Bremse] ". Retrieved from theInternet Archive on March 30, 2008.]Commercial vehicle sKnorr-Bremse has been developing and manufacturing braking systems for commercial vehicles since 1920. For
truck s and semi-trailer tractor units over 6tonne s,bus es, trailers or special vehicles.Variable gauge axles Since 2002 has been working on variable gauge axles for more efficient solutions to
break of gauge problems.See also
*
Robert Bosch GmbH
*Westinghouse Air Brake Company
*New York Air Brake
*Georg Knorr References
External links
* [http://www.knorr-bremse.com Knorr-Bremse Website]
* [http://www.bendix.com Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC]
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