Knorr-Bremse and Berkelium Group establish joint venture for the development and production of organic brake pads and brake shoes
May 05, 2010
On May 3, a joint venture was agreed between Knorr-Bremse subsidiary Sociedad Española de Frenos based in Getafe (Spain) and Icer Brakes, a member of the Spanish Berkelium Group. Under the name Icer Rail S.L., the companies will work together in the production and development of organic brake pads and brake shoes for rail vehicles.
"For Knorr-Bremse, participating in this joint venture is the next logical step in the ongoing development of our brake pad strategy for the rail vehicle sector," affirmed Dr Frank Gropengießer, Chairman of the Executive Board at Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH. Following the 2008 takeover of Anchor Brake Shoe, the leading American manufacturer of brake shoes for locomotives and freight cars, the new joint venture with Icer Brakes signals the continued expansion of the Knorr-Bremse product portfolio to include organic brake pads and brake shoes for vehicles built to European UIC specifications. "By adding these friction materials to our portfolio, we are now able to offer our customers a more complete service. Developing both braking systems and the required friction materials has advantages in terms of safely attaining the prescribed braking distances. At the same time, the Knorr-Bremse Group's global network will provide the joint venture with access to a wide range of new markets," added Dr Gropengießer.
A subsidiary of Berkelium, Icer Brakes enjoys an excellent worldwide reputation for the quality, endurance and performance of its products. The company's portfolio includes friction materials both for railway applications and for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
The Knorr-Bremse Group is the world's leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. For more than 100 years now the company has pioneered the development, production, marketing and servicing of state-of-the-art braking systems. Other lines of business in the rail vehicle systems sector include automatic, electro-pneumatic or electric door systems, air conditioning systems, control components and windscreen wiper systems, as well as platform screen doors. In the commercial vehicle systems sector, the product range includes complete braking systems with driver assistance systems, as well as torsional vibration dampers and powertrain-related solutions such as the Pneumatic Booster System (PBS) and transmission control system for enhanced energy efficiency and fuel economy.
