17th March 2006 - Knorr-Bremse Annouces 10-millionth Disc Brake Produced at Aldersbach Bavaria Facility

On January 16, 2006, the 10-millionth disc brake came off the assembly line at the Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH production facility in Aldersbach/Lower Bavaria.

The pneumatically-operated disc brake was first developed by Knorr-Bremse and launched in 1996 at the IAA Commercial Vehicles. Since the late 1990s this technology has been replacing the drum brake as standard equipment on commercial vehicles (trucks, buses and trailers) in Europe and is now installed in more than 75% of vehicles on the market. In recent years, having established a dominant position on the European market, Knorr-Bremse’s version of the disc brake has also become increasingly popular in the Americas: for the last three years, Knorr-Bremse has been manufacturing and marketing it in Brazil. “Even on the US market, which still almost exclusively uses the drum brake, we have recently had some success in introducing disc brakes and are planning to start up production over there during the course of 2006," confirmed Oskar Flach, Executive Board Member of Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH.

The success story of the disc brake started in 1992 with the launch of small-scale production in Aldersbach. Over the first year, a mere 348 units were manufactured for a bus application, but since then, rising demand has resulted in production steadily expanding year on year. By January 2006 it had reached a daily average of more than 8,000 units.

Thanks to its compact design, simpler maintenance - and, above all, superior performance - the disc brake has a clear competitive edge over conventional drum brakes. Its immediate response and consistent performance - even under high loads - mean that high speed truck braking has become considerably safer. Work is now in progress on further developing the current generation with a view to further shortening braking distance and optimizing costs by cutting weight and reducing installation space.

The Aldersbach site originally opened in 1980 as an extended workbench facility for the production of rail braking components and today has a workforce of almost 1,000. On a site of more than 42,000m², the plant now produces the ABS anti-lock braking system, the EBS electronic braking system and the EAC electronic air treatment unit in addition to disc brakes. In 2005, Aldersbach achieved record sales of almost EUR 700 million and over the last 10 years alone, Knorr-Bremse has invested more than EUR 100 million in the site.

The Knorr-Bremse Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles. For 100 years now the company has pioneered the development, production and marketing of state-of-the-art braking systems. Other lines of business include automatic door systems, rail vehicle air conditioning systems and torsional vibration dampers. To find out more about Knorr-Bremse, visit www.Knorr-Bremse.com.

Source: Knorr-Bremse Press Release