Annual Report 2010 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

RepoRt
97
Focus on value creation
All processes at the new factory are focused on value creation, with a particular emphasis on flexibility
and economy. The proverbial key to success is synchronization of processes, with individual production
processes no longer regarded separately but rather as part of a single process. Thus the focus is
no longer on optimizing and maximizing capacity utilization of individual workplaces but on the process
as a whole, optimizing resource utilization and eliminating deviations.
The basic elements of a value-stream factory were incorporated into the planning process from the
very outset. Logistics are situated immediately next to production processes, with standardized, modularized
product islands and workstations. Tugger trains ensure a coordinated and efficient supply of
materials to assembly operations, reducing inventory and improving component availability. In addition
to standardization, another focus was on further developing shopfloor management. The company
value chain was concentrated on the production process itself, with all supporting processes
aimed at making production as cost-effective, flexible and error-free as possible.
The right time, the right workplace
Modular factory design provides the basis for an ideal materials flow. The layout of the plant and its
individual buildings is based on current value streams, but is designed to be flexible enough for the
materials flow to be maintained even when a change in product and production structures is introduced.
The new layout with its optimized processes guarantees the right quantity of the required
material being sent at the right time to the right place.
The many advantages of Liberec
The decision to move to Liberec came as part of Knorr-Bremse’s strategic development of its production
network. In addition to having good transport links, the region of Northern Bohemia also offers
large numbers of highly skilled workers. And the town of Liberec, which has engineering and mechatronics
faculties at its university, is home to many engineers. Proximity to Knorr-Bremse’s former plant
at Hejnice also facilitated the transfer of expertise to the new site.
Long tradition of links with Czech Republic
This latest move to a new site is one further step in Knorr-Bremse‘s long history of activities in the
Czech Republic. In 1992, shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Knorr-Bremse plant in Aldersbach
started to co-operate with the Czech company AUTOBRZDY a.s. A year later the German-Czech joint
venture Knorr-Autobrzdy s.r.o. was set up, and in 1998 was fully taken over by Knorr-Bremse and incorporated
into the Knorr-Bremse Group.