Annual Report 2010 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

112 RepoR t | KnoRR-BR e MSe GR o U p
PEX
People Excellence
Within the PEX – People Excellence – initiative, existing human resources and executive development
projects were continued and new projects were launched in 2010. The objective of the initiative is to
implement basic elements of human resources development around the world and to take the Group
management culture forwards. The elements of the initiative, including the staff dialogue, executive
development and the identification and development of high-potentials aim to create further performance
incentives and to highlight the long-term prospects for employees. With PEX, Knorr-Bremse
has established a future-oriented basis for the ongoing development of its management culture (see
also the “Employees“ section on pages 125 to 127).
Quality First
Within the Q-First quality campaign, a large number of specific measures were defined to ensure that
each and every component developed and supplied by Knorr-Bremse is of the highest possible quality.
Quality First comprises a raft of measures covering areas such as management, human resources,
development, production, supplier development, complaints management and customer relations.
As a manufacturer of safety-critical products, Knorr-Bremse considers these measures indispensable.
One fundamental principle of the Knorr-Bremse quality management policy is prevention rather than
cure. Potential errors must be detected in good time before they lead to defects in product components
in service. In 2010, Knorr-Bremse therefore once again dedicated its efforts to ensuring that
safety-relevant requirements were taken into consideration from the beginning of the development
process. In addition, the company again conducted a large number of Product Safety Audits (PSA).
These especially strict audits that are specific to Knorr-Bremse ensure that internal and external suppliers
comply with the Group‘s very high quality standards.
Supply Chain Excellence
The Supply Chain Excellence (SCE) project has now been successfully launched at all Knorr-Bremse
sites. The main focus of the project in 2010 was to ensure that internal and external production capacities
were adapted to the increasingly rapid recovery in global demand. The introduction of best in
class logistics processes at the Budapest (Rail Vehicle Systems) and Liberec (Commercial Vehicle Systems)
plants under the headings of “5-day factory“ and “value-stream factory“ were other key aspects
of the SCE initiative. Global inventory management was continued and schedule effectiveness was
significantly improved in many areas.
Knorr-Bremse Production System
In 2010, the Knorr-Bremse Production System (KPS) concentrated on value stream optimization and
employee training. For example, joint training events for the Rail and Commercial Vehicle Systems divisions
were held during the year. These events focused on KPS expert training and on shop floor management
training for executives. In practically oriented training sessions, the participants were familiarized
with or learned more about KPS methods by working in teams to optimize real production lines
and processes. The new KPS process audit in the Rail Vehicle Systems division, which has now been
introduced at nine Knorr-Bremse production facilities, is a tool for systematically determining the KPS