Annual Report 2010 - Knorr-Bremse AG.

94 RepoR t | CoMMe RCIAL VeHICLe SYSteMS
Up till 2005 the APUs were manufactured at the Knorr-Bremse plant in Aldersbach, Lower Bavaria
(Germany). Then production was transferred to Kecskemét in Hungary, where today Knorr-Bremse
employs some 650 people making not only air treatment systems but also pneumatic and electronic
brake control systems for the European commercial vehicle industry. Kecskemét is also where APU
sales activities for Central and Eastern Europe are based.
Cooperation with Robert Bosch
Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge and Robert Bosch GmbH are to jointly develop a radar sensor
for commercial vehicle safety systems, including the AEBS automatic emergency braking system.
By forming a joint venture, both companies will be able to benefit from the expertise of their respective
partner. Knorr-Bremse will contribute its considerable experience with safety systems in the
commercial vehicle market, and Bosch will offer its expertise in developing and manufacturing radar
sensors.
The result of this successful collaboration will be an intelligent radar sensor that meets all requirements
in terms of design and function and combines the specific expertise of both companies.
Strategic relocation
Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC, a joint venture between Knorr-Bremse subsidiary Bendix Commercial
Vehicle Systems LCC and Dana Commercial Vehicle Products LLC, reorganized its production
of spring brake actuators and brake chambers at the end of 2010. This included transferring production
operations from Di-Pro Inc. in Fresno, California to the new Bendix facility in Acuña, Mexico.
The move, which was completed in December 2010, is consistent with Bendix’s overall strategic plan
to optimize its North American manufacturing locations by leveraging corporate shared services,
alongside its goal of maintaining lean and cost-effective manufacturing processes to remain competitive
in the marketplace.
Development of a disc brake production line in Dalian
During the year under review, Knorr-Bremse drove forward the development of local supply structures
and production capacity at its Chinese plant in Dalian in response to growing demand for a commercial
vehicle disc brake designed for the Chinese market. The process of transferring an entire assembly
line from Aldersbach to Dalian will be completed during 2011, and deliveries of locally produced disc
brakes are scheduled to start in 2012. Parallel to the relocation process, the task of designing a marketspecific
disc brake will be completed and the green light given to Chinese suppliers for series production
to start.
The new production line will enable Knorr-Bremse to manufacture some 300,000 disc brakes per year
– all to the company’s usual high quality standards. As in the case of previous relocation projects in
North and South America, the project was able to draw on the experience of experts at the Aldersbach
plant and the Disc Brake Center of Competence who supported the operations in Dalian, working
with local colleagues and providing them with training.