Braking systems for freight cars remanufactured at a new assembly plant in Brazil.
Together with Rumo, Brazil's largest rail operator for agricultural products, Knorr-Bremse has opened a plant for remanufacturing and testing in the city of Rio Claro. In a renovated historic factory, freight car braking systems will be remanufactured and tested directly at the customer's premises, following Green Value principles.
In the Brazilian city of Rio Claro, the world market leader for braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles has opened a plant for the remanufacturing and testing of freight car braking systems. The investment of around EUR 2.4 million marks a new chapter in the history of close cooperation between Knorr-Bremse and Rumo, Brazil's largest rail operator for agricultural products. In 2016 the two companies concluded an agreement for Knorr-Bremse to upgrade 8,500 freight cars for the transportation of sugar cane with new, efficient brake equipment. Knorr-Bremse also has exclusive responsibility for maintaining the brakes up to 2031.
Recycling and conserving resources
The new Knorr-Bremse workshops were installed following the shop-in-shop principle in a historic assembly hall owned by Rumo. "This is a groundbreaking project realized on the partner's premises. Its execution is testament to Rumo's confidence in Knorr-Bremse," explained Everton Jorge Pereira, Knorr-Bremse Managing Director for Brazil . The new plant was developed to reduce resource consumption and to recycle more materials, thus contributing to global sustainability. "We consider every phase of the product life cycle: from raw material extraction and sustainable production methods to the proper return of used parts and their professional recycling," Everton Jorge Pereira underlined. Julio Fontana Neto, President of Rumo, is confident that "this important partnership will further enhance the reliability of our freight operations."
Remanufacturing plant constructed according to Green Value principles
Knorr-Bremse has remanufactured more than 6,000 braking systems at its main Brazilian facility in Itupeva since 2013. "The new plant in the city of Rio Claro, which will operate exclusively for Rumo, complements our business," says Everton Jorge Pereira. Like the company's 31,000 square meter facility in Itupeva, the new remanufacturing plant was built according to Green Value principles, which are geared towards energy efficiency and sustainability. In the renovated historic factory hall, a modern ventilation system ensures the circulation of fresh air. Transparent roofs allow employees to work under daylight and a smart sewage plant treats the water.
Railways for raw material transport
The railway station, locomotive sheds and assembly halls in Rio Claro, a city of 180,000 inhabitants, are among the oldest railway infrastructure in Brazil. The railway was built in 1876 to transport coffee to the port of Santos, just 300 kilometers away. Today the state of São Paulo is the center of sugar cane cultivation. Rumo was initially the most important carrier of sugar destined for export. Now it is a logistics group with distribution centers, warehousing facilities and a 12,000 kilometer rail network – the most extensive in Latin America. Rumo's 1,000 locomotives and 25,000 freight cars can transport around 18 million tons of freight each year.