Engineering News

Knorr-Bremse South Africa (KBSA), part of the global Knorr-Bremse group, opened shop in 1969 as a sales office and expanded in 1973 to include local manufacturing for the domestic market. Today, the Gauteng-based black economically empowered company offers a complete brake system manufacturing solution – from concept to commissioning.

Products include air-supply compressors and exhausters, brake systems as well as door and HVAC systems. Besides others, its research and development/engineering activities are focused on bogie-mounted brakes, electronic compressor and vigilance controllers for locomotives and EMUs, electronic test benches, exhauster and compressor monitoring units and oil-free compressor technology.

The 150-employee company’s factory, in Kempton Park, on Gauteng’s East Rand, lists the DB60 freight wagon valve as its primary export.

Besides other innovations, the company introduced the manu- facturing and supply of the VV64/100-3 air compressor, which has been used successfully on Metrorail motor coaches for the last three decades. This decision was based on the reliability of the VV64, the compressor that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa uses as its benchmark when testing other compressors for use on Metrorail coaches.

KBSA boasts the OHSAS 18001 safety standard as well as the ISO 14001 and the International Rail Industry standard.