News

KNRBB at international fair “Train & Rail” in Stockholm

From 24-27 April 2023, everything revolved around the latest trends in the rail transport industry at the exhibition centre in Stockholm. During the three days, 124 exhibitors presented their products and services to over 3000 visitors. In addition to the trade fair activities, specialist conferences were held on all aspects of rail and an industry dinner with 400 participants also provided a good opportunity for exchange. Train & Rail was not only a global forum for international representatives of the railway industry. Above all, it presented the technical know-how of the broad-based areas of the railway industry. This applies to topics such as Rail 4.0, digitalisation and environmentally compatible complete solutions.

Together with five other network partners, KNRBB GmbH had a 30 m2 stand at the specially organised joint stand, which was the contact point for numerous international company representatives. A special highlight was the presentation of KNRBB GmbH and the co-exhibitors on the podium. At the joint stand, the DB E.C.O Group, IME Elektrotechnik GmbH, Antonics, PAX Life Solutions and UXMA presented their products and expertise to interested trade visitors. Another highlight was the presentation of the night train concept, which was virtually accessible via VR glasses. The visitors talked about current projects and exchanged views on new trends in the industry.

The visibility of KNRBB GmbH and its network partners at the 1st Train&Rail led to many new contacts in the Scandinavian region. The bundling of competences and products of the co-exhibitors combined with the virtual reality presentation of the night train cabins was enthusiastically received by the trade visitors. A great result that strengthens the KNRBB as an international network of rail transport technology.

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20th international KNRBB-Business meeting

The 20th KNRBB GmbH International Business Meeting took place on 9 March at OWS Service für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH in Weiden in der Oberpfalz. More than 50 participants and guests from different countries met for an exchange and had the opportunity to be guided through the service halls of OWS and to get to know new network partners. Among the representatives were participants from Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Norway, Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

During a guided tour of the plant, those present were able to gain an impression of the service provided by OWS. Since 2010, the company has been operating a modern repair, development and production unit for rail vehicles at the railway site in Weiden. All maintenance work and conversions can be carried out on more than 20,000 m² of hall space. In addition to workshop services, OWS also offers development services and has highly qualified employees and workshop vehicles on site.

KNRBB welcomes new network partners

The participants took the opportunity to network before and after the tour. In doing so, they were enthusiastic about what they had experienced during the tour. At the current meeting, the six new members presented themselves:

• Associated Rewinds Ire Ltd: a company from Ireland specialising in the repair and maintenance of electric motors and generators.
• BELFOR Deutschland GmbH: This is a German company specialising in damage restoration, building management and facility services.
• Centerline Design GmbH: The company provides end-to-end engineering solutions for clients worldwide. It emphasises customisation and working with clients to create tailored solutions.
• Ingenieus AG: A Swiss company active in the field of energy efficiency and sustainability, developing solutions for businesses and public institutions.
• SFS Safety Flooring Systems GmbH: A company from Germany that specialises in the development and production of anti-slip flooring for public and private areas.
• UXMA GmbH & Co. KG: A German company offering digital solutions in the field of user experience and user interface design.

The business meeting was a great success and was rounded off with a business dinner and networking at the Amedia Hotel Weiden.

News

“Glühwein” drinking in the LAT S-Bahn wagon

On Tuesday, 13.12.2022, network partners of the KNRBB – Kompetenznetz Rail from the Berlin-Brandenburg region spontaneously met to drink Glühwein in the LAT S-Bahn wagon (class 476 from 1929), initiated by Antonics and LAT. The goal of the event was to network partners in the field of rail transport technology and thus to end the year 2022 in a cozy atmosphere. A delicious barbecue buffet and aromatic apple punch created a pre-Christmas atmosphere. Guests Westermo, ime, GuK, BELFOR, Kiel Seats, Achat Infrastructure, DB Engineering & Consulting, Centerline Design, Vivotek and Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH exchanged views on current topics and networked in a cheerful, wintry setting. The Christmas market-like event provided extra flair.

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KNRBB at InnoTrans 2022

From September 20-23, 2022, everything at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds revolved around the future of mobility. Over 2,800 exhibitors from 56 countries, 128 vehicles on the open-air exhibition grounds and over 250 world premieres were presented at InnoTrans, the leading international trade fair for transport technology. InnoTrans is not only a global forum for international representatives of the rail industry. Above all, it presents technical innovations and offers alternative and sustainable solutions for the rail industry. This concerns topics such as Rail 4.0, digitalization and alternative drives.

Together with two other network partners, KNRBB GmbH had a 27 qm booth at the Berlin-Brandenburg joint booth in the CityCube, which was the contact point for numerous international company representatives. A special highlight was the presentation of a future concept for sustainable business travel: The conversion of classic rail cars into business night train cars. The special thing about it – the concept is sustainable, future-proof and could already be experienced virtually on site. In addition to German partners, many guests from France, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Italy and the USA also used the KNRBB booth to network. The visitors talked about current projects and exchanged ideas for new projects.

The visibility of KNRBB GmbH and its network partners at InnoTrans 2022 led to many new contacts. Specifically, the network has already been able to win three cooperation partners, including two internationally established companies. The virtual reality presentation of the night train cabins was enthusiastically received by the trade visitors. A great result that strengthens the KNRBB as an international network of rail transport technology. The feedback from many other network partners and companies from Berlin-Brandenburg is also largely unanimous: InnoTrans 2022 was a complete success.

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KNRBB welcomes new support

Since 01 September, KNRBB has been supported by Bartosz Konowecki in Poland and Richard Šulko in the Czech Republic.

They are the contact persons for our Polish and Czech cooperation partners and those who want to become one.

Bartosz Konowecki	Richard Šulko
info@knrbb-gmbh.de	info@knrbb-gmbh.de

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19th international KNRBB-Business meeting

Lasting insights at the business meeting of Kompetenznetz Rail Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH.

“After a long break due to the pandemic, we are very pleased to be able to meet our network partners from Germany and abroad in person again and also to get to know our newly acquired members live.” With these words, Ralf Meinsen, Managing Director of Kompetenznetz Rail Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH (KNRRB), welcomed around 40 participants to the 19th International Business Meeting at the end of April 2022. Together, the operators of rail vehicles and suppliers of locomotive systems and components toured the Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park in Spremberg/Lausitz, Brandenburg.

One network partner of KNRBB GmbH is MCR Engineering Lausitz GmbH. Since August 2019, this company has been offering a maintenance service for large equipment and rail vehicles beyond the borders of Germany. The network partners learned exactly what this service looks like – how older locomotives can be modernized and repaired – during a good 1.5-hour tour through the workshop. They were impressed not only by the huge premises with 26,000 m² of covered hall space, but also by the fully equipped maintenance workshop for 16 wagons.

Digitization & Retrofit – 2 Core Projects of Innolok 3.0

Another highlight was the presentation of the 3D metal printer. This metal printer can be used to gently and extremely precisely repair or replace individual parts of older locomotives in particular. “This extends the life cycle of rail vehicles and is thus a cost-effective alternative to new vehicles. This is sustainable and shows very nicely how digitization can also be usefully integrated in this rail sector,” summed up project manager and authorized signatory of KNRBB GmbH, Fränze Habedank.

The network project “Innolok 3.0” was also presented during the meeting so that projects such as digitization and retrofitting can be advanced. This project deals with the modernization of used locomotives and, among other things, promotes innovative energy generation and utilization in this context.

KNRBB welcomes new network partners

The participants were enthusiastic and used the time before and after the tour to network with each other. A next reunion in presence is planned at InnoTrans in Berlin in fall 2022. At the current meeting, the five new members introduced themselves:

• Antonics-ICP GmbH is a manufacturer of rail or railroad radio antennas. At the Berlin site, this company develops and produces professional antenna solutions using state-of-the-art technology.
• CSI Invest- Sp. z o.o. consists of experienced specialists in the field of rail vehicle maintenance. The aim of the Polish company is to provide repair, modernization and inspection services for the industry.
• SGS Germany GmbH is part of the globally active SGS Group and, as a rail competence center, specializes in the verification and certification of new, modernized and modified rail vehicles.
• Witt Solutions GmbH was founded in 1972. It develops and produces innovative measurement technology for DC networks.
• The Swedish company, Westermo Data Communications GmbH, has specialized in robust and secure industrial network solutions for mission-critical network applications for over 40 years.

News

Nothing endures but change

Heike Uhe, who has been a managing co-partner of KNRBB GmbH for six years, will leave the company by mutual agreement on March 1, 2022. With immediate effect, the company will be continued by Ralf Meinsen as sole shareholder and managing director. Fränze Habedank will be appointed authorized signatory in March 2022.

In recent years, Heike Uhe has played a key role in the restructuring and consolidation of KNRBB GmbH and has successfully driven it forward. Together with Ralf Meinsen, she has transformed the KNRBB network into an international and stable partner network, and initiated and implemented concrete projects.

Heike Uhe will now focus more on German-Polish projects in the cross-border rail sector as a consultant. She will continue to be available to KNRBB GmbH as a consultant on individual inquiries.

News

TRAKO 2021 (21. – 24. September 2021 in Danzig)

The KNRBB participated once again as a trade fair exhibitor at the TRAKO on the Berlin-Brandenburg joint pavilion organized by Berlin Partner for economy und technology GmbH. The 14th TRAKO was special for all exhibitors and visitors, as it was the first analogous trade fair in the field of rail transport technology in Europe since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic. In total, there were 500 exhibitors from 39 countries and about 23,000 visitors [Q: Railvolution TRAKO 2021 (1)].

The KNRBB and the 10 other exhibitors were represented at the well-organized Berlin-Brandenburg joint pavilion, each with their own booths. The high number of company representatives interested in the network was very pleasing at this TRAKO. The guests were mainly from Poland and Germany, but there were also visitors from the Czech Republic, Austria and China.

The KNRBB management and the other exhibitors of the Berlin-Brandenburg joint pavilion were satisfied with the course and the results of the fair and most of them want to be participate again in two years. Then at the 15th TRAKO in Gdansk.

News

18. internationale Entrepreneur´s Meeting

The Kompetenznetz Rail Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH invited for the 18th International Entrepreneurs’ Meeting to a hybrid live event on June 10, 2021. Thus, the entrepreneurial meeting was not only a pilot event in this format at KNRBB but also an event with a special character. On the one hand, participants were able to take part live and in color, i.e. in presence, in the specially selected location, namely the Raumquartier in the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, and on the other hand, participants were able to log in to the event digitally and actively participate.

The agenda offered multi-layered topics, which were accompanied by the moderator duo Heike Uhe and Ralf Meinsen. The KNRBB started the event with a review of projects and network activities and an outlook on the Int.Rail.Digital funding project approved by the Berlin Senate, the Innolok 3.0 project and the events planned for 2021. This was followed by a short presentation by the Mittelstand 4.0 Kompetenzzentrum Cottbus. Mr. Stefan Hartig explained the core business of the Mittelstand 4.0 Kompetenzzentrum and the cooperation with KNRBB, which aims to make companies fit for digitalization – especially in an international context. A series of workshops is planned, which will be adapted to the needs of the companies and will include various topics – from social media in business to AI.

Dr. Torsten Latz from Deutsche Bahn AG described in his presentation the key points of procurement and the classification in the master strategy of the DB AG group. He started his presentation with a video, which at the same time clearly presented the general goal of DB AG: Germany needs a strong rail. The last topic on the agenda was a presentation by Maria Leenen, managing partner of SCI Verkehr GmbH. The presentation included a sound graphical analysis of the facts and figures of the European railroad market 2021 as well as the COVID 19 crisis and market trends.

Between the speakers, there were discussion rounds, in which the on- and offline participants took an active part. The event was rounded off by active networking among the participants.

News

Int.Rail.Digital – Kompetenznetz Rail continues its internationalization activities

Thanks to financial support within the framework of the “Program for Internationalization” of the Berlin Senate Department for Economy, Energy and Enterprises and ERDF funds, the KNRBB will be able to continue its activities and events for internationalization in the field of rail transport technology in the period from May 2021 to September 2023.
With the approved Int.Rail.Digital funding project, the challenges of digitization in international networking can be better met. However, in addition to digital or hybrid event formats for initiating and supporting national and international cooperation processes, analog options will continue to play a significant role at network meetings.

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German-Swedish call for funding R&D projects

In February of this year, the German-Swedish call for joint R&D projects addressed to small and medium-sized enterprises in Sweden and Germany was launched. With this joint call, the Swedish project management agency Vinnova – Swedenʻs Innovation Agency together with the German project management agency AIF Projekt offer public funding for joint R&D projects between Swedish and German small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 499 employees).
The aim of the funding is to initiate joint R&D projects for the development of products, technology-based services or methods within technology and application areas between German and Swedish partners.
Are you interested in collaborating in R&D with a Swedish company or do you already have a finished project in the drawer? The Kompetenznetz Rail cooperates in the Swedish area with the KNRBB network partner SWERIG, a Swedish industry association for exporting companies within the railroad sector, and we will forward your request to our direct contact.

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New web presence of Innolok 3.0 GbR

We are pleased to present our new homepage www.netzwerk-innolok.de. The website with its dynamic design is clearly structured and offers all interested parties, customers and partners clear information on the Innolok 3.0 network project.

The focus is on activities relating to the modernization of used shunting locomotives and the initiation of other innovative projects as well as the network partners involved. An intuitive user interface provides a quick and uncomplicated insight into the range of services.

We hope you enjoy our new homepage of the Innolok 3.0 network project.