Knorr-Bremse Concern, the leading brake-system manufacturers in the world, increased the number of its employees by over 200, almost twice as many as planned, in two years. The number of staff of the factory originally planned was 730, instead of which the number of employees at the company is over 800 at present; furthermore, according to the leadership, this number may even reach 900 this year. Knorr-Bremse Companies Group, with an over 100-year-long history, has moved to a new base of operations, and, during the course of the investment, constructed a new factory unit, with 22,600 m² of useful floor-space, on a close-to 9 hectare area on Helsinki út.

The new factory of Rail Vehicle Systems was opened today in Budapest, in the presence of Fellegi Tamás, Minister of National Development, Becsey Zsolt, State Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy, and Heinz Hermann Thiele, President of the Board of Supervisors of Knorr-Bremse Company. Knorr-Bremse manufactures the different brake brace units, brake pads, as well as the elements necessary for brake control in Budapest. The area of research and development, within that, the area of brake-power boosters, software, technical calculations and experiments were further developed at the new base of operations.

At the opening ceremony Heinz Hermann Thiele emphasised the significance of the new factory for Knorr-Bremse Concern: “We have had business contacts with Hungary for over 80 years. Through the construction of the new Budapest factory and the 45 million Euro investment, based on the Knorr-Bremse production systems uniform all over the world, we established the factory unit based on new standards, operating with modern technology, the “5-day factory”; that is, at this base of operations, the brake equipment can be manufactured in as few as 5 days.

At the factory opening Fellegi Tamás, Minister of National Development, welcomed the investment and held it up as an example. He said that the business-friendly measures of the new government will make the realisation of developments built on knowledge centres, realised with high added value, easier for enterprises. Enterprises need calculable regulatory and support systems, and if this is realised, similar to the Knorr-Bremse investment, several companies will see that it is worth investing in Hungary. All this is extremely important also because of employment, tax revenues, and the application of highly qualified knowledge – added the minister in conclusion.

 Becsey Zsolt, State Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy, added that Hungary needs investments and developments that clearly strengthen the economy of the country. Ones that do not destroy but, leaning on Hungarian entrepreneurs, build and develop Hungary. KNORR-BREMSE Hungária Kft., present all over the world with its products, excellently proves that Hungary can be competitive from the aspect of knowledge-intensive investments all over the world.

In the almost 30,000 square metre modern, individually established factory and office buildings, the Company employs close to 930 colleagues. By applying the most modern building technical innovative control technologies targeted at efficient energy use, it was possible to significantly cut the energy needs of the new factory and through that, its operative costs as well. In addition to its business branch which manufactures Rail Vehicle Systems, Knorr-Bremse is represented in our country through its Commercial Vehicle System as well. In Kecskemét, the company develops brake elements for public-road vehicles, in Budapest, the software and hardware of electronic brake systems.

The Hungarian business connections of Knorr-Bremse stretch as far back as the past century. The first license contracts were concluded in the 1920s, for the fitting of rail vehicles of the time. The contract that was suspended during the Second World War was renewed in 1959, which was also extended to commercial vehicles 10 years later. Built on this, a German-Hungarian joint company was established in 1989, involved in the brake systems of trucks. Since 1993, the commercial vehicle base of operations of Knorr-Bremse is the one hundred percent affiliate company of the concern in Kecskemét, which was supplemented by the Budapest Research and Development Centre in 1995. The predecessor of the factory unit renewed today, Knorr-Bremse Vasúti Jármű Rendszerek Hungária Kft., was founded in the same year.

The Knorr-Bremse Concern is a leader in the production of the brake systems of rail and commercial vehicles all over the world. The company has been authoritative in the development, production, trade, and servicing of the most modern brake systems for over 100 years. In the Rail segment, in addition to the brake systems, the company is a significant player in the market in the production of electro-pneumatically or electrically driven door systems, air-conditioning equipment, windscreen wipers, and platform doors as well.

Budapest, 9 July 2010