History Knorr-Bremse

1 history

1.1 foundation
1.2 expansion
1.3 re-establishment

history
foundation

engineer georg knorr established knorr-bremse gmbh in 1905 in boxhagen-rummelsburg, neue bahnhofstraße, near berlin (since 1920 part of berlin-friedrichshain). production of railway braking systems derived company ( carpenter & schulze ) founded in 1883. in 1911 company merged continentale bremsen-gmbh found knorr-bremse aktiengesellschaft (ag). 1913 onwards second manufactoring plant, new headquarters, heating plant , other annex buildings erected.

the initial basis knorr s commercial success provided agreement prussian state railways, @ time had formed prussian-hessian railway company, supply single-chamber express braking systems, first passenger , later on freight trains. knorr druckluft-einkammerschnellbremse (k1) - compressed-air brake - , derivatives offered considerably enhanced safety performance compared traditional systems.

in twentieth century, train guards still had operate brakes hand, so-called brake vans . first pneumatic brakes of basic design, before long, indirect automatic systems using control valves developed. see history of rail transport in germany overview.

expansion

in 1920 manufacturing plant of first bayerische motoren-werke ag (bmw, established in 1917/1918) located in munich, moosacher straße, became subsidiary of knorr-bremse, delivering brake systems süddeutsche bremsen-ag bavarian group administration, former royal bavarian state railways .

there no further interest in motor engines aircraft , automobiles. engine construction , company name bmw sold in 1922 financier camillo castiglioni combined bayerische flugzeugwerke ag (bfw, located not far away), establishing company second time. details see history of bmw , bfw/messerschmitt.

1922 until 1927 new main manufacturing plant in berlin @ hirschberger straße/schreiberhauer straße next berlin ringbahn erected, tunnelled road combined both old , new site.

the second main area of activity emerged in 1922, when knorr moved pneumatic braking systems commercial road vehicles. company first in europe develop system applied brakes simultaneously 4 wheels of truck trailer. resultant reduction in braking distances made significant contribution improving road safety.

a small number of swedish light mg35/36 machine gun manufactured knorr german forces in 1940s.

re-establishment

the company relocated @ süddeutsche bremsen-ag plant in munich, former sites in eastern part of berlin being expropriated after 1945.

in 2002 knorr takes on honeywell international inc. share of joint ventures in europe, brazil , usa, buying bendix commercial vehicle systems make leading company in brake system industry.

in 2016 vossloh electrical systems (vossloh kiepe) acquired.