Knorr-Bremse Rail de México inaugurates railway equipment manufacturing plant in Coahuila

Coahuila

By Elenne Castro

With an investment of 80 million pesos and the generation of 200 jobs , Knorr-Bremse (KB) Rail México began operations at its plant installed in the Amistad Industrial Park .

This company belongs to New York Air Brake LLC , a global manufacturer of innovative train control systems for the railway industry, which is part of the German company Knorr-Bremse , which focuses on producing railway equipment and components such as locomotives and railcars. of merchandise

With 12,542 square meters, the KB Rail de México plant located in Acuña, Coahuila, currently has 180 employees in two shifts and incorporates machinery, assembly, and testing of freight rail products.

Such freight train control products and systems consist of brake cylinders, slack adjusters, brake control valves, dirt pickers, and manual brakes.

NYAB 's Mexican rail systems division was launched in 2021 as part of a strategy to realign the company's North American manufacturing operations. It is the next natural step in the company's long process of operating closer to its customers, moving production closer to the point of final assembly and increasing its level of support. 

The decision was based on the rapid growth and expansion of customer operations in Mexico, where more than 70% of NYAB 's original equipment freight vehicle customers build railcars. The company's presence in Mexico represents a crucial connection point in its growth plan in North America.

Ulisses Camilo, President and CEO of New York Air Brake, said that throughout their more than 130-year history, they have successfully evolved through continuous reinvestment in new products, skills, technologies, equipment, and plants, such as the Acuna. 

"This plant is the latest example of our commitment to deliver world-class products, services and efficiency to our customers."   

This manufacturing complex will join NYAB 's other North American operations in helping its customers address four major challenges facing rail vehicle manufacturers and operators: reducing energy consumption and emissions; improve traffic flow and optimize passenger flows; increase the efficiency of train operations and maintenance, and manage the growing interdependence of digitization and new technologies. 

Products and services developed by NYAB  to help solve these challenges range from new climate control solutions and energy-efficient on-demand air supplies for braking systems, to innovative access systems and remote diagnostic tools, among others.

The head of the Secretary of Economy of the State of Coahuila , Claudio Bres Garza, affirmed that the entity is becoming the most important Railway Cluster in the country. And to this day, in Monclova, Frontera and Castaños, there are investments in the creation and manufacture of new railway cars from companies such as Gunderson  and Trinity Rail .

 "We expect by the end of this year that approximately 200 new rail cars are being produced here in Coahuila every day, and we have listened carefully that 70 percent of this company's business will have to do with one of these companies," he emphasized.

Also present were Claudio Ramón Aguirre, president of Parques Amistad ; federal deputy Brígido Ramiro Moreno Hernández; Ángel Urraza Dugay, director of Economic Development of the Municipality, and executives of the company.