Bremse Node, Knorr-Bremse Hub and associated cloud services will be available for outfitting and retrofitting passenger and freight trains, in collaboration with Nexxiot, the Swiss asset Intelligence specialist. Smart analytics of operating data gathered from braking systems and other systems will improve train availability, operational efficiency and punctuality.

Key projects are already underway with customers in the UK and USA and Knorr-Bremse expects digital solutions to generate steady growth, achieving rail division revenues in the lower double-digit €M range by as soon as 2025.

Dr. Nicolas Lange, Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse AG with global responsibility for the rail division, said: “The rail industry is asking for solutions that will enhance cost efficiency, operational efficiency, and reliability. Digitalization and data management technologies offer enormous opportunities in this respect.

“With the smart solutions we’re presenting with Nexxiot, we’re creating a new level of connectivity for our braking and other systems that will help our customers to improve the productivity, availability and punctuality of their rail services.”

Stefan Kalmund, CEO of Nexxiot AG, said: “Together, Knorr-Bremse and Nexxiot are shaping the future of the rail industry. Our partnership will help the industry to achieve the levels of efficiency and reliability that are already taken for granted in other transportation segments. As a key technology partner, Nexxiot is proud to be accompanying global market leader Knorr-Bremse on this pioneering journey.”

Dr Maximilian Eichhorn, VP, Digital Products at Knorr-Bremse, said that in less than 18 months, the focused collaboration with Nexxiot has seen the development of market-ready products for outfitting new train fleets and retrofitting existing fleets. “Among other things, we’ll be able to leverage the potential of real-time operating data to make precise statements about the condition, performance and maintenance requirements of our systems,” he said.

To develop the products, the two partners combined Knorr-Bremse’s systems expertise with Nexxiot’s proven competence in IoT. The innovative workflow involves collecting operating data, transferring it to the cloud and turning it into useful knowledge.