Knorr-Bremse Asia Pacific and Dongfeng Parts & Components Group agree to expand their cooperation

Knorr-Bremse and Dongfeng Auto Parts are stepping up their cooperation to add steering systems and associated activities to the joint venture between Dongfeng, China’s leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, and Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader for braking and other rail and commercial vehicle systems. This important move represents the latest step in the two parties’ commitment to expanding the joint venture.

The joint venture between Knorr-Bremse and Dongfeng was established in 2015 and focused on the production of air brake products. Based on their original collaboration in the field of braking systems for commercial vehicles, the parties are now expanding their cooperation to include steering systems. They are also increasing their investment and cooperation in research and development in the field of automated driving.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with Knorr-Bremse in recent years. We are serving customers who are steadily demanding an operating ecosystem that works efficiently through better integration and simplified operation. Knorr-Bremse’s experience in the truck sector combined with its advances in steering systems will deliver a powerful experience to our customers, together with greater operational efficiency,” says Chen Xinglin, Vice President of Dongfeng Limited, CEO and General Manager of Dongfeng Auto Parts.

“The joint venture continued its excellent performance throughout the past years,” says Dr. Peter Laier, Member of the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse responsible for the Commercial Vehicle Systems division. “In close cooperation with Dongfeng, we have developed products and solutions more closely adapted to the specific requirements of the Chinese market. By including steering systems in the joint venture, we are taking another important step in order to become a market player in the Chinese commercial vehicle steering systems market. At the same time, the combination of braking and steering systems will build the basis for us to become a system supplier for driver assistance systems (DAS) and highly automated driving (HAD). This will help to improve the road safety of China’s commercial vehicles.”

Along with a strong call to promote the efficiency and safety of commercial vehicles in China, the expanding cooperation represents a convincing and positive response to the increased automation and networking of transport operations. As BaoPing Xu, Member of the Board of Directors of Knorr-Bremse Asia-Pacific Holding in charge of the Commercial Vehicle Systems business, emphasizes: “The major customer of this joint venture is Dongfeng Commercial Vehicles Company. Injecting steering activities into the joint venture responds to customers’ recognition of Knorr-Bremse’s product strategy of combining steering and braking control to realize driver assistance and automated driving functions. The joint venture will continue its first-class deliveries to Dongfeng Corporate Vehicles Company and to other Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturers compatible with the leading-edge technology of Knorr-Bremse.”

Knorr-Bremse (ISIN: DE000KBX1006, Ticker symbol: KBX) is the global market leader for braking and other rail and commercial vehicle systems. Knorr-Bremse’s products make a decisive contribution to greater safety and energy efficiency on rail tracks and roads around the world. About 28,500 employees at over 100 sites in more than 30 countries use their competence and motivation to satisfy customers worldwide with products and services. In 2018, Knorr-Bremse’s two divisions together generated revenues of EUR 6.6 billion (IFRS). For more than 114 years the company has been the industry innovator, driving innovation in mobility and transportation technologies with an edge in connected system solutions. Knorr-Bremse is one of Germany’s most successful industrial companies and profits from the key global megatrends: Urbanization, eco-efficiency, digitization and automated driving.