"RUMO/ALL was looking for a dependable long-term partner to standardize its fleet," ex-plains Everton Perreira, Head of Sales Rail Vehicle Systems at Knorr-Bremse in Brazil. "In Knorr-Bremse the customer has found a partner who can assure the availability of compo-nents for regular operations and maintenance work, and at the same time deliver high quali-ty products and services."
The agreement covers the replacement and modernization of the current braking systems on 8,500 freight cars in the RUMO/ALL fleet. For the most part, this concerns DB60-II con-trol valves, along with slack adjusters and other components that comply with the AAR standard that applies in South America. The DB-10C valve in particular, with its new Brake Cylinder Maintaining function, offers greater safety under braking.
"This feature makes it possible to replenish the cylinder pressure continuously while braking is still taking place and compensate for any leakage, which can be critical in particular dur-ing prolonged braking on gradients," explains Edson Pissolato, who is in charge of RailServices at Knorr-Bremse Brazil. Knorr-Bremse Brazil is handling the order in conjunc-tion with the Group’s U.S. subsidiary, New York Air Brake (NYAB). The exclusive mainte-nance agreement covers a 15-year period. As well as the overhaul of the newly installed Knorr-Bremse systems and components, the agreement also governs maintenance of the Knorr-Bremse products already fitted to the fleet prior to the modernization project.
Railroad logistics specialist RUMO/ALL is tasked among other things with transporting the raw material for RUMO/COSAN, South America’s largest sugar exporter. Turning sugar cane into sugar is a demanding business. Operating conditions are tough and the produc-tion environment is harsh. The season lasts for several months a year. Successful sugar cane mill operators must be able to rely on their facilities working throughout this period with zero downtime. This can only succeed if their raw material, the cane, is delivered to the production sites with absolute reliability. It is against this backdrop that logistics operator RUMO/ALL has opted to work closely with Knorr-Bremse.