For safer rolling stock DAKO-CZ

FOR SAFER

ROLLING STOCK

DAKO-CZ is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic, electro mechanic and hydraulic brakes for rail vehicles with a proven track record going back two centuries. The company is now looking at new business opportunities in the Far East. Romana Moares reports.

DAKO-CZ supplies brake systems and components for cargo and passenger rail vehicles, urban rail transport units, engines, underground transport vehicles and trams. Rail vehicles equipped with DAKO brakes can be seen not only in Europe but also in Algeria, Malaysia, Indonesia or China, where the company cooperates with leading rail vehicle manufacturers and operators of mass rail transport. The company has its own research and development centre, a proprietary testing laboratory and a design centre. This year, DAKO celebrates a major anniversary – it commemorates 200 years since its establishment.

200 years in the market

The company’s unique know-how is based on a strong tradition: its history goes back to 1816, when a casting and mechanical engineering factory was founded in Třemošnice. After 1920, the company’s core

business was expanded to include products for the railway industry. “In terms of our current production, the true milestone came in 1926, when the then factory included brakes into its production portfolio,” says managing director Ladislav Cheben.

In the 1950s DAKO started to manufacture and assemble brake systems of its own design. But progress did not stop there. International success was achieved with CV1 and CV2 distributors for international railway and in 1995 the first brake systems for trams were designed and made.

Currently DAKO-CZ manufactures its innovative products in a refurbished factory in Třemošnice, with a proprietary design centre, research workshop and testing benches. “With our own research, development and design capacity, we are able to fully satisfy customers’ requirements for tailor-made products,” says the managing director. The reliability of DAKO-CZ’s brake design has been confirmed by a number of patents and licences. The products comply with all applicable UIC and TSI standards and regulations.

On-going training and development of its 500 people is one of the management’s priorities. “It is thanks to our quality designers, technicians and other employees, as well as continuous investment in research and development, that DAKO-CZ regularly introduces new products to the market,” says the managing director.

Recent success

“An important point to boost sales was the agreement with a Swiss car maker, STADLER, for whom we became the supplier of the brake systems for the new generation of FLIRT 3 carriages,” says the managing director. Other important contracts were signed with railway companies in Serbia and Poland.

“We also continue our partnership with Siemens. After projects for underground carriages in Oslo, Warsaw and Munich, we signed a contract for the delivery of brake systems for the underground project in Kuala Lumpur, involving a total of 232 carriages. Recently, another contract was signed for delivery of similar systems to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where 236 carriages are planned to be deployed. It is worthwhile mentioning that all underground carriages made by Siemens since 2005 have been equipped with DAKO brake system,” says Mr Cheben. He further explains that as a result of the cooperation with Siemens, DAKO was able to enter the high-speed train market. The ICx high-speed trains which Siemens is to deliver to German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) will all be equipped with DAKO’s N8.1 anti-skid valves. For DAKO, this means a delivery of over 5000 units.

Investing in new capacity

DAKO-CZ has recently been granted financial support from the EU Operational Programme as well as the state budget for the ‘Enlargement of the Rolling Stock Brake System Research and Development Centre’. This project has now been completed – the capacity of the research centre was increased and new testing equipment was purchased.

Production capacity has also been increased recently: a new assembly hall and dispatching station, adjacent to the existing assembly hall, has been built to establish a modern, state-of-the-art facility, offering

sufficient capacity to meet customers’ demands. The hall will be used for assembling brake panels as well as for product packaging and dispatching. Thus the dispatching activities will be extended and integrated in a single area.

“The reason for this investment was the need for increasing production capacity to accommodate new projects, such as the new contract for Siemens to supply our systems to Saudi Arabia, or the contract for STADLER for the brake systems to be employed in FLIRT railway carriages. The new hall will enable us to optimise production processes throughout assembly, packaging and dispatching,” says Mr Cheben.

Rising exports

Currently about 70 per cent of DAKO’s output is sold in export markets. The managing director stresses that increasing sales are the result not only of new projects, but also of penetrating new markets. “We have been trying to win new customers in India, where our wheel units and anti-skid systems have been tested for two years now. We believe that the certification will be completed in 2016. The Indian market is, however, very specific and one of the condition of success is to have a local production facility. Approval of our products is thus not the final step into this new market,” explains Mr Cheben.

China is another new market which seems very promising – the Czech company Skoda Transportation sold licence for production of a total of 400 15T tramways. These are all equipped with DAKO brakes, therefore there is a big chance that the company will participate in this major project in the near future. However, like India, China requires a local production facility to become an approved foreign supplier.

But DAKO-CZ is also looking closer to home – for example to Russia and many neighbouring countries where large investments into cargo and passenger transport are planned, one of the largest projects being the delivery of 1500 carriages for Moscow underground. “We will certainly try to capitalise on all these opportunities with a view to further develop and grow out company and strengthen its position in global markets,” concludes Mr Cheben. n