Overall Purchasing Information.

As a technology leader in our industry, we value a reliable supply chain. Our procurement processes are designed to secure high-quality materials and components at competitive prices. We work closely with our suppliers to develop sustainable and efficient solutions that meet both the standards of our product requirements and the high expectations of our customers. Here you will find relevant information about the Knorr-Bremse purchasing organization.

Our purchasing principles.

We strive for long-term partnerships and focus on key suppliers. Working together with our suppliers, we aim to continuously optimize supply chain management and improve product quality and delivery reliability. It is also important to us to reduce material costs, for example through value analyses, standardization, volume bundling, KANBAN, consignment stocks or material substitution.

What we expect from our suppliers:

Outstanding quality

As a manufacturer of safety-relevant systems, quality is our number one priority. With our ambitious Zero Defect Philosophy, we also strive to completely eliminate defects across all our products, systems and services.

Delivery reliability and flexibility

Deadline and delivery reliability as well as flexibility play an important role in our evaluation of suppliers.

Responsible business practices

Working closely with our suppliers, we aim to ensure responsible business practices across the entire value chain. As a basis for this, we have defined requirements for working conditions, human rights, environmental protection and safety, business ethics and compliance in our group-wide Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Innovative products at competitive prices

We also expect our suppliers to demonstrate a high level of innovation and technology potential. That means continuously searching for novel technologies and striving to offer us – wherever possible – new and improved products or services. Prices need to be fair and competitive, as they in turn influence our own product pricing.

Global presence

Knorr-Bremse is at home on every continent. We therefore give preference to suppliers who also have a global presence.

Local content

We attach great importance to local value creation. We ensure that purchasing, production and sales markets are located in close proximity to each other. Key reasons for this are short transport routes that reduce CO2 emissions, fast delivery times, low costs for logistics and transport, reduced exchange rate risks and enhanced understanding of local markets.

Development and systems competence

We rely on suppliers who support us as innovation partners and solution providers with outstanding competence in development and systems.

Our terms and conditions of purchasing and ordering.

The legal relations between our suppliers and Knorr-Bremse are governed by the General Terms and Conditions of Purchasing and Ordering of the respective country and any other written agreements. For more information, please visit our different purchasing areas:

Terms and Conditions Direct Purchasing Rail Vehicle Systems

Terms and Conditions Direct Purchasing Commercial Vehicle Systems

Terms and Conditions Indirect Purchasing

Sustainable Purchasing

Supplier Code of Conduct
[LINK]
Responsible Minerals Sourcing Policy
[LINK]

Our quality guidelines.

As a technology pioneer for braking systems in the rail and commercial vehicle sectors, Knorr-Bremse is constantly working to expand its own areas of expertise and, as a global systems supplier, to be a strong partner in developing modern braking and on-board systems. This can only be achieved through close cooperation with our suppliers.

Knorr-Bremse’s Quality Management Directive for Purchasing forms the basis for a close and long-term successful partnership to continuously improve the overall purchasing process, quality and productivity. Our Quality Management Directives for Purchasing, as well as the included standard N20000, can be downloaded our purchasing department's sections:

Direct Purchasing Rail Vehicle Systems

Direct Purchasing Commercial Vehicle Systems

Indirect Purchasing

Our requirements. Product groups and purchasing volumes.

Purchasing at Knorr-Bremse is organized according to product groups and managed centrally for all our sites and products. Central product group management forms the basis for demand-oriented procurement. Purchasing volumes vary across different company units. Generally, the purchasing department handles both smaller quantities, such as those needed in the project business for rail vehicle systems, and larger quantities typical in the series production of commercial vehicles.

Below you can find an overview of our product groups:

  • Grey casting
  • Spheroidal graphite casting
  • Steel casting
  • Light alloy casting
  • Pressure die casting
  • Heavy alloy casting
  • Malleable casting
  • Forgings, Pressings (no sheet metal)
  • Sintered parts
  • Brake disks
  • Brake pads
  • Brake discs in GJ
  • Brake Pad raw material

Purchasing departments of Knorr-Bremse

Direct Purchasing for Rail Vehicle Systems (RVS)

We procure goods and services that are directly incorporated into the products of our Rail Vehicle Systems division. These resources are all integrated into the end products that we deliver to our customers and are essential for the manufacture of our products.
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Direct Purchasing for Commercial Vehicle Systems (CVS)

We procure goods and services that are directly integrated into the manufacture of our products in the Commercial Vehicle Systems division. These are integral components of the products that we supply to our customers. They are absolutely necessary for the manufacture of our products.
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Purchasing for Indirect Material

We focus on the cross-divisional procurement of goods and services that are essential for the day-to-day operations and support functions of our business (e.g. office supplies, IT hardware and software or maintenance services). These are not used directly in the manufacture of our products.
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