Search term

Railway Forum 2021 Schaeffler wins Railsponsible Supplier Award 2021

Pressrelease Stage Image
On stage for the presentation of the 2021 Railsponsible Supplier Award at the 2021 Railway Forum in Berlin on September 7: (ltr) Dr. Levin Holle, CFO at Deutsche Bahn AG, Stephan Pfuhl, Head of Supply Chain Management at SBB, Dr. Stefan Spindler, CEO Industrial at Schaeffler AG, Marcus Eisenhuth, President Industrial Europe at Schaeffler AG and Dr. Michael Holzapfel, Senior Vice President Rail – Industrial Europe at Schaeffler AG. All applicable sanitation requirements for the containment of the corona pandemic were met.

2021-09-09 | Schweinfurt/Berlin

  • Railsponsible is a leading railway industry initiative for sustainable sourcing
  • Award marks “European Year of Rail” by honoring active contributions to climate protection
  • Schaeffler wins in “Climate Change and Circular Economy” category with its 100 percent return service for axlebox bearings

Schaeffler, the world’s leading automotive and industrial supplier, has received the Railsponsible Supplier Award 2021 in the “Climate Change and Circular Economy” category for its 100 percent return service for axlebox bearings. The award was presented at the 2021 Railway Forum, Europe’s top railway industry conference, in Berlin. Railsponsible is a sustainability initiative by the railway industry that fosters and celebrates outstanding environmental and social practices on the part of suppliers.

Dr. Stefan Spindler, CEO Industrial at Schaeffler, accepted the award on behalf of the company from Dr. Levin Holle, CFO of Deutsche Bahn AG, in Berlin on September 7. “Our 100 percent return service makes sense both environmentally and commercially,” he told the audience. “It combines our proven technology for reconditioning rolling bearings with the latest advances in data exchange and the use of digital twins.”

Double benefit: Reconditioning bearings reduces both costs and CO2 emissions

The 100 percent return service for axlebox bearings enables rail transport operators to significantly increase the availability of their rail vehicles, while maximizing mileage and hence reducing CO2 emissions.

As part of this service, Schaeffler carries stocks of reconditioned spares, combining the cost savings from bearing reconditioning and reuse with the time savings made possible through immediate availability.

Using reconditioned axlebox bearings is much less resource and carbon intensive than manufacturing new bearings. Specifically, it cuts CO2 emissions by over 95 percent, energy consumption by 94 percent, and water consumption by 96 percent. For example, in a freight train with 80 wagons, two locomotives and 1,296 axlebox bearings, this circular approach saves 133 metric tons of CO2, 481 MWh of energy and 1,767 m³ of water.

Data matrix code is the key to digitalized condition-based maintenance

Central to Schaeffler’s 100 percent return service is a unique data matrix code (DMC) that is etched onto each axlebox bearing during manufacturing. The DMC can be used to capture important manufacturing, operating and maintenance data for each product over the course of its service life, creating a comprehensive digital twin.

Thanks to their special design, Schaeffler axlebox bearings have the potential to operate for very long periods between maintenance runs. The digital twin is the key to realizing this potential, enabling condition-based maintenance, which in turn means better operational safety and reliability.

Publisher: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
Country: Germany

Related media

Terms of use for Schaeffler press pictures

Schaeffler press pictures may only be used for editorial purposes. Unless otherwise stated, all copyrights and rights of use and exploitation are owned by Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, Herzogenaurach (Germany) or by one of its affiliated companies. The reproduction and publication of Schaeffler press pictures is only permitted if the source is stated as follows: "Image: Schaeffler". The pictures may be used free of charge in such cases. The use of pictures for advertising or other commercial purposes, in particular their disclosure to third parties for commercial purposes, is hereby prohibited. Pictures may only be edited with the approval of Schaeffler.

We kindly request that a specimen copy be sent to us when Schaeffler press pictures are published in printed media (or a digital copy in the case of publication in electronic media). When using Schaeffler press pictures in films, please notify us and state the title of the film.

Use and utilization of Schaeffler press pictures is subject to the substantive laws of Germany without its conflict of law provisions. The place of competent jurisdiction shall be Nuremberg, Germany.

Postal address:
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
Corporate Communication
Industriestrasse 1-3
91074 Herzogenaurach
Germany

presse@schaeffler.com

Downloads

Package (Press release + media)

Share Page

Schaeffler applies cookies to secure an optimal use. With the further use of this website you accept the application of cookies. More Information

Accept