Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik at InnoTrans 2010 (21-24 September 2010, Berlin, Germany), Hall 1.2, Booth 129

Underfloor lifting systems from Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik designed for China’s prestigious high-tech trains

Chinese Ministry of Railways counts on the expertise and technology “Made in Kissing” for its maintenance systems

Kissing, Germany, September 21, 2010 – When it comes to its billion-dollar project with prestigious high-speed trains, the best is just barely good enough for the People’s Republic of China. For maintenance of its high-tech trains, which can be up to 400 meters long, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) of the People's Republic of China is having Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG (with its headquarters in Kissing, Germany) build state-of-the-art underfloor lifting systems. This is not only a potentially record-breaking project due to the length of the trains, but also with regard to precision and safety. To illustrate: this lifting system, which features technically advanced safety technology, raises and lowers loads of approximately 1,100 t. For lifting heights between 1,600 mm and 2,700 mm, the system deviates by no more than 3 to 4 mm at any given point over a length of up to 400 m. The MOR is using the new high-speed trains to connect metropolitan areas within China, a gigantic economic powerhouse. The trains reach top speeds of up to 394 km/h and serve, among other groups, commuters who travel between Wuhan in Central China and Guangzhou, which is 1,000 kilometers away. Maintenance facilities in Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Peking (and soon in Chengdu) ensure that these technically advanced trains operate reliably. Constructing these facilities is currently one of the world’s largest and most demanding lifting system projects. That is precisely why, in its call for tenders for the systems to be used for servicing the total of four different high-speed trains, the Chinese Ministry of Railways gave top priority to international experience. Experience of this kind is a well-documented advantage that Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik can offer: The company, located in the Southern German town of Kissing, offers an outstanding level of expertise in the building of large-scale underfloor lifting systems, and it has demonstrated the performance capabilities of its system solutions with reference projects in Europe, Asia, America and Africa. During a visit for inspecting the servicing systems built by Pfaff-silberblau in Hamburg und Munich, the Chinese customers were impressed by the “rail and road technology made in Germany”: In cooperation with its Chinese partner Sifang, Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik designed and manufactured the state-of-the-art underfloor lifting systems for the depots in Guangzhou and Shanghai within just a few months. For maintenance work on wheel trucks (bogies) and axles, the systems lift different trains with eight railroad cars or two coupled trains with 16 cars for a total weight of up to 1,088 t. The lifting process is accomplished nearly synchronously at a controlled speed. Deviation across the full length of up to 400 meters is no more than 3 to 4 mm at any given point with lifting heights of 1,600 mm for the wheel hoists and 2,700 mm for the body jacks. Besides power and precision, the well-engineered design from Pfaff-silberblau also delivers the crucial measure of safety upon which everything depends. The user-programmable control unit employed in the system and the installed control components as well as the lift drives with self-locking screws, bearing nuts, and safety nuts reliably hold the rail vehicle loads at the proper height, even if some of the lift drives fail. Together, they ensure that technical inspections of the Chinese high-tech trains can be performed effectively and quickly with ideal safety standards in place. “Our outstanding reputation as one of the world’s technological leaders in the area of lifting systems for rail vehicles also helps us achieve success in the fiercely competitive, high-potential market in China,” said Peter Zeller, general manager of Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik. “In this important, high-visibility project, our engineers and our technology have proven themselves to be so skilled and reliable that we expect follow-up contracts from China.” About Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, which is based in Kissing, Germany, is a subsidiary of the Pfaff-silberblau Group. In 1970, Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik installed its first underfloor lifting system in Nuremberg, and in 1983, the company began producing lifting jacks. Its HD series of lifting jacks was recognized in 1996 with “Best of Branch” award for form and functionality by “Industrieforum Design” of Hannover. Pfaff-silberblau’s underfloor lifting systems are used around the world for servicing railway vehicles at such locations as Toronto (Canada), New Delhi (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Madrid (Spain) and Vienna (Austria). In 2004, Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik became a separate “GmbH & Co. KG” company (a form of limited commercial partnership in Germany). Besides components for rail technology engineering, the company primarily offers complete planning & design, installation and maintenance of turn-key lifting systems for rail vehicles.

About Pfaff-silberblau The Pfaff-silberblau Group with headquarters in Kissing (near Augsburg), Germany, is part of the Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO). Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeugfabrik GmbH is a technological leader in lifting and materials handling and in drive technology. The Pfaff-silberblau Group, which also includes ALLTEC Antriebstechnik in Heilbronn, Germany, and Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, in Kissing, Germany, has some 300 employees worldwide and is represented internationally by numerous regional agents. Further information about Pfaff-silberblau is available at www.pfaff-silberblau.com.