SKF announced that it has signed a long-term agreement worth several million Euros, with Stadler Rail to equip and service rolling stock for the Berlin underground (U-Bahn) in Germany.
SKF's long-standing relationship with Stadler, its ability to offer a broad service package and its technical expertise were critical factors behind winning the contract. The company was also involved in the very early development phase - developing product solutions tailored to the customer's needs.
The contract includes a number of SKF solutions ranging from wheelset bearings and axle boxes to lubrication systems. In addition, over the more than 32-year duration of the contract, SKF will cover spares supplies. The contract is covered by a performance agreement, measured against a set of KPIs to ensure high customer confidence.
Under the agreement, SKF will service more than 606 rail carriages to be built between 2022 and 2026. This may extend to a total of 1,500 carriages. Berlin U-bahn operator, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), has said that this is the largest vehicle purchasing programme in its history - with a budget of around €3 billion for up to 1,500 carriages.
Overall, the SKF contract will involve the supply and servicing of more than 12,000 wheelset bearings, among other services. The wheelset bearings are insocoated - so they have a plasma coating to prevent electrical damage.
The service contract aims to help to improve the reliability and uptime of trains on the U-Bahn.
SKF can support rail manufacturers to meet their RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety) and LCC (Lifecycle Costing) responsibilities, a critical factor in modern rail stock performance.
Thomas White, Key Account Manager for Railways, SKF, said this contract will provide reliability and safety of spare parts over the entire period. In addition, it aims to reduce logistics efforts and raise reliability for both the train operator and Stadler Rail, he added.