InnoTrans 2018: Successful product presentation
era-contact presents itself as a system supplier for UIC plug connectors and a development partner for smart solutions
From 18th to 21st September, the world's most important trade fair for the railway industry took place: InnoTrans in Berlin. InnoTrans takes place every two years and offers era-contact the opportunity to present themselves as a development partner and a system supplier to customers as a company with expert knowledge and around 90 years of experience – this investment in innovations was honored this year with the accolade of being in the "Top 100 of the most innovative companies in Germany". The feedback from the existing clients was entirely positive, interest in the new, intelligent solutions and the expanded UIC range of products was great, and the attendees were all international. Even Dr. Christian Jung, member of the German Parliament (FDP), paid a visit to era-contact, a globally successful, medium-sized traditional company, in order to speak to the two owners, Mr. Erich Aichele and Mrs. Christl Aichele-Schnabel, along with other members of the management team, regarding the economic perspective of this family-owned company.
Global market leader and system supplier presents a world's first
The era-transceiver® fibre-extension, which era-contact, as the global market leader for electrical rail couplings, presented as a world's first, generated a great deal of interest: Thanks to the extension provided by the fiber optic cables, the era-transceiver can be positioned at any location on the train – the technology is no longer bound to the coupling itself. With this flexibility in the number of separate 1 Gb Ethernet signals, in future, all Ethernet requirements will be met – and all this in the usual small space. The era-transceiver® fibre-extension can, for example, be integrated into the train's control cabinets as a 19 inch plug-in unit – and era-contact is also presenting this model. The extremely small electrical coupling then only contains the standard era-transceiver contacts that are required for transmission, and offers space for more than 20 separate Ethernet signals. In retrofit solutions for the immense vehicle fleet, existing holes can be used. This flexibility not only means that the solution can be integrated into small couplings, but it also allows for the pack density to be immensely increased. The solution is suitable for initial installation and for retrofitting. This means that era-contact is taking an important step towards innovative technology within the scope of the digitalization of rail transport.
Plug connectors in accordance with UIC – era-contact presents a complete range of products
With their complete range of products, era-contact presented the UIC plug connectors in accordance with UIC 552, 558, 541 and UIC IT. With the latest product release, value was placed on the latest production technologies and materials in order to set the benchmark for quality, reliability and user-friendly design. era-contact also surprised the interested audience with short delivery times that are unheard of in this product segment. The UIC plug connectors from era-contact are intended to reduce the maintenance effort for the customer, while the installation and handling have been designed to be user-friendly. Special versions are no problem for era-contact, because the product and production concept of the plug connectors is perfectly designed to meet the requirements of UIC.
A sophisticated, self-sealing cover version has been added to the UIC 558 – era-contact worked with their customers to develop this solution in order to cope with the high demands for IP protection and safety. The closure solution is an optional component of the UIC 558 receptacle from era-contact. It keeps the receptacle closed in the event of environmental influences, and supports the closure that is important for the IP protection in the event of careless handling or unauthorized actuation by third parties.
Predictive maintenance – smart solutions for preventive maintenance
As experts in electrical couplings and service providers for maintenance and service, era-contact is familiar with the consequences for the electrical couplings in the event of operating errors, damage or insufficient maintenance: Whether water ingress or couplings that are no longer correctly matched – thanks to the intelligent sensor concept from era-contact, the second smart solution, causes of damage can be detected so early that unplanned faults in network operations, downtimes or even worse can be prevented. The era-Intelligent coupler system uses special sensors to allow you to detect problems and raise the alarm about them in good time. This means that you can respond outside of the specified maintenance periods, and the worst-case scenario, a time-consuming and costly failure of the train unit, can be prevented. The economic added value of the intelligent solution was very well received; era-contact uses the presented sensors to offer additional options that could be implemented based on the customer's requirements.
As a system supplier for electromechanical systems, era-contact also presented their expertise in cable and control cabinet assembly. Thanks to the synergies created by the existing development competence, the range of products and the assembly proficiency, era-contact is successfully positioned as a system supplier for data and signal transmission solutions for the entire train, which was clear to see at InnoTrans 2018 thanks to the wide range of presentations.
Photo © era-contact GmbH
Further information: era-contact at InnoTrans - Exhibitor & Products