A key focus on energy savings and environmental sustainability, combined with the continuous search for improvements in quality and performance, both within compressors and the training of staff, has made ʹ227 the perfect partner for Europe’s second largest locomotive manufacturer, the Czech company CZ LOKO.
A company “different from all the others” in terms of technology but also in terms of people. This is where ʹ227’s success in the Rail market comes from, according to those from the sector who, such as the Czech Republic’s CZ LOKO, already choose to rely on the Vimodrone factory for the supply of compressors. CZ LOKO is the second largest locomotive manufacturer in Europe with over 750 employees, most of them in the production plants in Česká Třebová and Jihlava, whilst they also have branches in both Italy and Poland.
“Our collaboration with ʹ227 began with the modernisation of the 753.7 locomotive series for our Italian customers,” explains Jan Kutálek, business director at CZ LOKO, “so we were looking for a local, reliable compressor supplier. We came across ʹ227 and since then, the growth in the collaboration has been exponential and has increasingly strengthened, as the ʹ227 continue to prove themselves and are able to adapt perfectly to our every need”.
The common thread linking Italy to the Czech Republic is the distributor MONDO, founded in 1992 as a commercial engineering company focusing on compressed air technology and air cooling. The collaboration between ʹ227 and MONDO dates back to 1996 as the founder of MONDO, Miloslav Dockal explains: “We were looking for a partner who stood out from other compressor manufacturers both in terms of originality, and also being interested in technical cooperation. Having found ʹ227, today I can confidently say that we could not have met a better partner, when looking back at how far we have come together”.
Energy savings, a focus on the environment and continual research into the highest quality of every machine were the elements that brought CZ LOKO and ʹ227 closer together, creating a close-knit and results-orientated team which alongside MONDO, led to a rise in their share of the European railway market. “All it took was to show how the quality of rotary vane technology outperformed the most common screw compressors” explains Miloslav Dockal. “It’s a trivial example, but on a train fitted with a rotary vane compressor, the pneumatic systems are ready to use much quicker than they would be with a screw compressor on-board”. But among the principal factors as to why CZ LOKO chose to rely on ʹ227 were the low operating speeds, the simplicity of design, along with the ease of maintenance. “These characteristics allowed us to design solutions to meet varying requirements; be they for mechanically driven or auxiliary hydraulic circuits and especially now in the field of electric motors”.
Last but not least: “The added-value from ʹ227 comes from the employees,” concludes Miloslav Dockal, “both from a professional and personal point of view. That’s why we’re so happy to be able to work with ʹ227 staff, who with their expertise and their friendliness, enrich us not only technically but also personally”.
From Issue 17, Vane Magazine, January 2021