Welding expertise from Krefeld in demand in Kuala Lumpur

Since 2011, the operator of KLIA Ekspres has regularly commissioned the Krefeld maintenance depot of DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung with special aluminium welding work on its low-floor vehicles. This includes orders for the refurbishment of accident vehicles or the repair of welding cracks. Its own personnel are not able carry out this kind of work. That's why a team of three from the maintenance depot travelled to Kuala Lumpur. The experts have the necessary specific qualifications and experience. For work on accident vehicles, safety-relevant adhesive work may be required, for example on the driver's cab.

The supreme discipline among welding works

The high humidity on site is a special challenge for the team from Krefeld. Condensation can impair the quality of the welds. The welding rod must therefore not become damp under any circumstances. Special boxes ensure that tools and materials remain dry while being transported by sea. Another challenge: The trains cannot be rotated around their longitudinal axis at the depot. This means that the welders cannot work from above. They must stand under the raised train and work overhead. "This is extremely exhausting and requires a lot of experience," says Uwe Berger from the Quality Management department of the Krefeld maintenance depot. "It's the supreme discipline among welding works."

DB Systemtechnik established contact with the operator of KLIA Ekspres at the 2011 InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin, the international trade fair for traffic technology. Since then, the team from the Krefeld maintenance depot has been active as a subcontractor in Malaysia on several occasions. It returned from its latest assignment at the beginning of November. Uwe Berger: "Our client was once again very satisfied with the quality of the work." The team from the Krefeld depot is ready for further orders from Kuala Lumpur.