THE MAGAZINE FOR POWER TRANSMISSIONPERSPECTIVES# 2 | 2011

Los Angeles – MetropolIS OF SUPERLATIVESDREAMS in XXXLWind energY – TechnologY OF THE FUTURE

CLOSE TO THE WIND
Shanghai – THE GROWTH ENGINE OF CHINA

RISING HEAT IN THE FAR EASTEDITORIAL

Downtown LA:
Where the pulse isalways a little bit higher.

Publisher:
Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG
Alexanderstraße 289522 Heidenheim, Germany
Responsible:
Marion Jooss
Editorial head office:Maria Arbogast
Telephone: +49 7321 37 2802
Fax: +49 7321 37 7110
Maria.Arbogast@voith.com
www.voithturbo.com
Text, layout and graphics:
KircherBurkhardt Stuttgart GmbHPHOTO: NORDICPHOTOS / LOOK-FOTO

Printing:
C. Maurer Druck und Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

TECHNOLOGY FOR DEMANDING TASKSACTIVELY INTO
THE FUTURE
The art of engineering also means keeping a constant eye on developments. And never before has
this been more exciting than today. The world is facing huge challenges, more and more people needmore and more energy and efficient infrastructures.
At the same time we should of course never lose
sight of the natural limits to growth. Voith has always developed products that combine high performance with resource protection – as a contribution to the responsible creation of our future. In
this first edition of PERSPECTIVES we would like todemonstrate this with a view of the US metropolis
Los Angeles. Here, Voith products can be foundin numerous applications, for example the San
Diego Trolleys – the first trams in the USA – which
are fitted with Scharfenberg couplers and Voithtransmissions. We are pioneers in other fields, too.
Together with Mercedes-Benz we have developed
the world’s first secondary water retarder for applications in heavy trucks and coaches. But our activities also extend to areas such as the Argentinian
Andes. There, a wind turbine fitted with our WinDrive generates electricity like in a power station.
As always, I hope you will enjoy the issue of
PERSPECTIVES. Yours sincerely

Photos:All photographs by Voith Turbo unless otherwise
stated.
Copyright:
No part of this publication may be reproduced orprocessed in any other form without the express
authorization of the publisher. It is also not permitted to use the contents of this publication orparts thereof in whatever format in other publications without the approval of the publisher.
PR 0015 © 2/2011

PETER EDELMANN
Board Member of Voith GmbH, Chairman of
the Board of Voith Turbo.

CONTENTS

CONTENTSPAGE 22

PAGE 10

PAGE 48

PHOTO: LANGE / LAIFPAGE 39EDITION2 / 2011
PERSPECTIVES
The Magazine for Power Transmission

THE MAGAZINE FOR POWER TRANSMISSIONPERSPECTIVES# 2 | 2011

LOS ANGELES – METROPOLIS OF SUPERLATIVESDREAMS IN XXXLWIND ENERGY – TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

CLOSE TO THE WINDSHANGHAI – THE GROWTH ENGINE OF CHINA

RISING HEAT IN THE FAR EASTDESTINATIONLOS ANGELES

10 DREAMS IN XXXL
LA is often a city with manysuperlatives and a high fascination
factor – but also a place thathas to live with numerous forest fires,
earthquakes and floods.

PANORAMAVOITH TURBO NEWS

28
30
32
36

INDUSTRY
MARINERAIL
ROAD

21 CLEAR MISSION
Normand Boisvert, CEO of Voith
Turbo Inc., sees huge opportunities
in the US market.

25 ELECTRIC CARRIAGE
TAKE-OFFHISTORY
SIGHTSEEINGWORLDWIDE

04 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Wind energy is becoming more andmore important, the market is
growing steadily. With the WinDrive,
Voith has developed a technologythat allows each single plant toproduce electricity in power
station quality.

Wind power stations on the highseas have a huge advantage:
They produce more electricity thanonshore plants because the windblows more strongly offshore –and consequently generates up to
twice as many full-load hours.

LA Fireboat 2 is regarded as oneof the most modern fireboats in theUSA. A lively harbor trip with Voith
Schneider Propellers.

06
26
48
51

39 CLOSE TO THE WIND

46 STRONG BOYS

22 WATER ON

FEATURES

EXPEDITION
WIND ENERGY

47 WIND ENERGY WORLDWIDE

Trams are quite rare in urban traffic
in the USA. But not in San Diego –and the bright-red trolleys drive with
Voith technology.

Many countries already rely on
resource-sparing wind energy.
Overview of facts and figures
around wind energy.
World innovation from Voith:
The secondary water retarder (page 36).

PERSPECTIVESMULTIMEDIA… AND THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:PERSPECTIVES now also provides multimedia content to be explored by little
squares on certain pages – so-called QR codes. With a smartphone andthe appropriate program, glossy photographs can now be turned into moving
images. Follow the instructions and see for yourself. You need an iPhone(from 3GS) or a smartphone with the Android operating system. We recommend a cell phone with a camera from two megapixels.

APPAPP
APP

1Choose a suitable app(QR Reader) on yourusual platform anddownload it onto yoursmartphone (there arefree reader apps, forexample i-nigma).

2
Open the application
on your smartphone
and move the camera
directly over the QR
code on the magazine page. Many cell
phone cameras still lackcertain macro functions.
This is why the picture
may not be sharp. In
this case, scan thecode from a distance,
this often helps.

3
Once the QR code has
been recognized, yoursmartphone opens
the connection to therelevant multimedia
content. You can now
get started! Please
note: You should havea flat rate, otherwise
videos might be very
expensive.

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 05

TAKE-OFF

TAKE-OFFNORTH SEA GIANT

POWERFUL
AND AGILE
161 meters long and 30 meters wide –the North Sea Giant is the largest vessel in her class worldwide. But this is not
the only reason why she is such a looker in any harbor. When she arrives in theport, she always creates some kind ofmodern techno drama. The North Sea
Giant is powered by six motors, generating a combined output of nearly 21 000
hp. The vessel was built in 2010 for laying underwater cables, as a drillship or asa support vessel for underwater robots.
The operating area of this juggernaut isthe North Sea, in seafaring circles regarded as one of the roughest waters in theworld. In order to keep the ship maneuverable and stable even in the most confined spaces, the North Sea Giant has five
Voith Schneider Propellers – a record.
Never before has a single ship been fittedwith so many VSPs. The owner praises
the “ex tremely fast maneuvering response” of the mighty water worker. Thisrefers to the ultra-prompt reaction of thevessel when the control rod is moved on
the bridge. Additionally, the Voith Roll
Stabilization (VRS) makes sure that thevessel does not sway too much.

Turning on the spot: Thanks
to VSP no problem, even for thecolossal North Sea Giant.
06 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 07

TAKE-OFF

TAKE-OFF

Hydraulic cylinder
Generates a specific force
in sailing direction or crossways to the ship. Activation
via stand on the bridge.
Propeller housing
Transmits the propeller
forces into the ship andtakes up the bevel gear,
the hydraulic cylinders andthe control rod.

Control rod
Works like a joystick andensures adjustments of theVoith Schneider Propeller.
The captain moves thecontrol rod via remotecontrol through the hydrauliccylinders.

Input shaft
Transmits the energy of themain engine to the Voith
Schneider Propeller.

Bevel gear
Transfers the energy ofthe drive motor from ahorizontal to a vertical level.
Additionally used for speed
reduction.

Rotor casing
Contains the propeller
blades and the kinematic
gearbox.

Propeller blade
Key element of the Voith
Schneider Propeller. The
blades generate thepropeller forces.

And “Action”:
Scan this code andsee how the Voith
Schneider Propeller
makes large vessels
maneuverable andflexible. For further
instructions, see page 5.
http://www.voithturbo.com/applications/qr/North_Sea_Giant/

08 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Kinematic ger
Ensures that the blades
oscillate from side to side,creating the thrust of theVoith Schneider Propeller.

DR. DIRK JÜRGENS
The 49-year-old is a Voith Schneider
Propeller expert and explains the
key elements of this Voith producton the basis of the graph on theleft. He is head of the Research andDevelopment Division of Voith Turbo
Schneider Propulsion GmbH & Co.
Prior to that, he obtained a doctorate
with a thesis on the Voith Schneider
Propeller in 1993 and then worked at
Blohm and Voss shipyard until 1999.

The North Sea Giant is the largest vessel ever fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers. Voith was involved already during
the development stage of the leviathan.
Numerical calculations of the flow dynamics were followed by model tests at the
Vienna ship model basin. The innovative
drive concept was tested on a nine-metermodel ship. The seagoing capacities were
examined both in calm waters and during
heavy seas. Result: The concept with thefive largest Voith Schneider Propellers
works – the North Sea Giant is a massive
success. //Destination | Los angeLes

Destination | Los angeLes

City Life

DREAMSIN XXXL

Los angeles, one of the world’s largest metropolitan regions,works like a hybrid drive. California’s dream factory gets its everyday
renewable energy by living in hope.

PhoTo: LangE / LaIf

Foto: Lange / LaiF

text: eLmAr Brümmer

And there was light:
Los Angeles as
a luminous carpet.
10 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 11

Destination | Los angeLes

PhoTo: CoRbIS

entangled andtwisted: Welcome tothe freeway jungle.

Destination | Los angeLes

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELESDESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

Anybody who wants to see Los Angeles blush

has to get up early and walk down to the Santa
Monica Pier. Coming from the mountains, adelicate pink hue floods the entire cityscape.
As far as the Pacific. It looks as if it is going to
be one of those days when it is all too understandable why people want to go to LA. They
come to learn how to dream.
The only thing is that many of them don’tknow exactly what they wish for. But even before the evening bathes the plain in a golden
light, a few things might have come true that
seemed like a dream in the morning. Yes, it isquite easy to see Los Angeles as a dream factory.
It is simply a matter of opinion what shines
more brightly – the limelight or the Californiansun. And the famous Hollywood sign gleams
vaguely in the distance.
Away from the pier, the visitor quickly realizes
that people in Los Angeles think on a different
scale. During the rush hour, the “American
Way of Drive” is grueling. And the 500 miles offreeway which entangle – some people even say
engulf – the center do not make any difference.
What looked like a fascinating, glittering carpet
during the landing approach, its glowing gridfor ever burnt in our photographic memory,
now turns out to be a concrete needle eye. The
Angelenos spend an average of 100 hours per
year in traffic jams, whatever the expansion
efforts of the transport planners. The price to
pay for the slogan “Go West” that still attracts
the masses long after the gold rush.

Into the whole world:
Los Angeles Harbor is one of
the largest ports in the world.
14 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Elevated to a technical level, it can be said
that Los Angeles is an urban hybrid, whichgets its energy from a constantly renewablehope. Seemingly unstoppable and unlimited.
Optimism might well be a subject at the famous university UCLA. Nowhere else in the
United States is everyday life so full of expectations. And those who do not find their dreamcan at least be sure to have tried. The many
fractions in the city are shaped from millionsof immigration stories. And this also applies
to the general euphoria.
What better place for the movie industry
than to settle here. The relaxed atmosphereof the Pacific beaches and the hustle and bustle
downtown blend into a professional phantasy
that is mirrored by the street names. Sunset
Strip. Rodeo Drive. Santa Monica Boulevard.
A patchwork of fame and vanity.

PHOTO: MICHAEL LANGE / LAIFIn LA, whose full name is Los Barbara Diego
San Santa Angeles, thinking takes place indifferent dimensions. Everything is huge here.
Wide-screen format, XXXL. Just perfect for
the really big dreams – and everyday disasters.
Like 15 million others, the journalist Larry
Dietz has learned to deal with it: “A few years
ago, we had banners across the roads of ourdistrict: Prepare for Disaster! Of course, wehave forest fires, floods, earthquakes and horrendous traffic. But last spring I drove throughLos Angeles to a restaurant where they serve
incredibly good Mexican food. I could hardly
move on the freeway, but I saw on the horizon
that the mountain peaks were still covered insnow. This made me once again aware that
I live in one of the world’s most wonderfulparts. And as far as the traffic is concerned:
Well, even paradise wasn’t perfect.”PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 15

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

title by the Eagles. In fact, there are several
Hotel Californias. Can it be that life is justone long movie? Our heads start to spin, it
must be the thrill of Hollywood.

No wonder that this is where one can find themost exclusive houses with the most excitingarchitecture. Eccentricity is in the nature ofthis city, which is in a permanent state between
gala and gaga. “La-La-Land”, this is what theAmericans call this cosmos. There comes apoint when one is simply overwhelmed bythis scenery.

And the next question is: Who is actually incharge here? Does the city control the people or is it the other way round? Let’s put it
this way: It varies from day to day and from
district to district. What this eternal conflictdefinitely generates is a lust for life. The giantcity manages in no time to make you feelvery small. At the same time, it also makes
it all too easy to feel big. LA is more trendy,
fitter, lighter, richer, more wicked, colorfuland diverse than several other states bundled
together.

It is indeed difficult to decide where the movie ends and reality starts. Or vice versa. The
same goes for the settings. After endless films
and television series, some tourists seem to be
more familiar with the surroundings than with
their own hometown. But the next surprise isjust around the corner. LA is like a lucky bag,and this not only applies to the mile of narcissism along Venice Beach. Even the famous“Hotel California” is real and not just a song

And it is also less ignorant and superficial as
prejudice has it. The world’s exhaust legislation is largely based on the strict regulations
issued in Los Angeles as early as the midseventies. Mobility has always been the magic
word at this spot on the west coast. Even in thepioneering days in the 1920s, there was one
car per seven residents – at the time the highest
vehicle density in the world. This might bedue to the frugal early days: No harbor, noA sunny sport – andquiet, too. Baseball in
the Dodger Stadium.

PHOTO: KURZ / LAIF

And then stark contrasts. The trip up into themountains only takes half an hour. Topanga
Canyon. This is where the coyotes howl. A
region where you can feel like James Dean.
Lush vegetation makes you forget the concreteand the metal of the plains. We continue on
to Mulholland Drive, which surrounds thesizzling plains of LA like a cauldron.

WA S H I N G TO N

M O N T A N A

Facts on Los Angeles:
Inhabitants
Area

Largest Metropolitan Areas in the USA*The Conurbation of Los Angeles

3.79 million (world ranking 48)

CANADA

1.3 million km2 (world ranking 7)

Population density
Foundation

4 September 1781

Average annual temperature

19 degrees Celsius

Section
Map ofC

Boston
4.5 million

alifornia

Chicago9.5 million

27

USA

Composition of the population
Los Angeles
12.9 million

Dallas
6.1 million
Houston
5.6 million

MEXICOWhite
27.8 %

500 kmGlendale
HollywoodSalt Lake City
MalibuCALIFORNIANEVADASanta
MonicaUTAH

Sacramento

OntarioInternational
AirportFresnoLas Vegas

Atlanta
5.3 million

Bakersfield
Los Angeles

Miami
5.4 million
200 kmSection
Map of Los Angeles

ARIZONA

Anaheim
Phoenix
Long BeachSan Diego
Tijuana
MEXICO

Ontario

Los Angeles

Los Angeles
International
AirportSan
Francisco

IF

C

Asian
13.5 %
Other
2.7 %
Black
8.3 %

Washington D.C.
5.3 million

New York City
18.8 million
Philadelphia
5.8 million

Thousand
Oaks

IDAHO

PA

Latin
American47.7 %

OREGON

3 154.1 residents per km2

Days of rain per year

SOURCE: 2010 UNITED STATES CENSUS

The US State of California

Anaheim

Long
Beach

IC

OC

Santa Ana
EA

NPort ofLos Angeles

Huntington
BeachPort ofLong Beach

IrvineMission
Viejo

10 km

*By residents.

16 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 17

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

railway, hardly any drinking water. Catching
up with this pent-up demand has turned into
an obsession.
Today, Interstate 405 is the most frequented
motorway in the world. The aorta in this road
network holds the entire region in thrall.
When a section of the San Diego Freeway,
which runs parallel to the coast, had to beclosed for two days due to bridge construction
works, many of the otherwise undaunted anddefiant inhabitants really feared that the world
was coming to an end.
Freeway, what a promise! As long as people
take the “free” not too literally. There are
warning voices, like Jean-François Lyotard,
the founder of postmodernism, who compares
LA to a chessboard “whose diagonals are
40 miles long and lead to nowhere.” Pardon,
Monsieur – but the to and fro only adds to thedepth of the many features and facets of Los
Angeles. Industrial areas and dream beaches
alternate at a speed as if somebody has pressed
the fast-forward button. A kaleidoscope ofurbanity. Fleeting encounters, lasting impressions. And always this slight tendency
towards drama.

borhood by entering their zip code. And
then we can read in “Frommers”, America’s
traveling bible, that Los Angeles is the mostentertaining city in the world. Indeed, notmany people know that LA has the world’s
highest density of museums compared to its
total population.
Local analysts state that their city is “psychologically very challenging.” With a rather
strange problem. Hardly anybody who lives
here admits openly that he likes the city.
Apparently, musicians like Frank Sinatra (“LAis my lady”) or Randy Newman (“I love LA”)
have never been asked. But if New York is
the heart of the world, Los Angeles is thepacemaker.
Sorry, dear New Yorkers, the sunsets in thewest are simply unbeatable. In the evening,back at the pier, we can witness a red-hot
demonstration of the origins of the city’s
nickname: The Big Orange.
Illuminated by a giant soft-focus filter, manysins can be forgiven, and transfiguration cantake its course. This is the point where thefamous Route 66 ends. And suddenly, evenbanal motorcades look like blazing streamsof lava. Or, to stay with the historic comparison, like gold veins. California, the big
promise.
And sometimes, it is just enough when, among
the many dreams that are nurtured in Los
Angeles, at least that of a clear blue sky comestrue. This city is simply beyond comprehension. //PHOTO: HEMIS / LAIF

It is a well-known fact that metropolitan areas
have problems in abundance. This also applies
to Los Angeles. Greater LA is the place thatlives through all developments, and underthe burning lens of the Californian sun, thesedevelopments seem to get even bigger. On
its website, the respected Los Angeles Timesquite openly shows a “Homicide Map”, where
people can search for crimes in the neigh-

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

18 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Beneath palm trees:
Venice Beach is one of
the city’s landmarks.
PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 19

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELESDESTINATION | LOS ANGELESINTERESTING FACTS

INTERVIEW

Population Statistics Los Angeles

CLEAR MISSION

Voith in North America

18

Population development since 1850 in million per residents
3.8

4.0

High-end products made in Germany,satisfied customers and big opportunities in the huge US market:
Normand Boisvert, President andCEO of Voith Turbo Inc., is set tovigorously expand the company’spresence in North America.

Locations are operated by the Voith Group in
the USA and Canada. Voith Turbo is represented in six cities: In York (headquarters), Sacramento, Cincinnati, Houston, Calgary and Mississauga.

3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0

1913

1.5
1.0
0.5
0

US cities by road miles …

… and by traffic jams

In miles per square mile of metropolitan area

Delays in thousand hours per year

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Detroit

New York

Phoenix

ChicagoWashington D.C.

Washington D.C.

181

Dallas

160

2

4

6

8

10

12

454
373

Living dangerously at the San Andreas fault:
the earthquake regions California and Mexico
North American
plate
Separated sectionof the North American platereas

SOURCE: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Remains of theFarallon plate

d
An
San

San
Francisco

fault

Los Angeles
San Diego

Pacific plate
Fracture zones
Fracture centers

La PazCan you name a few concrete examples
from the Voith Turbo product catalogue?
Nearly all products fall under this category –from our variable-speed planetary gear
Vorecon and our DIWA automatic transmissions to the Voith Schneider Propeller. And
there are also new products like the crashenergy management system for passenger
trains.

5 157

People worked for the Voith Group in North America
in ﬁscal year 2009/2010. In total, they achieved
sales amounting to EUR 719 million during thisperiod. This corresponds to 14 percent of theGroup’s worldwide sales.

Does it matter to your customers that
Voith is a German company?
Yes it does. Customers have great faith inproducts from Germany or Europe. But theyalso appreciate local service – a successful
combination.

Conurbations with the World’s Largest
Gross Domestic Product
The San Andreas fault runs inparallel to the US west coast andseparates the Pacific and theNorth American plates, whichkeep scraping against each other.
The detached section of the North
American plate moves northwest with the Pacific plate and isregarded as an integral part of it.
The probability of a serious earthquake in Southern California until
2032 is currently at 99.7 percent.
And there are further danger zones.
Several tectonic rifts run right
below Los Angeles, for example
the Hollywood rift beneath Sunset
Boulevard.

Which products are particularly popular?
Many of our products are well received in the2008, in billion US-dollars*
Tokyo

1 479

New York

1 406

Los Angeles

market. Perfect examples would be our variable-speed couplings and our high-speed
and high-performance drives. They are in
demand by the oil and gas market and also
by the power station industry. Additionally,
we have so far installed 12 000 automatictransmissions in transit buses.
What are the goals of Voith Turbo in North
America?
Voith Turbo has a relatively small presencein the huge North American market. As aresult, our opportunities are virtually unlimited. The mission is clear. Over the next
five years we want to grow by 100 percent.
The key for this expansion is finding theright employees with excellent qualifications.
Voith products are often used in interesting
places or specialty vehicles.
Have you ever visited any of these applications?
Yes, I have been in coal mines stretchingacross miles underground and on ferries thattake hundreds of thousands of passengers
from shore to shore every week. My next
visit will probably take me to a wind park
where I can admire the WinDrive. Seeing our
products in real-life operation and talking tocustomers is highly rewarding! //792

Chicago574

London

565

Paris

564

Osaka/Kobe

417

Mexico City

390

Philadelphia

388

São Paulo

388

SOURCE: PWC PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AG

0515

SOURCE: URBAN MOBLITY REPORT 2009

SOURCE: RAND COOPERATION 2007

1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Is the foundation year of J. M. Voith Company Inc.,the ﬁrst Voith subsidiary in North America. Voith
Turbo has been active in the USA since 1975. But
the ﬁrst orders date back much longer. In 1903,
twelve Francis turbines, each rated at 12 000 hp,
were ordered for the Niagara power plants.

What is the reputation of German products in the United States?
They are regarded as reliable, long-lastingand safe. It is taken for granted that they are
fitted with modern technology and carefully engineered down to the tiniest detail.
People are also aware that German products usually feature in the premium pricesegment. But the value of the products andthe service make the purchase worthwhile.

NORMAND BOISVERTThe 60-year-old has been CEO
of Voith Turbo Inc. since 2007 andis responsible for the US market.

*By purchasing power parity.

20 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 21

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELESDESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

Emergency training exercise:
LA Fireboat 2 during afirefighting drill outside Los
Angeles Harbor.

SAFETY IN THE HARBOR OF LOS ANGELESWATER ON
The LA Fireboats are the most impressive fireboats in the USA. The jet of the strongest firemonitor has a reach of up to 200 meters. But despite their power the boats are maneuverable and as
nimble as ballerinas – thanks to the Voith Schneider Propeller.

When Captain Derek LeDuff starts the engines, even the veteran fishermen at the pierdrop their work and watch how LA Fireboat 2
departs. Witnessing how the ship moves
sideways from the fire station in Los
Angeles Harbor is always a spectacle, evenfor old salts. Just like that, as if it is the mostnormal thing in the world for a ship to sailstrictly sideways and not a meter forwards.
Well, not really, what is used here is a Voith
Schneider Propeller (VSP).

The workplaces of this firefighter are thelanding bridges of Los Angeles. Together
with the harbor of Long Beach, the area is regarded as the gateway to Asia and the largest
industrial port on the US west coast. Everyday, dozens of huge oil tankers and container
vessels are anchoring here. Luckily, Derek
DeLuff has never experienced really seri-

ous accidents like the fire of the fully laden
oil tanker “Markay” in June 1947 or the
explosion of the oil-carrying “Sansinea” inDecember 1976, but he and his ship would
certainly be prepared for the event.
Training exercises are held every week: LeDuff takes the ship into the outer harbor.
Slight vibrations of the deck planks signalthat the giant pumps of the most powerfulfireboat in the USA have started to work.
Seconds later, the necessary pressure has
been established. The first officer gradually
opens the valves of the ten fire monitors on
the 32-meter ship. Shortly afterwards, LA
Fireboat 2 looks like the center of a fantastic
water park.
The jet of the strongest fire monitor at
the bow has a reach of nearly 200 meters,enough to clean the windows of Munich’s
Olympic Tower from the ground. At fullload, the bow fire monitor emits 1 070 litersof water in one second. If things get serious, the pumps can mete out 10 300 cubic
meters of water and foam per hour throughthe ten fire monitors. This corresponds tothe contents of seven normal 50-meter
swimming pools with a continuous depthof two meters.
Sometimes, LeDuff directs the bow firemonitor to the Vincent Thomas Bridge andsprays a high arc of water over the road. The
nearly two-kilometer-long bridge connects
two sections of Los Angeles Harbor, and thedriveway is situated at a height of 120
meters. “But we only do it when there is
not much traffic”, says the captain witha smile.

Facts and Figures: LA Fireboat 2

32.2 m10 m

Construction began in 2003 at Nichols Bros. Boat
Builders in Freeland, Washington. The ship concept
is based on the Voith Water Tractor principle andwas provided by the Canadian designer Robert
Allan Ltd. In June 2004, the vessel entered service.
The 32-meter-long and nine-meter-wide shipweighs 500 tons and is regarded as one of themost modern fireboats in the USA. The output ofthe pumps is enormous. The ten fire monitors caneject 10 300 cubic meters of water and foam in anhour. This corresponds to the water volume of apond measuring 32 by 32.2 meters with a depthof ten meters. The strongest fire monitor can spray
the water over a distance of up to 200 meters (seegraph). In full service, about two-thirds of the input
power of the two 1 800 hp engines are used forthe water pumps. Thanks to the Voith Schneider
Propeller, the boat stays fully maneuverable.
200 m

32 m

22 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 23

DESTINATION | LOS ANGELESDESTINATION | LOS ANGELES

The deck is covered in white spray, while
the canons spit water at full power. But now
LA Fireboat 2 shows its true potential. The
boat turns pirouettes and performs precise
maneuvers. This is possible because of theVoith Schneider Propellers and the worldwide unique concept of the Voith Water
Tractor. It allows up to 70 percent of the
3 600 hp output of the two main engines
can be utilized for the fire pumps, while theship stays fully maneuverable at an engine
output of just 30 percent – thanks to theadvantages of the Voith Schneider Propellers.
“In an emergency, this is extremely important”, explains Derek LeDuff, “especially ifseas are heavy and winds are rough.”

ELECTRIC CARRIAGE
30 years ago, San Diego launched the first tram in the USA after theSecond World War – with technology from Voith.

It can get really hot in Southern California. Travelling in an air-conditioned tram istherefore a total treat. This is perhaps oneof the reasons why the San Diego Trolleys
are so popular.

Everything under control at thehelm: Captain Derek LeDuff
makes the 500-ton boat dance.

The Largest Harbor in the USA

Little BrotherTotal throughput in 2009 in million tons

Children have always been fascinatedby the battle with fire. Firefighters are
heroes, and their job, so the little ones
imagine, is full of adventure. The designers of the Lego Fireboat (Picture:Lego) have obviously used the big
version from Los Angeles as a rolemodel, even if the little brother has
only six instead of ten water canons.
The Lego version is able to float, but
it does not have a VSP under its belly.

South Louisiana

213

Houston211

New York*

145

Long Beach (LA)73

Corpus Christi

68

New Orleans

68

Beaumont

68

Huntington**59

Los Angeles

58

Hampton Roads

58

But the history of public transport in San
Diego dates back long before the inventionof air conditioning – a solid 125 years. On
3 July 1886, the first open horse-drawn
carriage drove through the city with animpressive 32 passengers on board. At
a speed of eight miles per hour, the cart
operated between Fifth Avenue and D
Street – now called Broadway. These early
beginnings with stables, mules and a rather
erratic timetable have meanwhile evolved
into a modern company, which – apart fromnumerous bus routes – also runs three tramlines: Today’s San Diego Trolleys. 30 years
ago, in July 1886, the first tram line fromthe historic old town stretching along the
Pacific south coast to a few meters before

the Mexican border, was opened. For one
dollar, passengers could travel in the brightred trams on the nearly 26-kilometer-longroute. 14 trams made in Germany operated
on the line from five o’clock in the morning
until nine o’clock in the evening. Today,
the tram network comprises three lines
covering 86 kilometers and is probably thecity’s most important transport system.
Be it a trip to the Fashion Valley shopping
center, to Qualcomm Football Stadium oreven to the Mexican border – the trolleysystem takes you there. And Voith Scharfenberg couplers make sure that theindividual carriages are safely connected.
Additionally, Voith transmissions guarantee
reliable power transmission.
The expansion of the trolley system goeson; new routes are being planned. And thetrams also offer excellent value for money:
Over the last 30 years, the price of a single
ticket has risen by only 25 cents. //The Network of the San Diego Trolleys

Clairemont
El Cajon

Downtown

Coronado

San Diego
National
City
Chula VistaGreen Line
Orange LineSan Ysidro

Blue Line
5 km

Tijuana (Mexico)

Reliable for more than
three decades: The San
Diego Trolleys.

PHOTO: METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SYSTEM

SOURCE: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIESThe pumps are silent now and the captainis happy. He turns off and sails back into
the harbor. Nobody wants an emergency,
but in such an event, the team around
Derek LeDuff would be prepared. “Thereis simply no better solution than the Voith
Schneider Propeller”, he says. While conventional boats have the same fire pump
output, they move like clumsy teddy bears.
Derek LeDuff: “But thanks to the Voith
Schneider Propeller, my ship dances like agraceful ballerina.” //SAN DIEGO TROLLEYS*With New Jersey. ** Huntington Tristate.

24 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 25

HISTORYPANORAMASCHARFENBERG COUPLERS

A SECURE
CONNECTION

VOITH TURBO WORLDWIDE

An inventor from Wismar, Germany, has revolutionizedrailway technology. In 1904, Karl Scharfenberg patenteda system for connecting train carriages safely and rigidly,
without presenting a risk to railway workers. Today, theScharfenberg coupler is still in use, with its principle moreor less unchanged – for example in the ICE.

It really was dangerous work. Until the
beginning of the last century, the railway
coupler crew still had to climb between the
carriages in order to mount the screw couplers manually. An undertaking that cost the
lives of many workers when the carriages
unintentionally started to move – whichhappened quite frequently. As early as 1873,the “Verein Deutscher Eisenbahnverwaltungen” (Association of German Railway
Administrations) launched a competition.
The aim: Development of a coupling thatworks “without the worker mounting
the coupling having to step between the
carriages.”

Yet it took until 18 March 1904, before the“Imperial Patent Office” published the invention of Karl Wilhelm Heinrich Friedrich
Scharfenberg under number 149 727. The
engineer from Königsberg in East Prussia
had developed a coupler system where thelocks of the two couplers connected automatically when the two carriages faced eachother. Nobody had to climb between the
carriages any more, the connection – once
established – withstood both pressure andtension. As far as its mechanical locking
principle is concerned, the Scharfenberg
coupler is still unchanged. The coupler has,of course, undergone systematic development and can now couple trains mechanically, electrically and pneumatically.
Scharfenberg, who was born in Wismar,
Germany, on 3 March 1874, initially had
to fight for the success of his new idea, until it finally began to win over the industry
in 1909. He had developed the coupler as
an engineer of the East Prussian
Südbahn in Königsberg. After the
success of his patent he moved on
to Waggon-Fabrik Steinfurt, alsoin Königsberg, as a senior engineer. Initially the couplers were
manufactured by Waggon-Fabrik
Steinfurt, until production wastransferred to Scharfenberg AG

Contemporary witness:
The original patent of the Scharfenberg coupler from 1904.
26 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

in Berlin, where the inventor was one of
the co-founders. Scharfenberg died on
5 January 1938 at the age of 64 during abusiness trip to Gotha, shortly after receiving a major order.
In 1957, Scharfenberg AG, which had moved
to Salzgitter after the war, became part of the
Salzgitter Group. In 2002, Voith acquired
the company, which now trades under thename Voith Turbo Scharfenberg GmbH &Co. KG. The company currently delivers
complete front ends for high-speed trains,for example to China, as well as fibercompound rail vehicle heads and newly developed adapter couplers. //Heidenheim headquarters
Production
Sales, service

INDUSTRY

28 THE BIG RIP

MARINERAIL

ROAD

30 CALM IN THE STORM

32 PERFECTLY COMBINED

36 WATER INSTEAD OF OIL

Car shredders have tocope with massive loads.
Voith technology provides reliable drivelines.

The brand new Polar King
stays on course even inrough seas thanks to Voith
Schneider Propellers.

Voith increases crashsafety for high-speed trains.

New retarder technology
for Mercedes-Benz Actros.

29 SLOW ACCELERATION

31 VSP BREAKS THE ICE

For the first time, the Voith
geared variable-speed
coupling is used in combination with a combustion
engine.

Side effect of a technology:
Voith Schneider Propellers clear the ice in navigation channels in winter.

34 TRAVELLING SAFELY

37 ALWAYS THE RIGHT GEAR

Crash buffers optimize
Russian railways.

Voith SensoTop adapts
gear-shifting points perfectly.

34 SNOW-PROOF
Complete traction equipment for Helsinki’s trams.

35 SAVING SPACE
Monorails are fitted with
the Crash Energy Management System of Voith.

38 TAKING A DEEP BREATH
Two- and three-cylinder
compressors close to series
application.

38 MOTOR-DUO
DIWAhybrid saves diesel inbuses.

35 THE NEW MAN
Ingolf Cedra heads Voith
Turbo Scharfenberg.
PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 27

PANORAMA | INDUSTRYPANORAMA | INDUSTRYSLOWLY STEPPINGON THE GAS IN
DOWN UNDERCOMPLETE DRIVELINE SOLUTIONS FROM ONE SINGLE SOURCETHE BIG TEAR

Imposing technology
with Voith driveline: Car
shredders in the USA.

Engineering, products, diagnosis and service from Voith make shredder plants
even more reliable and robust.

Pump
Separator

Gas flow to processing plant
Water flow to treatment plant

Highly flexible coupling

Technology never ceases to amaze: With

SafeSet coupling

deafening noise, automotive shredders end
the life of our old cars. Within minutes, they
shred the scrapped vehicles chunks similar
into golf balls. All materials are then separated.
Most of the material is then recycled and used
as a primary feed source for new material. In
everyday operation, the drives of these hugeshredder plants are exposed to the mostarduous of operational hazards, that have to
be overcome, to ensure maximum reliability. If
a shredder is out of service, the owner cannot
earn money. The hazards are indeed manifold – overloads, vibrations and peak torques
make huge demands on the drive.
Voith offers shredder manufacturers and operators complete solutions. “We provide tailormade driveline optimizations with couplings
and universal joint shafts from our range andcan thus offer individual solutions from one
single source,” says Paul Barlow, Engineering& Sales Manager at Voith Turbo in the USA.

200 to 1 000 meters
Coal

For new shredder systems, Voith engineers
initially calculate all anticipated loads on thedriveline. At existing shredders, Voith service
technicians measure real-time torques and vibrations. These diagnostic details help to identify
possible weaknesses in the driveline. “Afterevaluating all the data we get together withthe customer and select the components fromour products that are optimally suited to thedriving machine and the shredder,” explains
Paul Barlow. For operators, this means that
their plants will run more reliably and efficiently
with less downtime periods. “We are taking on
what is known as ‘system responsibility’ forthe complete driveline between the driving machine and the shredder,” claims the expert. //Voith couplings help to clean the water.

Universal joint shaft

Highly flexible coupling

SafeSetcoupling

Turbo coupling

SafeSetcoupling

ShredderMotor

Turbo coupling
28 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Universal joint shaft

Driveline variation 1: Highly flexible coupling, universal
joint shaft and SafeSet coupling.

Shearing site

Motor

Universal joint shaft

Driveline variation 2: Turbo coupling, universal joint
shaft and SafeSet coupling.

ShredderVoith geared variable-speed couplings have been operating reliably for
decades in the world’s power stations
as well as in oil and gas plants. Driven
by electric motors, Voith components
control the speed of pumps and compressors. In Queensland, Australia,
coal-seam gas is being extracted in theform of methane. The gas is moved
to the surface through drill holes. In
order to extract it, the coal seam isdewatered by pumps. The water iscontaminated and is to be cleaned
for further use. Therefore three Voith
geared variable-speed couplings aremeanwhile in service in an Australianwater-processing plant. They are an integral part of vapor gas compressors.
The robustness of the Voith technology combined with the principle of hydrodynamic power transmission andthe possibility of load-free motor startups when the drive trains are started
give enough reasons for applying geared variable-speed couplings into thisnew application. A special feature: The
Voith geared variable-speed couplingis used in combination with a combustion engine – ideal for areas without
sufficiently strong electric grids. //PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 29

PANORAMA | MARINEPANORAMA | MARINECALM IN THE STORMNO FEAR OF COLD WEATHERPOINT OFBREAKAGE

In March 2011 the Polar King was launchedat Freire Shipyard in Vigo, Spain. The shipfrom Technocean was specifically designed
for building underwater constructions, forexample in offshore wind parks. Despite alength of 110 meters and a weight of 5 700
tons, the Polar King can be maneuveredprecisely even if seas are rough. This agility
is ensured by two Voith Schneider Propellers (VSP) and the integrated Voith Roll Stabilization (VRS). The ship chartered by the
Norwegian owner GC Rieber Shipping offers
room for 112 people and has been developed specifically for service in rough weather on the North Sea and other challenging
waters, for example in southern Argentina.
The Polar King is a true workhorse. Each of
the six engines has an output of nearly 2 700
hp, the crane at the stern can lift 150 tons
and is thus ideal for the construction of windplants. A similar vessel – the Polar Queen – iscurrently under construction. //Voith Schneider Propellers are not only good for the maneuverability of ships. Another advantage:
They hurl ice floes away and ensure free passages.

Little big ship:
Bugsier 16.

The physical results of the Aker Arctic
laboratory.
1. Point of impact: Propeller blades are usuallysituated at the upper part near the bearings. This
results in a low bending moment. The amountof bending moment has a significant influence on
the service life of the propeller blades.
2. The collision with the ice floes takes placeat the front edge of the blades. At this load, theresistance moment of the blade profile is at
its highest, which minimizes the risk of damage.
3. The ice floes are forced to the side and do not
get caught in the Voith Schneider Propeller.
This means that they are hurled away immediately
after the first contact.

PRODUCTAPPLICATION
Offshore vessel

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Stepless thrust generation, simultaneous variation of input and control forces, generation ofidentical thrust over 360 degrees by a verticalaxis, two servomotors per propeller allow control by x/y coordinates.
30 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

At home in the roughseas: The Polar King
defies wind and waves.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF C.N.P. FREIRE, SPAIN

Voith Schneider Propeller

When the navigation channel in Rostock harbor freezes over in winter, Siegfried
Kempe is in his element. The captain of the
29-meter-long tugboat Bugsier 16 breaks
the ice on the Baltic Sea and has “never
had a negative experience.” On the contrary:
Many people are amazed by what Bugsier 16
can do. In Gothenburg, for example, Kempemanaged to free a grounded ship enclosed
by ice in no time. “The Swedish colleagues
were almost speechless that such a small tug
can be so powerful in the ice”, says Siegfried
Kempe.
But of course his skills alone are not enough.
The successes of Bugsier 16 are also dueto the performance of the Voith Schneider

Propellers (VSP). The renowned Finnish icelaboratory Aker Arctic has tested the VSP in
wintry conditions and thus created a muchbetter understanding of the physics of VSP
drives in icy waters.

4. With a view to point 3 it makes sense tochoose units rotating to the outside, if two Voith
Schneider propellers are installed. This isalways the case with Voith Water Tractors (VWT).
The advantage of the tractor concept lies inthe deep-situated propellers, which are less likely
to be obstructed by ice.

The main finding was that ice floes are immediately hurled aside after contact with thepropeller. This means that the propeller itself is always free. “Jet propellers are quickly
clogged up”, explains Captain Kempe, who
also likes to utilize the other advantages of
the VSP: Excellent maneuverability, robust
technology and steplessly variable propeller
thrust and wash. “Not even driftwood canharm the Voith Schneider Propeller”, claims
the seaman, “it just tosses it away”. //PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 31

PANORAMA | RAILPANORAMA | RAILTECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF HIGH-SPEED TRAINSPERFECTLY COMBINED

Voith Products in
High-Speed Trains

In many countries, high-speed trains have become a genuine alternative to car, plane & co.
With a wide range of Voith technology, they are not just fast, but also reliable –all over the world. To ensure this, Voith combines front noses and Scharfenberg couplers
into individual safety concepts.

In many countries, high-speed trains are themost endorsed transport technology concept
for the future. On routes below 500 kilometers, these trains, operating at speeds of up to
400 kilometers per hour, are meanwhile morethan just an alternative to flying. In Europe,
the elegant supertrains can be found mainly in Spain, Germany and Italy; worldwide,
China and Japan are the key backers of thisnew technology. Spain intends to expand its
high-speed network to approximately 5 600
kilometers by 2025 – a threefold increase
compared to the current line availability.
For many years, Voith has been supplying important components, covering aspects suchas couplers, safety and energy efficiency, forthe slim supertrains used in more and morecountries. Voith final drives, automatic andsemiautomatic Scharfenberg couplers, semipermanent couplers and front noses, SafeSet
couplings and cooling systems are in service
worldwide. For the V 300 Zefiro projected in
Italy, Voith will deliver 800 final drives, 100
front noses and automatic couplers, as well
as 350 semipermanent couplers for 50 trains
over the next few years.

they also prevent the individual carriages
from overriding in the event of an accident.
Shock-absorbing elements inside the front
nose help to take up even more impact
energy. The self-supporting fiber-compound
front ends therefore not only reduce energy
consumption, they are also a vital contribution
to train safety.

The accident in Wenzhou, China, in July thisyear has highlighted that safety must be acentral issue of all technologies. Voith is able
to offer individual safety concepts, since key
components such as front noses and couplers are fully adapted to each other. The goal:
Total compensation of a possible accident
with crash elements. Voith components makea vital contribution to meeting the DIN EN
15227 norm. With anticlimbing systems,

Voith not only provides individual safety concepts for its customers, it also benefits fromthe fact that the Type 10 Scharfenberg coupler is a fixed constituent of the TSI specifications – a standard requirement for high-speed
trains. The TSI regulations aim at ensuring
technical interoperability on the European
high-speed network. Type 10 couplers are,for example, used in the German ICE, theFrench TGV and the Spanish AVE. //PRODUCTPRODUCTPRODUCTPRODUCT

Final drive

Automatic Scharfenberg
coupler

Scharfenberg semipermanent
coupler

Cooling system

TECHNICAL FEATURESTECHNICAL FEATURESTECHNICAL FEATURESTECHNICAL FEATURES

Designed for speeds of up to
580 km/h, speed trials on test
stand: 700 km/h, ratio: 1.8, input
power: 700 kW, Aluminium housing.

Automatic Scharfenberg
coupler Type 10 with 200 mm
telescope and collapsible tube.

Scharfenberg semipermanent
coupler Type 10 with gas-hydraulicbuffer with 62 mm lift andsteel spring.

The system has a cooling
output of 300 kW. System weight:
830 kg.

Fit for the future: The CIT 400
high-speed train in China.

PRODUCT
Front nose

APPLICATION
High-speed trains

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Self-supporting fiber-compound construction,
designed for speeds over 400 km/h, weight:
325 kg, supplied as fully pre-assembled modulewith final varnish.
32 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 33

PANORAMA | RAILPANORAMA | RAILTRAVELLINGSAFELY
Voith is delivering crash buffers to
Siemens for a total of 200 new sleeper cars, starting in autumn 2011. The
modern carriages of Russian Railways (RZD) will be used in crossborder service between Russia andWestern Europe. The sleeper cars
are designed for locomotive-driven
trains. Thanks to their European TSI(Technical Specifications for Interoperability) approval, they can in future
operate throughout Europe. All wagons can be fitted with either a draw
hook and a screw coupler, or with an
SA3 central buffer coupler, which istypical for the Russian market. These
units allow cross-border operationof the trains.
In driving operation, the crash bufferfrom Voith Turbo Scharfenberg has areversible stroke of 110 millimeters.
With 175 kilojoules, the irreversibleenergy consumption of the buffer ensures particularly safe travelling in the
new sleeper cars. From September
2011, Voith will deliver both left andright crash buffers. The carriages arebuilt in the Siemens plant in Vienna
and in the rail vehicle building worksof Tverskoy Vagonostroitelny Zavod
AG (TVZ) north-west of Moscow. //PRODUCT
Crash buffer

APPLICATION
Russian Railways

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Length: 650 mm, reversible stroke:
110 mm, weight: 160 kg, irreversibleenergy consumption: 175.5 kJ at 130mm stroke, mean force level 1 350 kN.
34 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

THE NEW MAN

From 2014 monorails will also
run in São Paulo (Brazil).

On September 1, 2011, Ingolf Cedra
took over as Executive Vice President of Voith Turbo Scharfenberg.
The 40-year-old studied process
technology at Dresden and Helsinki
Technical Universities and gained an
MBA degree at Augsburg University.
In 1997 he joined Voith Paper in Heidenheim, where he worked in senior
functions in areas such as process
technology and development as wellas projecting. From 2008 until 2011
he was in charge of the Products
and Services Division at Voith Paper
Automation.

Part of the traction system:
The Voith traction inverter.
NEW TRAMS IN HELSINKI

ABSOLUTELY
SNOW-PROOF
Voith supplies the entire traction equipment to Finland –from pantograph to wheel.
Everybody talks about the weather. We
don’t. This might soon also be the mottoof the tram drivers in Helsinki. The reason:
Special features in the new trams, which
will be delivered from 2013, make thevehicles winter-proof. They prevent, forexample, snow or ice accumulating near
the roof equipment. With a view to the very
snowy and long winters in Helsinki, this is an
important improvement.
As a partner of Transtech, Voith delivers theentire traction equipment for the 40 new
trams in Helsinki – from contact wire down to
the wheel. The package comprises all driveline components, ranging from high-voltage
equipment to motor-gear units, axles andwheels to the vehicle control system with adiagnosis unit. Everything from one single
source and optimally adapted.
The drive consists of two double inverters
and eight motor-gear units. Each inverter

supplies two motor-gear units. Should one
drive (one inverter and two motor-gear units)
fail, the system ensures that operation canbe continued without any restrictions. The
fully sprung, externally fitted motor-gear unit
also allows low tram floors and high travelling comfort. At the heart of the drive system is the Voith Turbo-developed EmCon
Dl 1000-5AR double inverter with a continuous output of 2 x 180 kilowatts. The peakcapacity of 400 kilowatts is also achieved –an absolute must for efficient tram operation.
Combined with the highly dynamic antislip
control, the all-axle drive system provides
optimum traction, whatever the operating
conditions. During rolling phases the low-loss
operation of the drive is able to feed braking
energy back into the net. If the electric network is no longer able to take up this energy,
it is used for heating the tram carriages via
a thermal storage system – not a bad idea
in hard Finnish winters. //Ingolf Cedra is married and has a
son and two daughters. He loves
to spend his spare time with hisfamily and friends, and he is also
an enthusiastic endurance sportsman. //SAVING SPACESão Paulo has an ambitious goal: In time
for the kick-off of the Football World Cup
in 2014, the city’s trains are to move up to
40 000 people per hour. This plan will become
reality with the new monorails fitted with lightweight designed cooling systems and crashenergy management systems from Voith. The
Voith installation consists of automatic front
couplers, semi-permanent couplers andcrash energy management anti-climberswith fully adapted energy absorption capacities. Thanks to the space-saving designof the elevated monorail track, the usually
driverless automatic trains are often a solution for crowded cities. In São Paulo (Brazil)
and in the drawing board-conceived King
Abdullah Financial District (Saudi Arabia)
monorails are meant to take up service from2014. But Voith can do even more as far
as monorails are concerned. On the new
20-kilometer route in Mumbai (India), there
are 15 monorails operating with vehicle head
modules from Voith Turbo Scharfenberg. //Ingolf Cedra is the
new Executive Vice
President of Voith
Turbo Scharfenberg.

PRODUCT
Vehicle head

APPLICATION
Monorail Mumbai

TECHNICAL FEATURES
24 V DC supply voltage, pneumatic kinematics,
equipment includes a 24-lamp unit and electricwindscreen wipers with 24 V.

PANORAMA | ROADPANORAMA | ROAD

SAVING FUEL

THE WORLD’S FIRST SECONDARY WATER RETARDER

IT DOES NOT ALWAYSHAVE TO BE OIL

In city buses, the topography-dependent
gear-shifting program SensoTop makes
a vital contribution to eco-friendly vehicle
operation. All gear-shifting points are automatically and optimally adapted to theprevailing load condition, the accelerationand the topography. Using an inclination
sensor and by evaluating the vehicle dynamics, the transmission control recognizes
instantly whether a bus is running on a level
route at full load, or driving uphill only partiallyloaded. SensoTop has already proven itself
in numerous applications. In topographicallydemanding areas such as in Brescia, Italy,
fuel consumption was reduced by sevenpercent. And on flat topographies like in
Munich, SensoTop has made it possible tosave two percent of fuel. //The system used in the Mercedes-Benz Actros saves 35 kilograms –for example by the absence of a heat exchanger.

PRODUCT
Water retarder

APPLICATION
Heavy trucks and coaches

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Unlike conventional retarders, the Voith
water retarder does not operate with oil
but with the cooling fluid of the engine.
The advantages of the newly developed

World Premiere:
Watch the functionof the secondary water
retarder developedin cooperation with
Mercedes-Benz. For
further instructions,please see page 5.
http://www.voithturbo.com/applications/qr/SWR_Retarder/

36 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

product: Thanks to a significantly morecompact design and the omission of thenormally required oil-water heat exchanger,
nearly 35 kilograms of weight can besaved. And what’s more, the maintenancefree retarder is also more eco-friendly, as it issimply operated by cooling water. Voith has
therefore once again set a new standard.
Initially, 35 kilograms do not sound like a
big deal for a mighty long-distance truck.
But: Every kilogram of saved weight means
more payload. And payload is a decisive
factor for most hauliers when it comes to theeconomical operation of their vehicles. 35
kilograms that at least partly compensate forthe additional weight of the soon-to-arrive
Euro-6-regulations.
Voith has developed the world innovation
Secondary “Water Retarder” in close cooperation with Mercedes-Benz. With the latest
model change to the new Actros, which already meets the exhaust limits of the Euro 6
regulations applicable from 2014, Voith willroll out series production of the new retarderin autumn 2011. //Ideal gear-shifts:
Scan the code withyour mobile phone
camera and watch how
effectively SensoTop
works on any topography. For further
instructions, please see
page 5.

Always the optimum gear:
SensoTop adapts all gear-shifting points to topography andvehicle dynamics.

http://www.voithturbo.com/applications/qr/sensotop/

Optimum fuel consumption with SensoTop
Adaptation to topography and vehicle dynamics

PHOTO: MERCEDES-BENZ

Why add a separate operating medium toa truck braking system, if the existing one
can be used just as well? This was one of
the questions behind a world innovation inretarder technology presented by Voith Turboin the new Mercedes-Benz long-distancetruck Actros. We are talking about the world’s
first secondary water retarder.

PHOTO: MERCEDES-BENZ

The cooling water of the engine is usedas the operating medium – oil changes
are not required. Brake dust emissions are
reduced by up to 80 percent.

Ascent/Descent

-3 %

0%

0%

5%

5%

RequiredPower

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 37

PANORAMA | ROAD

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

TWO MOTORSIN ONE BUS
Driving electrically means saving diesel –and protecting the environment. This
is why Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG (BOGESTRA) is currently
performing field tests with the new Solaris
Urbino 18 DIWAhybrid. BOGESTRA has
eleven such vehicles in its fleet and is thefirst operator in Germany with a 100 percent hybrid bus line. The articulated bus
with parallel hybrid drive has two motors.
With the DIWAhybrid an electric motor
rated at 150 kW supports the diesel unit
during start-ups and acceleration. During
braking, the electric motor serves as a
generator and functions like a primary
retarder, supporting the DIWA secondary retarder. Energy generated during
braking is stored on high-performancecondensers (Supercaps) installed on theroof of the bus. Additionally, the service
brake is protected, which reduces brakewear and fine dust emissions. Passengers enjoy the same amount of space as
in a conventional bus: the hybrid systemincreases the weight of the bus by only
about 600 kilograms. //POWER GENERATION OF THE FUTURE

Fossil energy is a finite resource, and nuclear power is hotly
debated. Wind, on the other hand, is free and nonpolluting andtherefore plays an increasingly important role as a means of power
generation. With Voith technology, wind turbines can produce electricity like a traditional power station.
TEXT: JÜRGEN LÖHLE

TAKING A
DEEP BREATH
Public transport in Istanbul is hectic anddemanding. Huge buses with 200 seats fighttheir way through the busy city at 30-second
intervals and need one thing above all: Lotsof air. No problem with Voith products. Since
2008, buses at the Bosporus drive reliably
with the three-cylinder LP 700 air compressor – and have already covered more than
250 000 kilometers. A generation of two- andthree-cylinder compressors has now entered series production. The units are built inlightweight design (aluminium castings). Pilot
customers in Europe and South America havealready confirmed the positive characteristics.
Voith air compressors save up to 1.8 litersof diesel per 100 kilometers. In braking andcoasting operation, energy can be recuperated. Therefore: Take a deep breath. //38 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PRODUCT
DIWAhybrid

APPLICATIONCity buses

TECHNICAL FEATURES
Parallel hybrid system, basic transmission:
DIWA.5, electric motor with 150 kW, Voith
inverter, Supercaps as storage medium.

PRODUCT
Air compressors

APPLICATION
Trucks and coaches

TECHNICAL FEATURES
High energy efficiency, high air quality
and high pressure levels.

Voith technology at an altitude of
4 200 meters: The wind power station
for the electric energy of theArgentinian Veladero gold mine.

ExpEdition | WIND ENERGY

ExpEdition | WIND ENERGY

80 meters up in the air, windguaranteed – the view overCuxhaven, but only for thosewith a head for heights.
40 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 41

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

Not a nice day in Cuxhaven. The sky
is a solid gray, the outlook is bleak. Uwe
Reimesch doesn’t mind, after all he did not
travel to the North Sea for his summer holiday. The Sales Manager of Voith TurboWind GmbH & Co. KG in Crailsheim inspects the prototype of the DeWind D8.2
plant – a small adventure in itself, even fora mechanical engineer whose job revolves
around wind power. The steel tower is
80 meters high, and whoever wants to go
up into the gondola (official term: nacelle)
has to climb a ladder inside the tower, stepby step. Of course securely belted up andwearing a helmet. Safety comes first. The
full height is not instantly recognizable
because the tower is divided into four
segments, but 20 meters is already rather
daunting. A head for heights is definitely
required. And scaling 80 meters is alsoquite exhausting.

Cutaway model: The drivelineof a wind turbine with Voith
WinDrive – a transmission withhydrodynamic control.

Design of the Driveline
Wind rotor

Main gear box

WinDrive

Synchronous
generator

Grid

Once arrived at the top, Reimesch enters
the gondola and declares that it “feels a
bit like being in a camper.” And then heventures outside through a narrow hatch.
For a brief moment he stands on the roof of
the gondola at a dizzy height right behindthe huge rotor. But it is only after he has
returned inside that he feels the true forceof the wind on the North Sea coast. Whenthe rotor is unlocked, catches the wind andslowly begins to turn, the steel tower bends
backwards. And the gondola with the driveline and the generator starts to vibrate likea ferry at the moment of take-off.
This is how wind power can be felt directly –more and more. In the first half of 2011
alone, 356 wind farms with a total output ofapproximately 793 megawatts were newly
installed in Germany. Wind is a free alternative energy source and also has anotherimportant advantage. According to Uwe
Reimesch, a wind power plant produces
more than 20 times the energy expended
for its construction during its anticipatedservice life of two decades. A figure, to which
other alternative energy technologies, forexample photovoltaics, don’t even comeclose. Wind energy is therefore a technology of the future, which promises immense
opportunities. Nearly all energy forecasts
are confident that wind power will have thehighest growth rates. By the middle of 2011,nearly 22 000 wind parks were in operationin Germany.
Since inland wind turbines often operate at remote and inaccessible spots, lowmaintenance, robust and failure-resistantdrivelines are an important component ofthese plants. During his on-site inspection, Uwe Reimesch is therefore pleased
to see that the Voith WinDrive in the
DeWind plant in Cuxhaven has continued to do its job since 2007 without
problems or interruptions. The plant generates an output of two megawatts when it
runs at optimum range. This corresponds
to the energy consumption of more than
1 000 households.
The Voith WinDrive is an intelligent concept. It converts the variable speed of thewind rotor into a constant speed for thesynchronous generator. The WinDrive isinstalled between the main transmission
and the grid-coupled synchronous generator. This type of generator produces
electricity with power station quality ata constant 50 or 60 Hertz. Wind farms
with WinDrive technology can therefore
operate without failure-prone frequency
inverters. The heart of the WinDrive is ahydrodynamic torque converter with a

TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE
Variable
speed

Variable
speed

Speed
control

Constant
speed

Constant frequency(50 Hz / 60 Hz)

Nearly all energy forecasts are confident that wind power
will have the highest growth rates.
PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 43

Global Mean Wind Speed at 80m

Global Mean Wind Speed at 80m

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

Iceland

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

NorwayThe ten nations with the highest wind energy capacity

Greenland
BritishIsles, Ireland
Labrador,
Newfoundland

By total capacity in megawatt in 2010 and 2009

Denmark,
North Germany

NorthernJapan

44 733

China

25 81040 180USA
Rocky Mountains,
Great Plains

Western Sahara,
Mauretania

35 15927 21525 777

Germany
Himalayas

Venezuela,
Colombia

20 67619 149Spain

Sudan,
ChadHorn of
Africa,Somalia

13 066
11 807

India

Italy

5 797
4 850

The world’s
windiest regions

France

5 660
4 574

Average wind speed
80 meters above ground

United Kingdom

5 204
4 092

Canada

4 008
3 319

Denmark

3 734
3 465

7

13

3

6

20 miles /hour

9 meters /second

SOURCE:

Andes,Patagonia

New Zealand
Map developed by 3TIER |Tasmania
www.3tier.com | © 2011 3TIER Inc.

2010
2009

SOURCE: WORLD WIND ENERGY REPORT 2011/WWEA

AlaskaMap developed by 3TIER | www.3tier.com | © 2011 3TIER Inc.

planetary gear designed as a superimposing
gear. The WinDrive allows the utilizationof simple and robust generators, feeding
the produced electricity straight into thegrid at high quality. “One could also saythat we produce electricity like a traditional
power station,” says Reimesch.
The WinDrive weighs about five tons andis currently installed in 16 wind farms allover the world. Alongside Cuxhaven, theWinDrive can also be found in a windturbine which supplies power for the Argentinian Veladero gold mine. Situated at
an altitude of 4 200 meters in the Andes,
the world’s highest wind power plant has
been generating electricity reliably for themachines in the mine since 2008, despite
extremely rough ambient conditions.
44 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

In the USA, ten DeWind wind turbines,
each rated at two megawatts, operate near
the Texan city of Hutchinson in the Little
Pringle wind farm. The most recent projectwith Voith technology is currently under
way in China. “We have meanwhile begun
to produce the WinDrive in series,” explains
Uwe Reimesch. The production output capacity of Crailsheim presently amounts to
400 WinDrives per year – capacity expansions are already planned.
For operators of onshore and offshore windenergy plants, the WinDrive has benefits
that are not offered by any other technology. Reimesch highlights four points thatmake the WinDrive unique apart from its
speed adaptation properties. Number one
is of course the reliability of the system.

This is followed by the fact that plants with
WinDrive work practically like traditional
power stations, which means that they canget directly into the grid via a synchronous
generator. Another plus is the protectionof all drive components by the dampening
properties of the torque converter in the
WinDrive. The robust construction, whichwithstands environmental influences isanother major strength.
In the Andes for example, temperatures fluctuate between minus 25 degrees Celsius atnight and plus 15 degrees Celsius during
the day. When the sun shines in summer,
the temperature in the gondola can easily
reach plus 40 degrees Celsius after an icecold night. None of this is a notable problem
for the WinDrive. “Our machine with its

oil-filled torque converter is a closed unit andvirtually insensitive to heat or cold,” explains
Reimesch. “The WinDrive doesn’t mind atwhich height it operates or in which climaticzone the turbine is situated.” In fact, without
additional arrangements, conventional windturbines with frequency inverters would notwork at all in low atmospheric pressures andthe extreme weather at such altitudes.
Even sandstorms – a frequent occurrence atthe latest location in China – have no adverse

effect on the WinDrive. Yet heat, cold, anddust are factors that often lead to failuresin plants with frequency inverters. “Power
electronics are not happy in extreme heat orcold,” says Uwe Reimesch.
And he is actually quite tough, too. He really enjoyed the long ascent in the tower of
Cuxhaven. And he also liked his excursion
into the open air at a height of 80 meters –despite the blustery wind and the rather
unpleasant weather. //ON DUTY, WHATEVER THE WEATHER
Heat, cold or dust do not affect the WinDrive.
The unit robustly defies environmental influences.

UWE REIMESCH
Sales Manager of Voith
Turbo Wind GmbH &Co. KG.
PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 45

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

EXPEDITION | WIND ENERGY

Development of wind energy worldwide
Total capacity in megawatt, prognosis 2011
240 000
196 630
159 766
120 903
93 92724 322 31 181

2001

47 69339 2952002

2003

74 12259 024

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

0.133

0.128

0.123

0.118

Windenergy per head by nations

Sometimes boat, sometimes platform:
These jack-up vessels for installing windparks are currently under construction
at a Dubai shipyard – with Voith Schneider Propellers.

Produced output in 2010 per head in kilowatt hours
0.675

0.442

46 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

0.318

0.306

nd

Ne

Ne

w

Ze

Au

ala

st

ria

A
US

nd

s

en
ed

th
er
la

d
Sw

Ire

lan

lan

ds

y
an

G

Po

er

Fa
lk

m

rtu

ga

l

ain
Sp

k
ar
nm
De

Energy from offshore wind parks in 2010
Installed capacity in 2010 by nations megawatt

854

249

10
ain

n

16
pa

d
Ire

lan

d
Fi

nl

an

y
m
an
er

25

Sp

30

Ja

108

G

in

a

123

Ch

Sw

ed

en

m
iu
lg
Be

lan
er
th

164

Ne

De

nm

ar

ds

k

195

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 47

SOURCE: WORLD WIND ENERGY REPORT 2011/WWEA

1 341

do
m

Voith WinDrive and Voith Schneider Propellers are therefore highly promisingtechnologies for energy generation on theoceans – making sure that the wind finds
its way straight into the socket in future. //

0.334

0.226

ng

While the opportunities for wind parks on
the high seas are enormous, the technical challenges are equally high. The plants
have to be designed in such a way thatthey withstand the impact of the theoretically highest waves unharmed. We aretalking of unimaginable monster waves
of up to 25 meters, which have to be
braved by the foundations and the tower
without damage to the plant. This is why
the bases of these systems can weigh
up to 3 500 tons, which corresponds to

But Voith can soon offer even more in thefield of energy generation on the high seas.
The first supply vessels and construction
vessels with Voith Schneider Propellers
and the Voith Roll Stabilization System arealready in service, ensuring high maneuverability and stability even if the seas arerough. A very effective feature – after all,wind parks are usually installed in places
where the wind blows ferociously.

0.344

Ki

Technology that inspires:
WinDrive for 3-megawatt classoffshore wind turbines.

The advantages of installing wind farms
offshore are obvious. Out there in the lonely wet desert, nobody minds the huge rotors with a diameter of up to 120 meters.
Once the construction phase is completed and the massive foundations havebeen planted at depths between 20 and
40 meters, disturbances to aquatic life
are no longer relevant. Additionally, sea
winds blow more fiercely, more evenly andover longer periods than on land. Whileonshore systems are expected to produce approximately 2 000 full-load hours,
offshore plants are likely to generate 4 000
hours, i.e. twice as much.

2 000 medium-size cars. The WinDrive offers operators of offshore wind parks thesame advantages as onshore: Reliable
technology, no frequency inverters, electricity in power-station quality. The overall
low service and maintenance requirements for the wind turbines is particularly
important for offshore plants.

dWind power plants on the high seas
have two major advantages: They do
not bother anybody and operate
far more effectively due to higher windstrengths.

The future prognoses for wind parks are
therefore quite optimistic. Especially in
the North Sea. Here, conditions are ideal
for power generation: Together with thewind-swept Cap Hoorn at the southernmost tip of South Africa, the North Sea isamong the world’s windiest regions. It is
practically never calm – up to 90 percentof the time, the wind blows at a speed ofmore than four meters per second. From
this value, power production becomescommercially viable.

ite

STRONGBOYS

Anybody who has been near the sea
knows it all too well. The wind never stops
and can sometimes be quite gusty. The
world’s power companies meanwhile
utilize this phenomenon; in future, windenergy will play an important role in global
energy generation. Wind does not costanything, it is an inexhaustible source anda clean one to boot.

Un

OFFSHORE

SIGHTSEEING | SHANGHAISIGHTSEEING | SHANGHAI“After 15 minutes”, says Martin Wawra, “I was shattered. But I hope this willchange.” Well, possibly, but his flagging
energy levels are likely to continue for awhile. The hot and humid summer climate in Shanghai is really draining, andthe 44-year-old will probably also have toforego his beloved football for a while. On
June 1, 2011, the mechanical engineer
took over as the new Executive Vice President of Voith Turbo in China and also as
Regional Director for “Greater China”.
After numerous business trips during thelast ten years, Wawra is quite familiar with
the Chinese market. But the leap of theformer head of Voith Turbo Scharfenberg
from Salzgitter to the Asian metropolis is
still a massive challenge. “The Chineseclients are usually far more impatient, themarket is highly competitive and customer
loyalty is less pronounced than in Europe”,
states Wawra. Which means that not only
the climate is hot.

VOITH IN SHANGHAIRISING HEAT IN
THE FAR EAST
The Chinese market is among the world’s fastest growing economies. Voith products makea contribution to this boom. Since June 2011, Martin Wawra has been in charge of Voith Turboin China and provides a first insight into his life in the world metropolis Shanghai.
48 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

Precision – for maximum safety:
Work in the Voith plant inShanghai on front ends forhigh-speed trains in China.

China’s growth is enormous. In 2010 it was
at about 9.5 percent, and the impatience ofthe customers is understandable. Everything
has to happen quickly. Voith Turbo currently
employs 314 people in the Chinese Republic. In the past business year, orders amounted to EUR 214 million, and sales totaled
EUR 250 million. The Market Divisions
Industry and Rail are about the same size
and account for approximately 80 percentof the sales of Voith Turbo in China.
Martin Wawra knows a large part of theChinese business from his previous activities. The former student of Stuttgart University has been a member of the Voith
family since 1994. In August 2001, he wasput in charge of Voith Turbo Scharfenberg.
Since then he has mainly focused on coupler technology for trains. And couplers are
currently the most important business for
Voith Turbo in China. “At the moment
we are busy to ensure that the Chinese

regional trains are fitted with Voith components. However, due to the high-speed
train accidents, some programs have meanwhile been postponed. We hope that we
can successfully conquer the rail market
with our products, which are designed toincrease passive train safety”, this is how
Wawra outlines the perspectives. With theopportunity to offer crash-proof solutions
to customers by individual combinations offront ends and Scharfenberg couplers, themarket chances of Voith will surely increase.
But efficient technology for trains is not the
only focal point. Martin Wawra is thinkingof two key areas when he talks about Chinaspecific products. “In the Road business,
we are starting with the localization of a
new retarder, and in the Rail sector we aredeveloping a metro transmission, which isprimarily, but not exclusively, targeted at
the Chinese market”, he explains.
Exciting times in an exciting country – a
country that also covers a huge territory. Controlling such a vast market from
Shanghai is of course a special chal-

The Chinese world metropolis Shanghai is
growing fast in all directions.
PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 49

SIGHTSEEING | SHANGHAIWORLDWIDE

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE VOITH GROUP

FOR BRIGHT MINDS
Voith is a worldwide think tank and an ideas factory – in all industrial fields. Every year,
the Voith engineers launch another 400 patents.

German high-tech products
for the Chinese market: The
manufacturing program ofVoith Turbo in Shanghai includes components for trains.

lenge. “You have to compare China’s dimensions with those of Europe”, states
Wawra. “A Chinese province is the same size
as a European country.” And, as in Europe,
there is no universal language in China.
“Theoretically, Mandarin is the language of
all Chinese people, but Shanghai has its own
language like many other provinces”, he says.
Voith Turbo has concentrated almost all of
its production to the west of Shanghai. “Wewill carry out assembly work here, but also
at other locations”, says Martin Wawra. The
company also plans to increase the numberof Chinese engineers to ensure a better foothold for the company in the country. And
not only that. “In some provinces we already have our own centers for overhaulingand servicing our products”, states Wawra.
“In addition, we work with agents. But ourultimate goal is to have our own sales offices
in all provinces.” At the moment, Voith isalso pressing ahead with the construction ofa new plant in Shanghai for the local manufacture of Voith products. Lots of work to
do then. At the same time, the Wawra familyis also in the process of getting used to life in
50 | PERSPECTIVES 2/2011

the Far East. Many personal items were held
up in customs for weeks on end. And thesearch for a suitable place to live requireda certain amount of pragmatism. “You startby looking for a school, and then for a housefor the family near the school. Afterwards,
you decide what you want to take to China
and what should better be left in Germany.”
As in Germany, Wawra’s son will go to aninternational school in China, where English and Chinese are spoken.
And Wawra senior, too, has been learning
the official language Mandarin since September. “This is really important for me, inorder to get a better understanding of theculture and the mentality of the Chinese
people”, says Martin Wawra.
A first start in the new country has thus
been made. And now plenty of work lies
ahead – football will have to wait a little
longer. Probably just as well: From October, running will be a lot easier, because
the weather in Shanghai will be cooler andmuch drier. At least this is what the climate
statistics say. //4500 22... tons of fine art paper are produced every day on Hainan PM2 – the world’s
largest paper machine. It was successfully commissioned in China in May 2010. The
huge paper machine built by Voith is longer than six football pitches. The amountof steel used during its construction would have been enough to buil three Eiffel
Towers. The entire plant has 9 300 switching circuits, five times more than a modern
airbus. The freshwater consumption per produced kilogram of paper is about fiveliters. This is significantly less than the maximum limit of 10.5 liters prescribedby the Chinese government. //MARTIN WAWRA
is the Executive Vice Presidentof Voith Turbo China. The
44-year-old mechanical engineer has been with Voith since
1994 and was head of Voith
Turbo Salzgitter from 2001
until May 2011. He has beenin charge of Voith Turbo
China since June.

5.2... billion euros was the turnoverachieved by the Voith Group in fiscal
2009/2010. In 50 countries all over theworld, approximately 40 000 people workfor the family-owned company, which isamong the largest in Europe. A highpercentage of the world’s paper production is manufactured on Voith paper
machines: a quarter of the globally
generated hydropower is produced byturbines and generators from Voith. The
company has both strong roots andtarget-oriented structures for the future. //400... percent of the Group’s sales are generated by the Divison Voith Hydro.
In future, Hydro power will play a key rolein the mix of renewable energies. This
is why Voith is already looking intensively
at possibilites to utilize waves, ocean
currents and tidal forces for harnessing
energy. //... new patents are registered by Voith every year –making it the ideal environment for innovative,
bright minds, and not just since today. Voith engineers
have launched more than 11 000 active patents.
And more will undoubtedly follow. //… business sectors are covered by the Group
Division Voith Industrial Services: Automotive,
energy, petro-chemical, industrial and engineering
services. The Group Division is a strong partnerof various key industries. The credo of Voith
Industrial Services is: Responsible action, innovative
solution concepts and services with continuously
high quality. Worldwide, the 170 locations of Voith
Industrial Services, most of which are based inCentral Europe, employ 19 000 people. The largest
customers are presently General Motors, Ford,
Honda, and Toyota. New market segments are
currently opening in Qatar and India. //4

PERSPECTIVES 2/2011 | 51