“Improving the performance and service life of our customers’ vehicle fleets is a key objective of our product development,” says Martin Sames, Managing Director of HEMSCHEIDT Rail.“We offer decades of experience in the stabilization and ongoing technical development of bogie systems.”
HEAS: Automatic wheel wear compensation
The HEMSCHEIDT Automatic Shimming Unit (HEAS) is the company’s latest development. It optimizes wheel load distribution during vehicle operation for improved bogie dynamics. “In daily operation, the wheels of rail vehicles undergo continuous wear – as a result of cornering, different axle loads and changing track conditions,” explains Christopher Sames, also Managing Director at HEMSCHEIDT Rail. “If this wear is uneven, the vehicle becomes unbalanced: Individual axles start to carry excessive loads and wear more rapidly. We developed HEAS to counteract this effect. Additionally, worn wheels reduce the ground clearance; here too, HEAS helps by automatically adjusting.”
Making use of hydraulic auto-shimming technology, the HEAS systems can be integrated into both the primary and secondary suspension. The HEAS sensors and control unit enable precise, automated adjustment of the shimming height, thereby optimizing wheel load distribution. With the automated system, the labor-intensive process of manual shimming with metal plates can be completely eliminated for a significant reduction in maintenance requirements.
Anti-roll bars and traction rods for optimized force transmission
HEMSCHEIDT Anti-Roll Bars (HEARB) provide enhanced ride comfort and derailment safety by optimizing roll control during vehicle operation. HEMSCHEIDT Anti-Roll Bars are offered in both straight and curved versions – delivering technical precision, reliability and a high level of operational safety.
“Our bogie products have a modular design. They are developed entirely in-house as plug-and-play systems,” explains Christopher Sames. “They can be seamlessly integrated into existing vehicle architectures and provide maximum reliability over the entire service life.”
Special Dampers for Exceptional Conditions
HEMSCHEIDT Dampers (HED) have been developed for exceptional conditions in rail vehicle construction. As precise components, these special dampers are used wherever extreme temperatures, high continuous loads, strong vibrations, or demanding track profiles with tight curves and frequent changes in elevation prevail.
Whether for rolling, longitudinal, or vertical damping: As a system supplier with decades of experience, HEMSCHEIDT Rail offers tailor-made damper solutions that are precisely adapted to specific requirements such as vehicle weight, bogie geometry, area of application (e.g. urban transport, high-speed lines, or mountain regions), as well as individual comfort and safety specifications from customers.
HEMSCHEIDT Traction Rods (HETR) are central bogie components for wheelset guidance and force transmission. They make a key contribution to smooth-running operation and ride comfort in light rail vehicles (LRVs), high-speed trains, mainline trains and metro systems. For the design of its traction rods, HEMSCHEIDT Rail uses particularly high-performance rubber-metal elements. This makes for optimal damping in modern bogie and suspension solutions and reduces vibrations during day-to-day operations.
Specialized expertise and strong service throughout the entire life cycle
With more than 20,000 systems operating successfully in passenger rail service around the world, HEMSCHEIDT Rail has established itself as a leading supplier of mechanical and hydraulic system solutions for rail vehicle construction. As part of the HÜBNER Group’s global network with more than 25 locations worldwide, HEMSCHEIDT Rail supports customers throughout the entire product life cycle – from development to production to ongoing service and maintenance.
“We combine a high level of bogie expertise with the outstanding resources of a strong, diverse and broadly positioned group of companies in the HÜBNER Group,”Christopher and Martin Sames point out.
Bogie expertise and more at InnoTrans 2026
The HÜBNER Group will be presenting HEMSCHEIDT Rail’s broad portfolio of bogie and suspension solutions at InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin. In addition, the group of companies will be presenting a host of other new developments and innovations at Stand 120 in Hall 1.2, offering an extensive range of products for greater safety, efficiency and reliability in rail transport.
More information about the HÜBNER Group at InnoTrans 2026 is available online at: www.hubner-group.com/innotrans/
