Knorr-Bremse sells Kiepe Electric to Heramba

Knorr-Bremse has sold Kiepe Electric, based in Düsseldorf, to Heramba. In doing this, Knorr-Bremse is optimizing its portfolio and consistently aligning its business activities with core competencies and performance. The transaction closed in late January 2024.

Heramba GmbH, founded in January 2023 and headquartered in Berlin, and Atlanta, is a special-purpose company focused on investing in companies with technologies and capabilities that can accelerate the decarbonization of commercial transportation. Heramba is led by Dr. Hans-Jörg Grundmann (Managing Director), who has dedicated his career to innovating and improving commercial transportation, including in his role as CEO of Siemens Mobility and his other leadership roles with industry leaders Siemens and AEG.

The transaction consists of the acquisition of all Kiepe Electric business activities and all employees by Heramba. In October 2023, Heramba entered into a business combination agreement with Project Energy Reimagined Acquisition Corporation (PERAC). Following consummation of the business combination, the combined company’s securities are expected to be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

The sale of Kiepe Electric is an important step for Knorr-Bremse in its BOOST program. On the whole, Knorr-Bremse is seeking to grow sustainably and profitably over the next few years by applying a range of strategic initiatives and measures. Knorr-Bremse will continue to hold a 15 percent interest in Kiepe Electric’s capital. 

Kiepe Electric is a global leader in the electrification of road and rail urban transportation applications, including designing, manufacturing and implementing power electronics products, electric drives and vehicle controls hardware for rail vehicles and electric buses. There is also intelligent software for fleet management and energy management. The company's software provides a holistic end-to-end dashboard from the charging systems to the end-vehicle.

Kiepe Electric is also a specialist in vehicle charging solutions and is a leading supplier of In-Motion Charging solutions for buses. In 2022, Kiepe Electric introduced its proprietary High Power Charging platform, which facilitates vehicle fast charging and energy management for battery-electric buses. Kiepe Electric employs more than 550 people at six international locations in Europe and North America, developing efficient and ecologically sustainable concepts for the mobility transition in public transport.

Nicolas Lange, member of the Knorr-Bremse AG Executive Board and responsible for the Rail Vehicle Systems division: “With its focus on electric vehicle equipment, Kiepe Electric has proved to be a dynamic, efficient business unit. Overall, however, only a small amount of synergy could be achieved between Kiepe Electric and the Rail Vehicle Systems division, which is why we made the decision to separate from Kiepe Electric. This process has now reached a successful and final conclusion following the sale. We thank all the Kiepe employees for their fantastic dedication and wish them all the best for their future under the new owner.”