3 Questions for Barbara, Innovation Manager

What does a working day look like for you?

A large part of my day consists of various meetings - to exchange views on current issues - to work out strategies on how to tackle different topics - meetings on site to get a picture of the actual processes.

Can you tell us more about the DAC and its benefits for Europe?

The DAC is a centre buffer coupler for freight wagons, which in the future will connect electricity and data in addition to the mechanical and pneumatic connection. In this way, we are introducing electricity and data into freight transport for the first time, thus enabling processes to be automated or providing information about the train. This makes it possible to automate a brake test, for example, and to reduce long walking distances, or to check at regular intervals whether all the wagons are still in the formation and thus determine the train's integrity. Another important point is the safety aspect - in the future our workers will have less physical strain and a lower risk of injury.

The DAC is considered a game changer for Europe's rail freight transport - an important step towards the future!