Calibration in California

DB Systemtechnik Expands to the U.S.: For the second time, our team calibrated a bogie load test stand at the Siemens plant in California—a strong testament to our international expertise, technical precision, and a partnership that has grown steadily over time.

In 2025, our calibration testing facility took a significant step into the U.S. market. Our team successfully calibrated a Qlar bogie load test stand at the Siemens plant in Sacramento, thereby applying our expertise outside the EU for the first time.

This project led to a long-term partnership: As early as 2026, we were once again commissioned to perform the annual inspection and calibration.

This experience also enabled us to take on additional international assignments, such as in England and India.

The Assignment

The bogie is a safety-critical component, and testing it enhances derailment resistance, reduces wear, and stabilizes and simplifies processes, as adjustments to the bogies while installed are no longer necessary. This makes subsequent maintenance more efficient and cost-effective.

Qlar’s bogie load test stand simulates the weight of the car body and enables precise measurements of forces and axle distances. To ensure long-term measurement accuracy, the test stand must be calibrated annually in accordance with ISO 9001—this is where our DAkkS-certified expertise comes into play. Our calibration laboratory is DAkkS-accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025, and upon customer request, this type of calibration can also be performed on-site with DAkkS accreditation.

The Challenge

The assignment in the U.S. presented our team with organizational and logistical challenges. In addition to coordinating air freight and delivery times, we also had to ensure the availability of calibration equipment on site.

Furthermore, we had to take into account visas, insurance, and international occupational safety regulations. All communication with the client took place in English, underscoring our international expertise.

The Result

Despite the complex circumstances, the assignments went off without a hitch. Given the annual calibration requirements, we anticipate further projects in the coming years, thereby making an important contribution to rail safety.

Do you have questions or would you like to discuss your project?

We offer:

High-quality, accredited calibrations and inspections for measuring instruments, test equipment, and measuring systems
Engineering services in the areas of measurement process suitability and measurement process development
Training courses

Contract measurements

Our range of services covers all essential and rail-specific measurement parameters in rail vehicle technology, from railroads and streetcars to subways and commuter rail systems.

More information:

Additional Information

Contacts

More Information

Plant, machinery and equipment: Configuring efficient work stands and production lines

We can provide you with the following individual products:

Design books

Do you want to procure an item of plant, machinery or equipment?

The design and procurement of an item of plant, machinery or equipment requires a specific procedure that only addresses selected parts of the HOAI scope of work up to service phase 3. Simplified procedures and documents have been developed within the DB Group for this process, which are used to apply for external approvals and the internal release of funds for procurement. If the investment volume exceeds EUR 200,000, this is summarised in the design book.

Our services:

Drafting of complete and up-to-date design documents in terms of content and form
The design book has a set structure and includes the following:
Description of the current status
Description of the target status
Design variants
Reactions
Target price quotations
Cost estimates for the preferred design variant
Profitability analysis
Description of project risks and an evaluation of the same

Your benefits:

Reduction in design effort thanks to specific procedures and documents
High level of acceptance for the design results by having experienced workshop equipment designers incorporate subsequent users into the design process
Increase in decision certainty by using standardised decision papers
Making things easier for end users in their day-to-day work, e.g. by taking care of interfaces with process participants in production, accident insurers, OSH professionals

Machine technology technical design and procurement support

Are you about to procure an item of plant, machinery or equipment?

In order for the project to be a success for your workshop, a multitude of details have to be considered: careful design from the perspective of workshop production processes; drafting of tender documents for a legally compliant award of contract; bid evaluation; review of the works design; specialist construction supervision; acceptance and, finally, warranty monitoring. We stand ready to guide you through these steps in the process with our specialists in specific aspects of plant engineering, whether you need us only in selected phases or want us to take responsibility for everything on the client's side.

Our services:

Formulation of design books
Drafting of functional tender documents
Evaluation of bids and technical consulting on the award of contracts
Execution supervision and quality assurance of prefabrication
Acceptance and commissioning support

Your benefits:

Cost savings in procurement through functional tendering
High adherence to project deadlines and budgets, reliable execution and quality through the use of mechanical engineering specialists in workshop equipment

Functional tender documents

Do you need an item of plant, machinery or equipment and have to invite tenders from the market?

Qualified enquiry documents enable suppliers of plant, machinery and equipment to submit an attractively priced bid with reliable deadline commitments: the clearer the tender, the lower the risk premiums. Functional performance specifications stipulate the requirements for the intended use and define functional, technical, financial and design-related frameworks. The structure, scope and content of the document are designed in such a way that they reliably meet the requirements of public procurement regulations.

Our services:

Drafting and revision of site plans, functional sketches, sample solutions, framework schedules and action plans
Formulation and coordination of the tender documents with the requester: functional performance specifications, price composition and evaluation matrix

Your benefits:

Cost savings in procurement through functional tendering
Opening up to a wide range of supplier competition
Enabling the use of manufacturer-specific, modular standards
Reduced risk of claims due to high-quality specifications
Reduced costs for construction drawings (HOAI phase 5) and reduced need for coordination thanks to clearly defined interfaces
High degree of legal certainty in awarding contracts through the use of process documents that have been coordinated with legal and purchasing departments
Best practice through comprehensive market and product knowledge of the workshop equipment suppliers, including current user feedback from DB depots

Bid evaluation and contract award monitoring

Do you want to compare bids and award contracts to the best ones in a way that is legally compliant?

Systematically comparing tender documents from different bidders is time-consuming and often requires specific knowledge of the market and product structures involved. Furthermore, if you are bound by public procurement regulations, special requirements apply to the evaluation procedure used, its level of transparency and the criteria that are applied. The relevant legal regulations, which set different requirements depending on procurement volume, are vital here. DB Systemtechnik supports you in finding the right process for your project and in applying and handling the necessary procedures.

Our services:

Selection of suitable bidders via technical and commercial suitability criteria and evaluation of references
Design, coordination and application of an evaluation matrix to determine the bid offering the best value for money
Evaluation of bids based on the tender documents, the specified criteria and with reference to the state of the art
Formulation of a questionnaire to act as a basis for technical discussions with bidders
Answering technical questions from bidders, secondary assistance in award negotiations
Formulation of the award proposal

Your benefits:

Procurement of products according to the state of the art
Reduction in costs by identifying functional over-scoping and hidden surcharges
High-quality data behind the decision to award the contract, while at the same time allowing project managers to focus on their core function in the line organisation
Minimised risk of delays due to aspects of public procurement regulations such as complaints or challenges

Execution supervision and quality assurance

Do you need a high-quality delivery and assembly service?

To ensure the quality of new installations, the client must supervise the entire manufacturing process. When it comes to technical questions about the project or to design changes, things become very specialised, very quickly. This process is characterised by constantly comparing the target condition (the service to be delivered) with the actual situation (the mechanical engineering functionalities or the scope of delivery during the execution phase). DB Systemtechnik provides you with professional support throughout this process, with the aim of achieving the best possible result you can.

Our services:

Technical support for the requester during the works design phase
Review of design documents and technical descriptions
Review of execution documents and support during sign-off
Technical support for preliminary and interim acceptance at the supplier's premises
Consulting with the client or requester in the form of statements, recommendations and technical representation during the execution phase

Your benefits:

High-quality data flowing into preparations for commissioning, while at the same time allowing project managers to focus on their core function in the line organisation
Discussion, negotiation and decision-making on an equal professional footing with contractors in the event of non-conformity and change requests
Close monitoring of assembly processes and interface into the workshop increases reliability in terms of
- Events
- functions
- budget by preventing revised estimates

Support for acceptance and commissioning

Do you want to put plants into operation in a way that is legally compliant?

The acceptance and commissioning of constructed plants represent significant milestones in the project workflow. They are associated with legal consequences such as the passage of risk and the start of the warranty period; in commercial terms, they are usually associated with reaching payment deadlines. It is rare for these milestones to be passed with only insignificant defects at the first attempt for high-quality or integrated plants. Which makes it all the more important to detect and document points of deficiency and services that are owed, including binding and target-oriented agreements on how to eliminate the defects. DB Systemtechnik supports you through this by providing specialists who are experienced in the workshop systems in question.

Our services:

Comparison of the constructed plant components with the scope of deliverables ordered and defined in the context of procurement
Preparation for and execution of mechanical engineering acceptances, functional tests at the contractor's premises, as well as preliminary, interim and final acceptances
Review of documentation records for compliance with legal regulations and reconciliation with the required and necessary scope
Technical support for the contractually defined trial period, evaluation of malfunctions occurring during the trial period, follow-up on punch lists

Your benefits:

Systematisation and qualification of the commissioning decision
Binding guarantee of all contractual claims through
assessment on an equal technical footing with suppliers
generating and documenting contractual liability
avoiding business risks such as premature acceptance, premature start of warranty and unjustified passage of risk

Development support for tools and devices

Are you procuring a new class?

How can you efficiently manage the workshop/vehicle engineering/special tools interface? Design differences between new and old vehicles limit the efficiency with which you can maintain a new generation using existing procedures. This applies to the available infrastructure – designed for the existing fleet – as well as to activities on the new vehicles, which are to be executed within defined standard times. What special tools are available from the manufacturer or in depots with a comparable fleet profile to help achieve the corresponding production times? Can these tools be used in your workshop? Do other devices need to be designed for your specific site? We support you through this development process with expertise and experience of specific machine technology and the maintenance task at hand.

Our services:

Analysis of the vehicle engineering and workshop interfaces for the new vehicles
Validation of new work instructions for local feasibility
Compilation of specific workflows and frequencies of work to be performed in a workshop as a basis for assessing new workflows
Evaluation of the usability of special tools recommended by the manufacturer, identification of alternatives and measures to optimise tools for local conditions
Conceptual design and procurement support for special tools not available on the market
Communication of potential points of conflict to local depots for review
Monitoring and evaluation of component development tests

Your benefits:

Acceleration of your workshop's efficiency learning curve when introducing new vehicles
Objective evaluation of manufacturer recommendations
Sharing in best practice from other workshops
Economies of scale by creating synergies through central processing when introducing in several workshops

Contacts

More Information

Plant, machinery and equipment: Configuring efficient work stands and production lines

We can provide you with the following individual products:

Design books

Do you want to procure an item of plant, machinery or equipment?

Our services:

Drafting of complete and up-to-date design documents in terms of content and form
The design book has a set structure and includes the following:
Description of the current status
Description of the target status
Design variants
Reactions
Target price quotations
Cost estimates for the preferred design variant
Profitability analysis
Description of project risks and an evaluation of the same

Your benefits:

Reduction in design effort thanks to specific procedures and documents
High level of acceptance for the design results by having experienced workshop equipment designers incorporate subsequent users into the design process
Increase in decision certainty by using standardised decision papers
Making things easier for end users in their day-to-day work, e.g. by taking care of interfaces with process participants in production, accident insurers, OSH professionals

Machine technology technical design and procurement support

Are you about to procure an item of plant, machinery or equipment?

Our services:

Formulation of design books
Drafting of functional tender documents
Evaluation of bids and technical consulting on the award of contracts
Execution supervision and quality assurance of prefabrication
Acceptance and commissioning support

Your benefits:

Cost savings in procurement through functional tendering
High adherence to project deadlines and budgets, reliable execution and quality through the use of mechanical engineering specialists in workshop equipment

Functional tender documents

Do you need an item of plant, machinery or equipment and have to invite tenders from the market?

Our services:

Drafting and revision of site plans, functional sketches, sample solutions, framework schedules and action plans
Formulation and coordination of the tender documents with the requester: functional performance specifications, price composition and evaluation matrix

Your benefits:

Cost savings in procurement through functional tendering
Opening up to a wide range of supplier competition
Enabling the use of manufacturer-specific, modular standards
Reduced risk of claims due to high-quality specifications
Reduced costs for construction drawings (HOAI phase 5) and reduced need for coordination thanks to clearly defined interfaces
High degree of legal certainty in awarding contracts through the use of process documents that have been coordinated with legal and purchasing departments
Best practice through comprehensive market and product knowledge of the workshop equipment suppliers, including current user feedback from DB depots

Bid evaluation and contract award monitoring

Do you want to compare bids and award contracts to the best ones in a way that is legally compliant?

Our services:

Selection of suitable bidders via technical and commercial suitability criteria and evaluation of references
Design, coordination and application of an evaluation matrix to determine the bid offering the best value for money
Evaluation of bids based on the tender documents, the specified criteria and with reference to the state of the art
Formulation of a questionnaire to act as a basis for technical discussions with bidders
Answering technical questions from bidders, secondary assistance in award negotiations
Formulation of the award proposal

Your benefits:

Procurement of products according to the state of the art
Reduction in costs by identifying functional over-scoping and hidden surcharges
High-quality data behind the decision to award the contract, while at the same time allowing project managers to focus on their core function in the line organisation
Minimised risk of delays due to aspects of public procurement regulations such as complaints or challenges

Execution supervision and quality assurance

Do you need a high-quality delivery and assembly service?

Our services:

Technical support for the requester during the works design phase
Review of design documents and technical descriptions
Review of execution documents and support during sign-off
Technical support for preliminary and interim acceptance at the supplier's premises
Consulting with the client or requester in the form of statements, recommendations and technical representation during the execution phase

Your benefits:

High-quality data flowing into preparations for commissioning, while at the same time allowing project managers to focus on their core function in the line organisation
Discussion, negotiation and decision-making on an equal professional footing with contractors in the event of non-conformity and change requests
Close monitoring of assembly processes and interface into the workshop increases reliability in terms of
- Events
- functions
- budget by preventing revised estimates

Support for acceptance and commissioning

Do you want to put plants into operation in a way that is legally compliant?

Our services:

Comparison of the constructed plant components with the scope of deliverables ordered and defined in the context of procurement
Preparation for and execution of mechanical engineering acceptances, functional tests at the contractor's premises, as well as preliminary, interim and final acceptances
Review of documentation records for compliance with legal regulations and reconciliation with the required and necessary scope
Technical support for the contractually defined trial period, evaluation of malfunctions occurring during the trial period, follow-up on punch lists

Your benefits:

Systematisation and qualification of the commissioning decision
Binding guarantee of all contractual claims through
assessment on an equal technical footing with suppliers
generating and documenting contractual liability
avoiding business risks such as premature acceptance, premature start of warranty and unjustified passage of risk

Development support for tools and devices

Are you procuring a new class?

Our services:

Analysis of the vehicle engineering and workshop interfaces for the new vehicles
Validation of new work instructions for local feasibility
Compilation of specific workflows and frequencies of work to be performed in a workshop as a basis for assessing new workflows
Evaluation of the usability of special tools recommended by the manufacturer, identification of alternatives and measures to optimise tools for local conditions
Conceptual design and procurement support for special tools not available on the market
Communication of potential points of conflict to local depots for review
Monitoring and evaluation of component development tests

Your benefits:

Acceleration of your workshop's efficiency learning curve when introducing new vehicles
Objective evaluation of manufacturer recommendations
Sharing in best practice from other workshops
Economies of scale by creating synergies through central processing when introducing in several workshops