KEY MILESTONES 2025
TRANSITION TO A NEW ERP SYSTEM
On Wednesday, 1 January 2025, DAKO-CZ transitioned to the new enterprise information system SAP S/4HANA.
The main objective of the transition to SAP was to unify our processes and simplify workflows across all departments. We are pleased that the system was successfully fully rolled out and has become fully operational across the company over the course of the year.
MEETING OF VPI AUDITORS AT
DAKO-CZ
At the end of March 2025, DAKO-CZ was visited by a group of auditors from VPI European Rail Service GmbH.
The organization brings together European owners and operators of freight wagons, whose fleet comprises almost 88,000 vehicles. VPI selected our company as the venue for its annual meeting held outside Germany. The programme included a tour of the production facilities, the service centre, and the development testing laboratory, during which we presented our products, technologies, and direction in the areas of innovation and quality.
BOOK: TWO CENTURIES ON THE RAILWAY
The celebration of 30 years of the Czech railway industry would not have been complete without the outstanding publication “Two Centuries on the Czech Railway.”
The Association of Czech Railway Industry Companies (ACRI) published this impressive book, charting the development of railways in the Czech lands—from steam locomotives to today’s driverless trains. In addition to historical highlights, the book also presents current projects in which we are involved:
- the autonomous train EDITA is equipped with our brake system,
- the ForCity Plus 52T tram uses DAKO electromechanical brake units and track brakes,
- the driving trailer car of the Ceske drahy ComfortJet unit is fitted with a DAKO control panel,
- the new RegioPanter is equipped with DAKO cleaning units.
RAIL BUSINESS DAYS 2025
From 10 to 12 June 2025, DAKO-CZ took part in the largest domestic railway trade fair, Rail Business Days, held at Trojhali Karolina in Ostrava.
The fair attracted a record 12,607 visitors and 138 exhibitors this year. At our stand, we presented key exhibits, including the weight-optimized DAKO distributor, an electromagnetic track brake for ForCity Plus 52T trams, UIC components, and 3D models of our products.
EDITA – EXPERIMENTAL RAIL VEHICLE FOR INNOVATIVE AŽD TECHNOLOGIES
On 11 September 2025, AŽD company organized a special international meeting for business partners in Detenice, where it introduced EDITA – the first autonomous train in Europe operating in real railway service.
The programme included presentations on digital infrastructure, autonomous track monitoring, and technologies, and above all a test run on the Kopidlnka line, a highly modern private experimental railway operated by AŽD.
DAKO-CZ contributed to this technologically innovative project by supplying an electrically controlled brake system.
EDITA is the first vehicle capable of operating in open countryside. From April to early October 2025, it completed more than 3,000 kilometres of operation with passengers on the Kopidlno–Dolni Bousov line, confirming its reliability.
TRAKO 2025
In the third week of September, the international railway trade fair TRAKO took place in Gdańsk, Poland.
The 16th edition was the largest railway event in Central and Eastern Europe, attracting a record number of exhibitors and visitors – more than 600 exhibitors from 30 countries filled 31,000 m² of exhibition space, complemented by over 70 accompanying events.
At our stand, we presented solutions for complete bogie equipment for passenger and freight vehicles, including an upgraded digital distributor, new UIC components, and compact brake units for both passenger and freight transport. In the outdoor exhibition area, the Škoda ForCity Plus 52T tram for Prague was displayed, equipped with DAKO electromechanical systems and track brakes. This solution forms part of the Brake by Wire concept.
EXPO FERROVIARIA 2025 AND THE PRESENTATION OF HDAC
At the turn of September and October, one of the last trade fairs attended by our company took place in Milan, Italy. Expo Ferroviaria was exceptional this year.
Not only did we build on our previous presentations, but we also had a unique opportunity to introduce our new developments to an international audience in Milan. The main exhibit and key highlight of our participation was the Hybrid Digital Automatic Coupler (HDAC) for the hybrid hydrogen locomotive project HB1-001 FENHYCE, whose official presentation took place on 1 October in the outdoor track exhibition area. The project will also include a complete DAKO brake system. This step underlines the importance of close development cooperation with our Italian business partner, Sitav.
We also presented a block brake unit for the upcoming Bertolotti shunting locomotive project, 3D models of brake units, and components compliant with UIC standards. The 12th edition of the fair highlighted the growing importance of environmentally friendly technologies and innovations in modern railway transport.
SUCCESSFUL RENEWAL OF IRIS CERTIFICATION
In the second half of October, our company underwent an audit of the quality management system in accordance with the international IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard).
The audit confirmed that DAKO-CZ meets stringent international standards and is capable of managing its processes over the long term in line with customer and partner requirements. Compliance with this standard enables the supply of brake systems and components for railway applications worldwide.
VISIT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SAFETY ADVISERS AND EXPERTS
On Thursday, 6 November 2025, DAKO-CZ welcomed nearly sixty members of the Association of Safety Advisers and Experts, who visited our company for a professional excursion.
The aim of this important event was to familiarize business partners with our company, manufacturing operations, and technologies.
ACQUISITION OF THE MV4 BRAKE MEASURING CAR
In mid-November, DAKO-CZ acquired an exceptional exhibit – the MV4 brake measuring car, which was handed over to our company by the Railway Research Institute (VÚŽ).
This unique vehicle, manufactured in 1960 in Germany and equipped with state-of-the-art measuring technology of its time, was used for decades in the testing of railway technologies and represents valuable evidence of the development of testing methods and equipment.
