Gerken SA
Gerken was formed in 1936 by Hubert Gerken with a handful of employees manufacturing carbon brushes. Today, the third generation of the same family owns and manages the Gerken Group, directly employing over 250 people globally.
Gerken SA is the principal of the Gerken Group and now occupies a 4,000 m² factory in the industrial area of Chaineux - Petit-Rechain near Verviers in eastern Belgium.
Through our companies, affiliates and representatives, we can call on manufacturing operations across Europe; North & South America; Asia; Australia; Middle East and Africa supported by a fully integrated supply chain.
Our main manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Czech Republic, France and Germany produce a huge range of electrical carbon and machined graphite products. In our key markets of rail, industry and wind energy, we are leading suppliers of carbon brushes, pantograph carbon strips, earthing units, brush-holders and graphite components for handling molten metal and glass.
With development, production and access to carbon materials from Belgium, USA and Germany, we are uniquely placed to offer a choice of grades for every application - no matter how demanding.
Research and development is centred on Gerken SA in Belgium, Gerken SAS in France and Pantrac in Germany.
In France, we have invested in test facilities designed to replicate, as closely as possible, the extreme environmental conditions our carbon brushes can operate under in wind turbine applications.
Gerken develops, manufactures and distributes a huge range of carbon, graphite and elated components for OEMs, end-users and repair companies including:
Railway equipment OEMs (ALSTOM, BOMBARDIER, SIEMENS ...)
National railways and urban networks (SNCB, SNCF, RATP, NEDTRAIN, RENFE ...)
Industries using graphite products or assemblies for specific applications or in the manufacturing process (STAS CONSTELLIUM, Arcelor, FUCO-HEG, ...)
Gerken SA is also the exclusive distributor of the innovative SelectraVision range of products for rail infrastructure diagnostics, monitoring and maintenance.
Many rail networks, service operations and installers worldwide use these advanced solutions to ensure maintenance is carried out as efficiently and effectively as possible.