Rail manufacturer Danobat acquires American Delta Wheel

Danobat, a leader in the design and development of advanced manufacturing solutions, strengthens its position in the North American rail market with the acquisition of the American company Delta Wheel Truing Solutions.

Machine tool manufacturer Danobat has 70 years of experience in the design and development of technologically advanced, high value-added, configured-to-order manufacturing solutions. Its portfolio of solutions includes grinding machines, lathes and CNC robotic machining systems, among others.

Today, the railway industry accounts for 15% of the turnover of the company belonging to Danobatgroup, an industrial group that employs more than 1,400 people and is part of the Mondragon Corporation.

Specifically, Danobat’s specialty in railroads is the manufacture of solutions for the maintenance of rolling stock for all types of trains, such as underfloor wheel lathes, portal lathes, boring machines and engineering and automation services.

Headquartered in Elgoibar (Spain), Danobat has manufacturing, service and sales sites and technical centers in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and China.

With the signing of the agreement at Delta’s headquarters in Escanaba, Michigan, Danobat continues to make its way in the United States, where it has been established since 1982 and where it already has a technical center in Chicago focused on the development of grinding and hard turning solutions.

Delta Wheel is an American manufacturer of lathes for the maintenance of train wheels. With more than 15 years of experience in the U.S. market, the company’s team of experts is dedicated to designing, building and delivering innovative solutions for the railroad market.

“This operation is an important boost to position us as one of the benchmark players in the North American rail sector and brings competition for in situ wheel profiling maintenance that has been lacking in North America. Delta’s expertise and know-how will be a strategic support for Danobat to grow in such a demanding market as the American one”, emphasises Oskar Uria, Director of the Railway Business Unit at Danobat.

The main objective of this approach is to get closer to the U.S. market, offering products tailored to the specific needs of customers in the U.S. railway sector. In addition, the local plant will provide direct services, ensuring a close and agile service to our customers.

Delta has a team of people with extensive experience in the design and manufacture of rail wheel re-profiling equipment. In addition, it holds several patents on different systems, offering unique solutions to the market. The manufacturing capacity in the USA, its products and customer base are key elements for future joint development with Danobat.

Thanks to this agreement, the Spanish company strengthens its position in the United States, a strategic market together with Central Europe and China. Danobat has recently inaugurated a new 130,000 square feet plant with increased manufacturing capacity in its Elgoibar manufacturing complex. The acquisition of Delta adds to the strategic investments for the coming years.

“The cooperation with an international benchmark like Danobat is an important qualitative leap for us, as we will be able to expand our product range and complement the solutions we have with Danobat’s underfloor wheel lathes for locomotives and freight trains, adapted to the needs of the U.S. railway industry,” adds Jean R. Ross of Delta.

The main objective of this approach is to get closer to the U.S. market, offering products tailored to the specific needs of customers in the U.S. railway sector. In addition, the local plant will provide direct services, ensuring a close and agile service to our customers.