Bombardier opens new wheel set centre at Siegen site

Bombardier Transportation is enhancing its competence centre for bogies in Siegen with a new wheel set centre. The production of wheel sets on site ensures an optimised and simplified logistics chain, quality optimisations and a greater independence from external suppliers and changes in the market. In the first operating year, around 1,700 wheel sets will be produced and this should rise to 10,000 per year by 2013. The set up was achieved by the Siegen site team in only 10 months; the construction of the new workshop in Dreis-Tiefenbach began in June 2010; operation started on April 1, 2011.

“We are delighted to extend our core competencies in Siegen with the new wheel set centre,” said Dr. Klaus Baur, Chairman of the Management Board of Bombardier Transportation, Germany. He continued: “The capability of a bogie depends fundamentally on the components of the wheel set. By carrying out the production ourselves in future, we can ensure ideal and simpler quality assurance and installation processes.”

The competencies of the new centre at the Siegen bogie site cover the fitting and maintenance of all typical commercial wheel sets including the installation of brake discs, bearings and axle housings. The technologies used enable the wheel sets to be pressed on or shrunk on, according to customer requirements.

“As soon as production capacity exceeds our own requirements, we will offer wheel sets from Siegen on the European market,” added Bart Vantorre, Head of Bogies Business Unit of Bombardier Transportation. “In addition, new business opportunities will emerge in terms of services. For example, in future we will not only be able to undertake maintenance and repair of bogies for customers, but also wheel sets.” Certification will be sought for our main customers, in order to support their maintenance facilities at peak times.

The Bombardier plant in Siegen has been producing customised bogie solutions for national and international rail traffic for more than 100 years. In recent years, in-house manufacture of wheel sets was introduced. In future, all required wheel sets are to be produced in-house.

Bombardier’s FLEXX bogie portfolio provides the industry’s most comprehensive selection of technically sophisticated bogie solutions and covers the entire range of rail vehicles. BOMBARDIER FLEXX bogies are based on decades of experience as well as the technical expertise of the specialist engineers, who contribute to the continual strengthening of the portfolio thanks to their innovative developments. Alongside bogie solutions for internal and external customers, a complete range of services is offered over the whole lifetime of a FLEXX bogie.