Goldschmidt combines international services with new brand

Goldschmidt Thermit® welding process.

Goldschmidt – the global market leader for products and services for railway infrastructure – presented its new brand on 12 March 2020. One hundred and twenty-five years after the patenting of the Thermit^® welding process on 13 March 1895, the family-owned German business has now combined all of its companies worldwide under the Goldschmidt brand.

This positions the company as a leading supplier of products and services for the joining of rails, the modern construction of railway track, the inspection of track infrastructure and its maintenance, and many varied digital solutions in the global growth market for future mobility.

Dr. Hans-Jürgen Mundinger, CEO of Goldschmidt, said: “Our new brand establishes a unique identity in the global market. It combines our extensive expertise with a global network of experts to enable comprehensive expertise for railway applications. From Shanghai to New York and from Sydney to Stockholm, the Goldschmidt brand is uniquely valued for its innovation and quality. We have grown dynamically over the last 10 years and have taken over numerous companies which kept their brands in a transition stage. Now it is time to grow even closer together under one brand.”

Goldschmidt – new logo, new brand claim: smart rail solutions

Given the increase in investment in passenger and freight transport, there is a healthy demand worldwide for products and services required for the intelligent modernisation of railway infrastructure. Germany, for example, plans to invest €86 billion over the next 10 years in the expansion and renewal of its railway network.

There is an enormous need to catch up. The amount of investment per head in the railway network is considerably higher in many countries, with Switzerland investing five times more in rail mobility than Germany. Asia has the highest number of large-scale rail projects as China and Japan continue to invest significantly in railway infrastructure. At the same time, Brazil, Russia and South East Asia are focusing on the renewal of existing and construction of new railway networks. Current studies indicate a global annual investment volume of $35.3 billion up to 2025.

Hans-Jürgen emphasised: “Rail transport has a key role to play in the realisation of environmental targets. Modern railway systems have to run smoothly and require tailor-made predictive maintenance and service. For this purpose, Goldschmidt offers a one-stop shop in all the international growth markets for high quality products and services under one brand.”

125 years ago Professor Hans Goldschmidt patented the Thermit^® welding process, which allows continuously welded tracks. People and freight can be reliably and comfortably transported in an environmentally sustainable manner on rail joints welded using the Thermit^® process. Without the Thermit^® welding process, high-speed trains or heavy freight loads would not be possible today.

The innovative power of the inventor of 1895 is the driving force behind our success. Today, Goldschmidt offers an extensive range of products and services worldwide for the joining of rails, grinding technology, innovative measurement and inspection technology, as well as road-rail vehicles. Goldschmidt is constantly improving its products in the company’s Technology Innovation Centre in Leipzig and also in Competence Centres around the world. The products ensure that high-speed trains in China can run just as smoothly and reliably as the trams which run in European cities.

Goldschmidt is systematically integrating its products in a digital network. The DARI^® – Data Acquisition for Rail Infrastructure – database system, developed in-house, stores measurement and inspection process data in a cloud. Using the Goldschmidt DIGITAL APP, customers have mobile access to all of the digital applications of the company. DARI^® integrates the data recorded by the app in the cloud.

Hans-Jürgen explained: “Complex infrastructure projects require an intelligent control system which meets the highest requirements. The reliability and functionality of the railway network has to be ensured at all times. Maintenance and repairs take place during normal operations. Tools and machines integrated in a digital network, which enable the global coordination of maintenance actions and the collection and analysis of process data, are essential in order to guarantee the mobility of the future.”

He added: “The Goldschmidt brand stands for high quality innovative products on six different continents worldwide. This allows our customers to concentrate on the smooth, comfortable and reliable transportation of people and freight.”