On the right track Bombardier

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Hungary’s division of Bombardier, the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains, is enjoying strong growth thanks to its innovative products and the broadest portfolio in the industry, not to mention a highly committed workforce and a dedication to ‘the evolution of mobility’. Industry Europe’s EmmaJane Batey reports.

Bombardier is the world’s leading manufacturer of both planes and trains. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, it posted revenues of $20.1bn for the year ending 31st December 2014. With over 74,000 employees worldwide, Bombardier is proud of its ‘winning mobility solutions’ that create its extensive and diverse portfolio.

Divided into Aerospace and Transportation divisions, Bombardier Transportation has 63 production and engineering sites in 26 countries and an additional 16 service centres worldwide. Industry Europe spoke to Maciej Kaczanowski, senior manager of communications and public relations for the Eastern European and CIS locations for Bombardier Transport Hungary.

A global leader in the rail industry, Bombardier Transportation employs nearly 40,000 people and has installed over 100,000 rail cars and locomotives. With a proud tradition of ‘ingenious rail solutions’, the company’s portfolio includes rail vehicles, transport systems, complete ‘design-build-operate-maintain’ solutions and vehicle refurbishment and maintenance.

Raising the profile

Mr Kaczanowski explained how the company’s profile has risen significantly in recent years. “Bombardier Transportation has grown steadily over the last few years,” he said. “We have proven our ability to continuously adapt to the changing market needs and have successfully increased our order intake and revenue. Recent milestones include a recent order to supply and maintain up to 156 trams for Wiener Linien in Vienna, Austria and the latest very high speed train we’ve built in partnership with Ansaldo Breda in Italy. We have also

made significant progress recently in the field of e-mobility with our PRIMOVE technology for wireless charging, with this already in operation in Germany on buses in Berlin, Braunschweig and Mannheim as well as in Bruges in Belgium.”

In order to maintain and enhance its globally leading position, Bombardier Transportation is committed to continuous investment, both in its people and its offer. Mr Kaczanowski continued, “As a technology leader we are always investing, not only on a project basis in our production and engineering sites but also increasingly investing in R&D and innovation. One of our latest investment projects in eastern Europe includes the implementation of new technologies not currently used in the railway industry in Poland, which incorporates 3D laser welding and construction of a new production hall. This particular project in Wroclaw will result in the scope of production being extended with new passenger trains.”

Breaking ground

Thanks to its famously broad portfolio of transportation solutions, Bombardier ‘continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility’. These integrated solutions ‘push the envelope’ in terms of performance as well as environmental responsibility and include such projects as the V300ZEFIRO high speed train in Italy, known as the Frecciarossa 1000, which is leading the way with developments in aerodynamics, aesthetics, functionality and interior comfort.

Bombardier Transportation has also recently developed the new MOVIA metro in Stockholm. Mr Kaczanowski explained, “In this project we have truly differentiated ourselves from the competition by focusing not only on the price of the vehicle but, most importantly, on the ongoing operational costs. The MOVIA also has very high environmental standards through low energy consumption and, although there are no plans to use the trains in driverless mode, they do have that exciting feature.”

Always moving

The latest projects to be undertaken by Bombardier Transportation’s R&D department are focused on the two ‘value domains’ of passenger experience and life cycle cost. For passenger experience, it is working on distinguishing itself through focusing on the end customer – the passenger – by ensuring its products and services provide a ‘greater passenger experience’. For the life cycle cost, Bombardier knows that, in an increasingly competitive environment,

it’s not just about delivering a vehicle at the best price. Mr Kaczanowksi noted, “A typical train have a life time of over 30 years and the operational costs are what truly make the difference. Our key areas here are preventative maintenance to increase fleet availability, optimum use of infrastructure through intelligent signalling solutions and the reduction of energy consumption.”

With Bombardier Transportation expecting to see continued growth in the coming years, not only is the company in tune with the changing demands of both its customers and end users, so too does it understand that the market trends of more sustainable solutions and an increased demand for urban mobility solutions perfectly suit its core skills.

Mr Kaczanowski concluded: “Our R&D team are focused on these issues at the moment and will continue to develop refreshing transportation solutions for our customers. We are always looking at creating and providing market-driven solutions that accelerate the integration of new and advanced technologies into our rail product solutions. We expect significant improvements in the fields of passenger experience, passenger convenience, reliability, availability, capacity increase, safety, energy consumption and life cycle costs.” n