Rolling on the right track NEWAG

rolling on thE right track

NEWAG SA, a company based in Nowy Sacz, Poland, has for 140 years been a leading rolling stock manufacturer in the production, maintenance, and modernisation of railway rolling stock.

NEWAG was formed In 1876 when a technical facility was established in Nowy Sacz for the newly built Polish railways. Initially named the Imperial, it has changed its name several times with its core focus remaining solely on the heavy maintenance of locomotives. In 2005, the company finally changed its name to NEWAG SA and three years later it manufactured its first rail car in-house, the electric multiple unit 19WE. Since then, most of its income has been derived from manufacturing and in 2012 a new production hall designated to manufacturing the INSPIRO trains for the Warsaw underground was opened. The following year, the IMPULS Electric Multiple Unit manufactured by NEWAG became the first train in Poland to exceed the speed of 211 km/h. Two years later, the company broke its own speed record. The NEWAG-manufactured IMPULS 45WE train travelled with a speed of 226km/h and was the first Polish rail vehicle to meet the latest restrictive EU directives introduced in 2014.

A reliable partner

NEWAG is an expert in the repair and modernization of electric locomotives, electric multiple units and subassemblies for rail vehicles. The production of diesel and electric multiple units, passenger cars and modernisation of diesel locomotives is conducted at its plant in Nowy Sacz, while electric locomotives are manufactured and modernised at the company’s branch in Gliwice. It is in Gliwice that the company’s latest family of products, the DRAGON and GRIFFIN locomotives, are manufactured. Its main plant in Nowy Sacz employs around1500 people and is responsible for 90 per cent of production.In 2016, NEWAG’s sales were estimated at PLN 559 million (around €133 million) and the net profit was PLN 11 million (more than €2.6 million).

Whilst the domestic market still accounts for the largest percentage of NEWAG’s turnover, the company continues to sign foreign contracts. In 2013, the first one was signed with the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for the production and supply of four modern EMUs with diesel engines and electric transmission. In 2015, NEWAG signed a contract with an operator from Bari, Italy, to deliver five three-unit IMPULS II EMUs.

NEWAG has successful partnerships with world leading suppliers including General Electric, Siemens AG, Stadler AG and Bombardier. In Poland, it cooperates with well-known companies such as Drabpol, Eneria, Extral, Grodziska Fabryka Wyposażenia Wagonów GROWAG, Limatherm Sensor, Selectron Systems AG, Tech-Stal and UNI-TECH. Together with Skinest Ukraine and the Daugavpils Rolling Stock Repair Plant (Latvia) it has designed an innovative locomotive to increase reliability rates and reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. All the above-mentioned partners contribute to the avant-garde image of the company, which in turn translates into successes and business opportunities for all partners.

New contracts, new ideas

NEWAG holds a strong position on the Polish locomotive market. In February this year, it signed a contract with a train operator from Lodz for 14 IMPULS II trains (the new generation EMUs) that will start to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2018. The gross value of the contract is almost PLN 267 million (€63.5 million).

In May, NEWAG delivered three IMPULS Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) out of 16 ordered by the Marshal Office of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The agreement guarantees the delivery of 12 threecar EMUs and five four-car EMUs with the possibility to manufacture 13 additional trains. NEWAG will also provide a simulator to train a team of drivers in how to operate the new electric multiple units.

In July, the company signed another contract to modernise 10 diesel locomotives. The first modernised locomotive will be supplied by the end of March 2018 with the remainder to be delivered by the end of 2018. The net value of the contract exceeds PLN 95 million (€22.6 million).

One of the most challenging projects conducted by the company is the prototype for the world’s first family of autonomous, reconfigured, bimodal traction vehicles. This will be an electric traction unit with an attached unit equipped with power generator (s), power supply (ies), non-electrified traction units and DEPO. The hybrid traction unit will consist of a three-wire electric traction unit powered by a conventional 3 kV DC drive system and a power supply unit coupled with a Scharfenberg coupler. The attached module has motors that drive generating sets and the power generated by the aggregates will be transferred to the electric traction unit to power the traction motors on the bogies. Depending on the needs of the ordering party, the diesel propulsion module can either be equipped with a control cabin and a manoeuvring console at the rear of the unit, or only for manoeuvring units. An additional advantage is the lighter vehicle weight that will consequently reduce the operating costs of the module. The vehicle will be equipped with a state-of-the-art electric drive system that optimises energy consumption, regenerative braking and energy storage for use during subsequent starts. The total cost of the project is more than PLN 38.5 million (€9.2 million) and will be completed at the end of April, 2018. Supporting young talent

NEWAG is well-known for its social initiatives. Recently, the company signed an agreement with the Sadecka Foundation to fund scholarships for gifted young people in the Nowy Sacz subregion in difficult financial situations. Earlier this year, it founded a scholarship programme called ‘Prodesse in posterum’ for students of the Cracow University of Technology. The goal is to support the most talented and committed students majoring in Management and Production Engineering, specialisation: Engineering of Mass Transport Means. In collaboration with NEWAG and other top companies from the rolling stock industry, the university has introduced a new specialist course in Rail Vehicle Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The course is a response to the high demand for engineers in the developing rail market. It will train students on the theoretical aspects as well as providing practical experience in the design, construction, technology, certification and operation of rail vehicles.

For more info, visit: www.newag.pl