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TRANSNET RAIL E N G I N E E R I N G :
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A solid history of quality service and innovation… Erica Wark speaks with Toba Tobogga, General Manager at Transnet Rail Engineering
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hile TRE may not be boasting about their activities, they are certainly not modest in their commitments. The 2010 World Cup heralds a period of exponential growth of numbers using public transport in South Africa. You may be aware of free train services to those who have bought World Cup tickets, which have been laid on to support the logistics of the World Cup. However, did you realise that it is Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), TRE’s industry partner who is behind the provision of the free services? TRE’s endeavours behind the scenes have made all of this possible. Their reason for doing this? TRE have made a commitment to provide reliable and quality service, and this is a promise they aim to uphold whether service ‘as usual’ or whether service under the strain of an extraordinary influx of passengers, such as around this spectacle. TRE is one of the largest rolling stock organizations in the railway industry, specializing in maintenance, repair, upgrade, conversion and manufacture. Operating as a division of Transnet Limited, TRE has eight product focused businesses dedicated to the various segments of the railway rolling stock sector, namely: Locomotives, Coaches, Wagons, Rolling Stock Equipment, Rotating Machinery, Wheels, Auxiliary and Foundry. These businesses are situated in 132 depots, six factories and TRE has approximately 13 000 employees throughout South Africa. While focus is mainly on the South Africa market, investment in research and development to service the specific requirements of Africa and the rest of the world has led to an ever expanding range of rolling stock products. The proximity of the coastal plants to major ports facilitates the movement of products to and from overseas markets. www.southafricamag.com
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Programmes such as Lean Six Sigma, complemented by agreements with the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for skills and know-how transfer have placed TRE firmly on the map as a world class manufacturing organization. The Southern African rail freight industry is dominated by heavy haul operations in support of regional mining activity, especially iron ore and coal. TRE’s most notable contribution to the industry is the HS self steering freight bogie, an innovative design, acclaimed world wide as a feat of modern railway engineering. The track gauge in Southern Africa is narrow by comparison with the North America and Europe (1067 mm as opposed to 1435mm). This created many difficulties for railway engineers in our region with the dynamic stability of vehicles. Undaunted by the challenges, TRE developed and over the years refined HS bogie to the point where it is the exclusive choice for all heavy and medium haul operations in Southern Africa. A mark of this success is seen in the statistic that more than two thirds of the entire region’s freight now travels on these bogies because of their superior ride quality, rolling resistance efficiency and track friendliness. Their ton per axle capacity now rivals and sometimes exceeds those of broader gauge bogies, an achievement which has led to South Africa’s annual rail cargoes of 100 million tons of iron, coal and manganese. 4
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With this legacy I was itching to know what is in pipeline now? Transnet Rail Engineering achieved a milestone recently when Transnet signed a contract to acquire 100 brand new diesel-electric locomotives. A substantial portion of the manufacturing including assembly, testing and commissioning will be performed by TRE. The contract was signed with GE South Africa Transportation (GESAT). The first 10 locomotives will be assembled by GE at its plant in Erie, Pennyslvania with the balance assembled by TRE in South Africa. Apart from assembly TRE will be fabricating brand new sub assemblies for the 90 locomotives. In turn GESAT will supply all the major components such as the engines, alternators, blowers and all other major hardware. TRE will do the complete assembly. The value of the subcontract is R355 million, while the total value of the whole contract is R2.32 billion. Most of these locos are earmarked for use on the general freight lines, although they could also have application on South Africa’s heavy haul lines. Looking beyond this one project, Thoba advised that the TRE is actually investing R392 million in the current financial year to expand the business through growth initiatives and maintain current business by replacement of equipment and facilities for higher efficiency, service quality and a safer working environment.
• Swasap has been established and manufacturing axles for Transnet Rail Engineering for over 60 years • Axles are exported to customers worldwide including major markets in Europe and North America • We are BEE compliant • We maintain an ISO 9001 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM and hold manufacturing accreditation to AAR M101, GMRT2470 and other world standards • GFM forge, fully equipped factory and world class laboratory and metrology facilities
Some more areas that will receive investment, solely within Transnet’s dedicated Rail Engineering sector, are: Diesel Centre of Excellence Equipment A Prep Newcastle/Wentworth/City Deep Lifting Shop Polokwane Coal line 81mt expansion Beyond the connections internally, TRE’s most important business imperative is in contributing to the success of Transnet’s strategy by supporting its sister company Transnet Freight Rail’s volume growth, especially on target commodity flows by further increasing availability and reliability of the locomotive and wagon fleets. Externally, sales to various railway markets are being developed for diesel locomotives, specific commodity freight wagons and rolling stock equipment such as wheel sets, traction motors, engines, parts and components. To keep up to speed with developments at Transnet Rail Engineering and the Transnet group please visit www.transnet.co.za END
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