Rail supplier news from Cordel, CTOS, Bombardier, Wood, Icomera and Wago (Dec. 9)

Cordel has named Erik Henderson as its global head of rail solutions. Most recently, he was technical director of geographic information system field services and robotics and automation at CSX. Henderson is an expert in positive train control, asset change management and in the use of remote sensing technologies such as LiDAR and unmanned aerial vehicles for railroad engineering applications, Cordel officials said in a press release.

Nesco Holdings Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Custom Truck One Source (CTOS) for nearly $1.5 billion. Together the companies will provide specialty rental equipment for infrastructure markets, including  critical rail. The combined company will operate on a national scale with over 1,800 employees, 46 locations and a rental fleet that will be nearly double in size with almost 9,000 units, CTOS officials said in a press release. After the closing in first-quarter 2021, CTOS Chief Executive Officer Fred Ross will serve as CEO of the combined business.

The National Labour Inspection Authority in Poland recognized Bombardier Transportation’s rail traffic control and management system manufacturing site in Katowice, Poland, for prioritizing safety and health of Bombardier employees. The Employer Assuring Safe Work award was given to Bombardier for its measures to protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its efforts to train and develop employees, monitor employee performance, conduct risk assessments for all work activities and implement improvement programs, Bombardier officials said in a press release. 

Wood hired Naeem Farooqi as director of sustainable transit and transport asset management solutions in Canada. Farooqi has experience in electrification and clean hydrogen transport solutions, as well as establishing transit fare policies, asset management plans and organizational designs to support transit service, Wood officials said in a press release.

SNCF selected Icomera to install Wi-Fi for passengers on 203 Intercites rail cars in France. The deployment began in January, and will include upgrades over three years, Icomera officials said in a press release.

Wago Corp. hired Marc Reed as regional sales manager in the Atlanta region. Reed has a background as a sales engineer, working primarily in the automation field, Wago officials said in a press release. Previously, he worked at Simco Technologies, IFM Efector and Mayer Electric.