Supplier Spotlight (June 2007)

• RailWorks Corp. was acquired by private equity investment firm Wind Point Partners in partnership with RailWorks’ management team. The ownership change will not affect the management team or operations, according to RailWorks.
• Union Switch & Signal Inc. will acquire yard control system supplier RM Star Inc.
• Watco Cos. Inc. has acquired the car repair, maintenance and fleet management operations of Millenium Rail Inc., which now will become a Watco subsidiary.
• Steelhead Corp. acquired R-Mac Sales and Leasing L.L.C. and renamed R-Mac “Encore Rail Systems Inc.” Former R-Mac VP of Operations Doug Delmonico will serve as Encore’s president.
• AmeriCast Technologies Inc. acquired Atlas Castings and Technology.
• PPG Industries acquired certain assets of Champion Coatings Inc.

International contracts

• Through its subsidiary Union Switch & Signal International, Ansaldo STS signed a 10-year industrial and commercial collaboration agreement with China’s Zhejiang Zheda Insigma Group Co. Ltd. The partners will provide mass transit signaling control systems throughout China. The companies currently are developing a signal system for the Shenyang Metro Line Co.’s 17.4-mile Line 1.
• Harsco Track Technologies obtained two orders to supply more than 40 rail grinders to the Chinese Ministry of Railways. Totaling more than $350 million over four years, the contract represents Harsco’s largest-ever sale.
• New York Air Brake Corp. obtained contracts to provide EP-60 electronically controlled pneumatic air brakes to Australian mining company Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. for 400 married pairs of iron ore cars and 17 new GE - Transportation locomotives.

Going green

• National Railway Equipment Co. will supply two of its three-engine 2,100-horsepower Ultra-Low Emitting “GenSet” locomotives to Norfolk Southern Railway.
• NS also purchased two RP-series multi-engine, low-emission kits from Railpower Technologies Corp. to convert two yard locomotives.

Stacking up

• The Greenbrier Cos. obtained an order from an undisclosed customer to build 1,700 double-stack intermodal platforms, most of which will be delivered in second-half 2007.

Software

• Digital Concepts Inc. has released Digital Traffic Control™ 6.2, the latest version of DigiCon® software. ... The Ohio Central Railroad System purchased SSG Innovations L.L.C.’s ExpressYard™ software to help manage daily operations at rail-car maintenance facilities.