Rail supplier news from IPS Cranes, CakeBoxx, Siemens, GE and RATP (June 7)

IPS Cranes has agreed to acquire American & Ohio Locomotive Crane Co. (AOLCrane™). The merger will create the "broadest and deepest range of crane manufacturing, services and resources," said IPS Cranes President and Chief Executive Officer Jackie O'Connell in a press release. The transaction will enable IPS Cranes to provide customers with a greater range of services, including line boring services related to locomotive crane repairs and builds.

The Association of American Railroads' (AAR) Intermodal Operations Committee has approved CakeBoxx Technologies' newest 53-foot intermodal container for use on North American freight-rail networks. Known as Model 732, the container features the company's two-piece "deck and lid" design and is available in both WTP and ISO configurations. The AAR certification will "further boost domestic sales" of the containers, CakeBoxx officials said in a press release.

Siemens earlier this week announced it has completed the 100th locomotive at its rail manufacturing hub in Sacramento, Calif. The company is building locomotives for Brightline, the privately funded passenger-rail venture in Florida, as well as for various departments of transportation throughout the United States. In late 2016, Siemens finished building the first trainset for Brightline.

GE Transportation and Brazilian mining company Vale have agreed to install GE's Trip Optimizer on more than 100 Vale locomotives operating across Brazil. Trip Optimizer is an automated cruise control system that analyzes route topology and conditions to create an optimally fuel-efficient plan. The technology could help save Vale $35 million annually, GE officials said in a press release. Upon full deployment of Trip Optimizer in 2019, Vale is expected to save 9.4 million liters of B8 diesel and reduce CO2 emissions by 22,700 tons per year. To meet Vale's specific needs, GE customized the technology to better navigate the "dynamic characteristics of the Brazilian landscape," said Marco Costa, president and CEO of GE Transportation in Latin America.

RATP Dev North America has appointed Josee Danis vice president of business development in Canada. Danis is responsible for increasing the company's presence in Canada and representing the firm in Canadian consortiums and transit organizations, RATP officials said in a press release. She has almost two decades of experience in finance and railroading. Danis previously worked for CN, where she served in finance, accounting and rail operations. She also served as VP of corporate and business development for Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc.