Rail supplier news from Hanson, Hollysys, Alstom, Auto Truck and WAGO (Dec. 15)

Hanson Professional Services Inc. has received an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that allows operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) commonly known as drones. Hanson petitioned for the exemption June 30 to use UAS to collect data as part of its engineering, planning and surveying services. The firm will use a DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter and is permitted to add a fixed-wing aircraft in the future, company officials said in a press release. The drones can be used for services such as inspections, mapping, surveys, photography, videography of project sites, and project corridor planning.

Hollysys Automation Technologies Ltd. has signed contracts worth $75.5 million to provide automatic train protection (ATP) equipment and systems for 179 sets of high-speed trains in China. The ATP onboard signaling equipment works with the ground-based signaling equipment train control center, while the critical control elements in the railway's signaling systems ensure safety and reliability of the operation, Hollysys officials said in a press release. The company will provide the technology for 70 high-speed trainsets in the 125 mph to 155 mph range, and for 109 sets running at 185 mph to 215 mph.

Alstom has been awarded a $175 million contract to supply 30 Coradia Continental electrical trains to the Hessische Landesbahn GmbH (HLB) in Hesse, Germany. The trains are scheduled to enter commercial service in December 2018 on the Sudhessen-Untermain network, connecting the cities of Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Aschaffenburg in the west-central part of Germany. Coradia Continental trains are designed to travel at a commercial speed of 100 mph. The three- to four-car trainset versions will be able to carry up to 350 and 460 passengers each.

Auto Truck Group will relocate its Louisville service center to a new facility in Simpsonville, Ky., in first-quarter 2016. With nearly 80,000 square feet of production space, the new service center is intended to further enhance the company's manufacturing capabilities and production volume. Additionally, the new facility will include paint and spray-on bed liner booths, along with 15 acres of storage.

WAGO appointed Joe Stirpe as regional sales manager for Upstate New York. He'll lead the company's efforts in developing a broad customer-support base, as well as ensuring that WAGO remains a key supplier to original equipment manufacturers and distributors in the area. Over the past several decades, Stirpe has held leadership positions in business development and management at Siemens, Invensys Euroterm and KJ Electric Corp.

[Editor's note: This story has been updated since its initial posting.]