Rail supplier news from Kalmar, Vossloh, Greenbrier, TranSystems, Wilson & Co., LTK and Tealinc (Jan. 9)

Cargo-handling equipment provider Kalmar landed a deal to supply four Kalmar SmartPower rubber-tired gantry cranes (RTGs) to Norfolk Southern Railway. Delivery is scheduled by year's end. NS plans to use the RTGs at its intermodal terminals in Chicago and Memphis, Tennessee. The cranes will be equipped with Kalmar's electro-mechanical anti-sway system, a rotating spreader and process automation solutions. For example, an optical character recognition system will enable the cranes to automatically identify containers, Kalmar officials said in a press release.

Vossloh AG has completed the acquisition of STRABAG Rail GmbH's rail milling business. The deal initially was was announced in November. The acquired unit — which includes four milling machines and 30 employees — will be integrated into subsidiary Alpha Rail Team’s lifecycle solutions division. The acquisition greatly expands Vossloh’s milling business, strengthening rail and switch maintenance business, and expanding the division’s role as a comprehensive maintenance provider, company officials said in a press release.

Engineering firm TranSystems Corp. has named Kevin Hicks vice president and freight business leader. He will work out of the company's newly formed office in Omaha, Nebraska. Hicks previously served Union Pacific Railroad for more than 25 years, most recently as assistant VP of engineering design. He has expertise in new design and construction, as well as maintenance of existing infrastructure, TranSystems officials said in a press release.

For its first quarter in fiscal-year 2019, The Greenbrier Cos. reported revenue of $604.5 million, down 12.3 percent from fourth-quarter FY2018 revenue primarily due to a lower volume of rail-car deliveries. Net earnings in the period, which ended Nov. 30, 2018, totaled $18 million versus $26.4 million in the prior fiscal quarter. Car deliveries totaled 4,500 units while orders numbered 5,400 units valued at $560 million and the car backlog reached 27,500 units valued at $2.7 billion. "Order activity was strong in the first quarter and comprised a broad range of rail-car types, including double-stack intermodal units, tank cars and heavy-duty flat cars.  Importantly, 20 percent of all new rail-car orders were received from markets outside North America," said Greenbrier Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Furman in a press release. "We are confident in achieving our guidance for the year with approximately 90 percent of [our] fiscal 2019 production plan now booked with firm orders."

Wilson & Co. has appointed Don Sepulveda rail service unit manager. He will be based in San Bernardino, California. Sepulveda has 23 years of experience working for passenger and freight railroads. In terms of broader transportation and interconnectivity concepts, he has helped develop policy on positive train control and other passenger-rail issues, Wilson & Co. officials said in a press release. Sepulveda has served the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and worked closely with Metrolink, Amtrak, the North County Transit District, California High Speed Rail Authority and California Department of Transportation.

LTK Engineering Services has appointed Eloy Martinez manager of its vehicle mechanical engineering group to succeed James Herzog. Martinez has served LTK for 10 years and has 25 years of professional experience, including positions with the Federal Railroad Administration and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. He has extensive knowledge of all areas of passenger and freight equipment crashworthiness and vehicle safety, LTK officials said in a press release. Martinez chairs the American Public Transportation Association's passenger-rail equipment safety standard construction and structural committee.

Rail-car lessor and rail transportation consultant Tealinc Ltd. has promoted Kristen Kempson to manager of value creation-sales and marketing. Kempson has served the company for nearly two years, most recently as administrator-marketing and sales. "She has engaged with railroads, suppliers and multiple shippers to successfully buy, sell and lease rolling stock, including mill gondolas, open-top hoppers, flat cars, covered hoppers and even a locomotive," Tealinc officials said in a press release. Prior to joining the company, Kempson spent more than a decade in the rail industry as a rail-car fleet maintenance manager.