Rail supplier news from New York Air Brake, Mitsui Rail, Burns Group, Jacobs, Parsons Brinckerhoff, REMSA and RSI (Aug. 20)

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems L.L.C. and Knorr-Bremse sister company New York Air Brake L.L.C., working in conjunction with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), have created the Knorr-Bremse North America Mechatronics Laboratory at RIT's Kate Gleason College of Engineering in Rochester, N.Y. Expected to open this fall, the lab will serve RIT students and engineers from Bendix and New York Air Brake.

Mitsui Rail Capital L.L.C. has named Daniel Penovich president and promoted Chris Gerber from director of sales and marketing to vice president of sales and marketing. Penovich joined the company in 2010 as VP of sales and marketing. Gerber joined the rail-car leasing and fleet management firm in 2012.

The Burns Group announced recent personnel additions: Frank Lally, who joined the firm as a senior communications engineer; Kevin Thuer, who was hired as a signals and communications associate; and Fatos Gjakova, who was named a traction power associate. Lally will help lead Burns' special systems services across all markets; Thuer will focus on radio frequency and communications design; and Gjakova will coordinate traction power design efforts for railroads, transit operators and automated people mover projects.

Jacobs Associates promoted Rick Smith to senior associate. Based in Seattle, Smith has 27 years of geotechnical engineering experience for heavy civil design and construction. He served on the teams for several large underground projects in Seattle, including the University Link and Northgate Link light-rail extensions.

Evie Sproviero has been named a senior supervising engineer in the Newark, N.J., office of Parsons Brinckerhoff. She will be responsible for planning and designing power stations and equipment in support of power, transportation infrastructure and transit projects. Sproviero has more than 24 years of experience in electrical engineering design, procurement, construction, and management. Prior to joining Parsons Brinckerhoff, she was a lead electrical engineer for a power engineering company.

Exhibit opportunities have been expanded beyond railway suppliers for the USA Pavilion at the Business on Rails trade show to be held Nov. 11-13 at the Expo Center Norte in in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Railway Engineering Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and Railway Supply Institute (RSI) announced yesterday. Exhibit space now is open to any U.S. company or shipper organization "interested in being seen at NT Expo 2014," according to the associations. "The turnkey experience offered in the USA Pavilion makes it easy for exhibitors to connect with potential customers in this important international market," said RSI President Tom Simpson in a press release.