Rail supplier news from Trinity, Duos Technologies, Global Train, Seco Machine, Tideworks and Railinc (Jan. 15)

Trinity Industries Inc. named E. Jean Savage chief executive officer and president, effective Feb. 17. Savage has spent 17 years at Caterpillar Inc., currently serving as vice president of the surface mining and technology division. She previously served stints at Caterpillar’s Progress Rail subsidiary and Parker Hannifin Corp., and was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserves. Savage is a Trinity board member, a position she will retain upon her appointment, Trinity officials said in a press release.

Duos Technologies Inc. completed full-scale implementation of its Rail Inspection Portal (rip®) for CSX. This rip® installation allows automation of the railroad's rail-car mechanical inspections, which historically were conducted manually, Duos Technologies officials said in a press release. The next phase of this initial project includes the addition of artificial intelligence algorithms, which, when installed over the coming months, will mark the completion of the overall automation process, officials said. 

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) added Global Train Services LLC (GTS) as a preferred provider in the association’s member discount program. GTS will provide positive train control implementation, support and grant writing services at a discounted rate to ASLRRA members.

Seco Machine this month began production at its new plant in Green, Ohio. The 120,000-square-foot manufacturing, distribution and office space is about 60 percent larger than Seco’s previous site in North Canton, company officials said in a press release. Seco provides rail customers with machining services for cast and forged metal products, and supplies custom-molded urethane products.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. subsidiaries Freightliner and Pentalver selected Tideworks Technology Inc. as the intermodal solutions provider for their rail and container terminal network in the United Kingdom. Tideworks will provide its Intermodal Pro®  terminal operating system and Traffic Control™ equipment dispatch system, which will integrate with third-party systems including gate management and automation; container sales, maintenance and repair functionality; as well as support a customer web portal.

Railinc announced it is working with the Association of American Railroads’ Asset Health Strategic Initiative (AHSI) to share updated data for rail-car repair, as well as increase data collection and analysis of rail-car component issues over time. AHSI is a multiyear, multiphase program that applies information technology solutions and processes to address the industry's asset health challenges. As part of the initiative, individual railroads accumulate information over time to detect potential defects in wheels, bearings, axles and brake systems. This component health data is shared with Railinc, which then produces an equipment-level analysis of asset health, Railinc officials said in a press release.