Rail supplier news from nVent, STV, Siemens and Progress Rail (May 1)

nVent Electric plc has completed its separation from Pentair plc and has launched as an independent, publicly traded company. nVent provides electrical enclosures, electric heat tracing solutions, heat management systems, and electrical and fastening solutions. The company's customers include commercial builders, energy companies, data centers and industrial manufacturers. nVent's principal office is in London, while its U.S. management office operates in Minneapolis.

STV developed planning for the final alignment of the Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) recently opened Blue Line extension, a $1.16 billion project. STV also provided the environmental assessments and designed all 11 stations, 13 bridges and more than 40 retaining walls. CATS' 9.3-mile Blue Line extension runs from the 7th Street Station in Charlotte's Center City area to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus.

Barbara Humpton has been appointed chief executive officer of Siemens' U.S. division, effective June 1. She currently serves as CEO of Siemens Government Technologies Inc., which she joined in 2011 as senior vice president for business development. Before joining Siemens, Humpton held senior leadership positions at Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Progress Rail has appointed Paolo Covoni managing director of ECM S.p.A., its recently acquired international signaling company. Most recently, he served as vice president of the southern region of Bombardier Transportation's rail control solutions. Covoni previously served as CEO of Alstom Transport Italia and vice president of strategy for Alstom Transport's signaling division in Paris. Covoni will assist Progress Rail in developing products for the signal industry, Progress Rail officials said in a press release.