HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wabtec Corporation (derived from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation) is an American company formed by the merger of the
Westinghouse Air Brake Company The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (sometimes nicknamed or abbreviated WABCO although this was also confusingly used for spinoffs) was founded on September 28, 1869 by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Earlier in the year he had i ...
(WABCO) and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999. It is headquartered in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. Wabtec manufactures products for
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...
s, freight cars and passenger transit vehicles, and builds new locomotives up to . The company purchased
GE Transportation GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generati ...
on February 25, 2019.


History

The company's origins go back to 1869 with the foundation of the
Westinghouse Air Brake Company The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (sometimes nicknamed or abbreviated WABCO although this was also confusingly used for spinoffs) was founded on September 28, 1869 by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Earlier in the year he had i ...
. That company (also known as WA&B later as WABCO) became independent in 1990 via a management buy-out, and went public in 1995. Another company, WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, also created from the Westinghouse Brake Company, is independent of Wabtec and was spun off by
American Standard Companies American Standard Companies was a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, plumbing fixtures, and automotive parts. The company was formed in 1929 through the merger of the American Radiator Company and Stand ...
in 2007, and is today part of German automotive components firm
ZF Friedrichshafen ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally ''Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen'', and commonly abbreviated to ZF (ZF = "Zahnradfabrik" = "Cogwheel Factory"), is a German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south- ...
. The other company forming Wabtec, MotivePower Industries, can be traced back to 1972, with the formation of the
MK Rail MK or mk may refer to: In arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Moon Knight, a Marvel Comics superhero * M.K., an '' ''Into the Badlands'' (TV series) character * Mary Katherine "M.K." Bomba, the protagonist in ''Epic'' (2013 fil ...
division by the
Morrison Knudsen Morrison may refer to: People * Morrison (surname), people with the Scottish surname Morrison * Morrison Heady (1829–1915), American poet * Morrison Mann MacBride (1877–1938), Canadian merchant Places in the United States * Morrison, Colorad ...
group and the purchase of a manufacturing facility in
Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...
. In 1994 Morrison Knudsen created a subsidiary MK Rail Corporation; during the first half of the same decade the MK Rail group expanded with the acquisition of various other locomotive component companies. In 1996, MK Rail group separated from the parent Morrison Knudsen and adopted the name MotivePower Industries Corporation. In the later half of the 1990s further companies were acquired – again all in the locomotive components business. MotivePower, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wabtec, continues to manufacture locomotives. The corporate
logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...
is supposed to represent an axial view of a mechanical brake valve, where different air ports line up between the 'stator' and 'rotor' depending upon the handle position.


Mergers and acquisitions

In March 2010, Wabtec announced that it had purchased Xorail, a railway signaling design and construction company for $40 million. In July 2010, Wabtec announced the plan to purchase two manufacturers of rail equipment, Bach-Simpson Corp. and G&B Specialties. The companies produce locomotive components and track products respectively. The acquisition of G&B Specialties was completed on July 28, 2010, for approximately $31.8 million. The acquisition of Bach-Simpson Corporation was completed on August 20, 2010 for approximately $12.0 million. In November 2010, Wabtec acquired all of the assets of
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
based manufacturer of traction motors and electric coils for rail and power generation markets Swiger Coil Systems for approximately $43.0 million. On June 14, 2012, Wabtec acquired Mors Smitt Holding for a purchase price of $88.4 million. On June 6, 2014, Wabtec acquired Fandstan Electric Group, a rail and industrial equipment manufacturer, for a purchase price of $199.4 million. On August 21, 2014, Wabtec acquired Dia-Frag, a manufacturer of friction products including motorcycle braking, for a purchase price of $70.6 million. On June 17, 2015, Wabtec acquired all three units of Metalocaucho (MTC, in Spain, China and India) who are leaders in the field of suspension and anti-vibration systems, for a purchase price of $23.4 million. On July 27, 2015, Wabtec announced that it plans to purchase 51% of
Faiveley Transport Faiveley Transport (), formerly Faiveley, is an international manufacturer and supplier of equipment for the railway industry founded in 1919. It introduced the single-arm pantograph in 1955. The company has subsidiaries in more than 24 countr ...
's shares in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $1.8 billion, including debt. The deal closed on December 1, 2016, for a total of $1.7 billion. On October 12, 2015, Wabtec announced its acquisition of lineside sensor manufacturer
Track IQ Track IQ formerly known as Trackside Intelligence, is an international manufacturer and supplier of railway equipment and services for the purpose of measuring operating conditions. After developing the RailBAM (Bearing Acoustic Monitor) and WCM ...
. On April 20, 2018, it was reported that
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...
(GE), undergoing a strategic review, was in talks to sell its century-old locomotive business,
GE Transportation GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generati ...
, to Wabtec, according to people familiar with the matter. On May 21, 2018, GE and Wabtec confirmed the merger of GE Transportation with Wabtec in an $11 billion deal, completed on February 25, 2019, that saw Wabtec shareholders take a 50.8% shareholding in the merged company, with GE shareholders owning 24.3% and GE itself 24.9%. On 4 January 2022, it was announced that Wabtec had acquired the New Delhi-based railway friction business, Masu, for 34 million USD.


United Kingdom


Brush Traction

Wabtec bought
Brush Traction Brush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives in Loughborough, England. It is a subsidiary of Wabtec. History Hughes's Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works Henry Hughes had been operating at the Falcon Works since ...
of
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second large ...
, an English locomotive builder and maintainer, for US$31 million on 25 February 2011.


Bearward Engineering

In November 2011, Wabtec acquired Bearward Engineering, an industrial radiator manufacturer employing some 300 people based in
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...
, England. Bearward Engineering mainly makes cooling systems for power generators. At the time of purchase Bearward had an annual sales of US$70 million.


Wabtec Rail UK

Wabtec Rail Limited is a railway engineering company based in at the
Doncaster Works Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England. Also referred to as The Plant''", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough. Until 1867 it u ...
in
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
, England. Services include the overhaul and repair of railway rolling stock and components. Wabtec Rail occupies part of the former
British Rail Engineering Limited British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was the railway systems engineering subsidiary of British Rail. Established in 1970, the maintenance arm was split as British Rail Maintenance Limited in 1987, and the design and building of trains was ...
site known locally as the Plant Works. The two main unions on site (
Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs ...
and RMT) gave notice on November 3, 2014, of their intention to ballot their members for industrial action over a pay dispute, for the first time in Wabtec Rail Limited's history.


Wabtec Rail Scotland

Wabtec Rail Scotland occupies the
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
works of the former locomotive builder Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.


LH Group Services

Wabtec announced the $48 million acquisition of diesel engine, transmission and bogie overhaul and industrial locomotive supplier LH Group on October 1, 2012. Based at
Barton-under-Needwood Barton-under-Needwood is a large village in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Situated a mile from the A38, and located between Burton upon Trent and Lichfield. It had a population of 4,225 at the 2011 census. It is al ...
in Staffordshire, LH has around 400 employees and annual sales of US$65m, about 10% of which are in non-rail markets.


Battery electric locomotive

In September 2021, at an event in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Wabtec unveiled the world’s first battery-electric freight locomotive. It was the result of a joint venture with
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
, and is part of an initiative by the two organizations to develop zero-emissions technology. Using a traditional locomotive body, the usual
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-cal ...
has been replaced by a large bank of batteries, which drive the traction motors of the locomotive.
Regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
is used to help recharge the batteries. Wabtec claimed that the next version of the locomotive, to be developed within two years, would reduce the consumption of diesel fuel by nearly a third, and that emissions could entirely eliminated through the development of accompanying hydrogen fuel cells.


References


External links

* {{authority control American brands Rolling stock manufacturers of the United States American companies established in 1999 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1999 1999 establishments in Pennsylvania Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Westinghouse Electric Company