NORTH AMERICA: United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant in Russia has begun shipping Barber S-2-HD bogie side frames and bolsters for the North American market, after obtaining Association of American Railroads approval for their use on wagons for unrestricted interchange in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
UWC plans to supply bogies for up to 5 000 wagons per year under a 10-year contract with Wabtec.
‘The start of shipments to the mature and competitive North American market confirms the high quality of our products and compliance with world standards’, said Maxim Kuzemchenko, Deputy CEO for Business Development. ‘We keep on diversifying UWC’s business by using our competitive strengths and building relations with the industry leaders.’
In order to produce castings for the North American market, TVSZ had to pass a quality management system audit to confirm compliance with AAR specification М1003, and also meet AAR’s foundry technical requirements. Sample castings were subjected to static and dynamic structural testing at an AAR-approved CTLGroup materials testing centre.
