Working towards increasing local sourcing and indigenization. Ahmedabad : Bombardier Transportation today presented the first BOMBARDIER MOVIA metro train manufactured at its new facility in Savli, Vadodara – Gujarat. The new site will result in broader industrial development of the country due to the production requirements requested by Bombardier of its local vendors. The most advanced manufacturing techniques have also been adopted such as spot-welding robots – making Bombardier the first railway company in India to use robotic welding technology for rail carbody manufacturing.
To mark the special occasion of the first Savli built metro coming off the production line, a ceremony took place at the new site attended by numerous guests from various sectors, including the State Government and the Railway Operators in India, suppliers and employees. The new metro train is part of an order for 424 MOVIA metro cars for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and was built in only 24 months, which includes the time it took to construct the new manufacturing facility. Approximately 250 people joined Mr. Stephane Rambaud Measson, President, Passengers Division, Bombardier Transportation; Mr. Rajeev Jyoti, President & Managing Director, India, Bombardier Transportation together with Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat and Dr. E Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. in the celebrations. “Bombardier Transportation has done commendable work by rolling out its first train from India within eight months after the establishment of its factory here. Bombardier’s Savli factory is a big step in achieving self reliance and indigenization of Metro coaches in the country,” said Dr. E. Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
The new site in Gujarat, which will serve projects in the South East Asia region as well as in India, is the first facility in India to be wholly-owned by a global foreign company. The site has been designed and built from scratch based on Bombardier’s state-of-the-art railway vehicle manufacturing plant located in Gorlitz, Germany.
“Given all the other production and engineering activities Bombardier is involved in here, such as its propulsion systems manufacturing site and the signaling systems software engineering centre, Vadodara has become the only city in the world equipped to deliver all key electrical and mechanical components needed for rail vehicle manufacturing and a true railway center in India,” said Rajeev Jyoti, President & Managing Director, India, Bombardier Transportation.
“This is already our second successful industrial project initiative in India and we have no intention of stopping here. We, at Bombardier, are open to introducing further leading technologies to this vibrant market as opportunities surge.”
The site represents an investment of 33 million euros and directly generates 750 new jobs in railway vehicle production. In addition, a further 2,000 indirect jobs are created in India in response to increased activity for Bombardier’s local supplier base. All this investment underlines the long-term commitment of Bombardier Transportation to the Indian market with which it has been associated for more than 35 years.
“The Delhi Metro presently operates across 78 kms and will spread to over 190 kms by 2010 making it one of the largest networks in the world. More than two million people are expected to travel by the Delhi Metro each day by next year and therefore it is very important that the best quality rolling stock becomes available to us as per our strict time schedule,” declared Dr. E. Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
Stephane Rambaud Measson, President, Passengers Division, Bombardier Transportation said, “The number of mega-cities is ever increasing and the need to develop sustainable mobility for the world is an absolute priority today. We at Bombardier are working hard on this task, developing products like the MOVIA metro which can move millions of people every day, quickly and in comfort, using less space and having a minimal impact on the environment.”
“Today, the MOVIA becomes an Indian vehicle, ready to serve the Indian market and those in the surrounding area. Following the success of the Delhi Metro Phase 2 Project, Bombardier is actively pursuing other metro projects in this region, and the Savli site will serve these future orders as well,” Rambaud Measson concluded.
Like other industrialized countries, India too is facing environmental concerns particularly regarding energy efficiency. Responding to these needs, Bombardier recently introduced its BOMBARDIER ECO4 suite of innovative technologies that covers a wide spectrum of performance requirements and offers specific benefits for train operators.
These range from planning the energy efficiency of new transportation systems to aerodynamically enhancing new train designs or optimizing the energy consumption of an existing fleet, all creating substantial overall energy savings of up to 50 per cent.
The MOVIA benefits from all these enhancements, providing the DMRC and future customers with the most efficient transportation solutions – in terms of the environment, technology, energy efficiency and cost.
Taking all these factors into consideration with the escalating need for sustainable mobility in cities across India and South East Asia, the Savli site is set to play a large role in the current market context.
Bombardier Transportation has been present in India for over 35 years. It has supplied Indian Railways with rail products, such as the WAP5 and WAG9 electric locomotives for passenger and freight applications and the Mumbai Traffic Management System. This system controls the 60-km rail stretch around Mumbai – one of the world’s heaviest rail commuter traffic areas – on which the Western Railways runs an impressive number of 1,000 trains everyday on time and safely.
More recently, Bombardier has been awarded contracts for the delivery of a second TMS for Central Railway in Mumbai, which will manage an excess of 1,400 services daily; production and delivery of its BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 350 train control and signalling system for two new sections of lines of Delhi Metro, 37 kilometers in total and 424 MOVIA metro cars to DMRC.
Bombardier Transportation is steadily ramping up its presence in India. Vadodara, Gujarat is home to the new railway vehicle manufacturing site, the propulsion systems manufacturing facility and software development center for signalling and traction applications in India as well as for other Bombardier Transportation projects around the globe. The site is ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified. In Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Infotech Enterprises operates one of the most important engineering centers already sourcing key global projects for Bombardier Transportation.
Bombardier Transportation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and has a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide. |