The Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe aims to increase the supply of railway products to European countries and expand its product portfolio in the passenger segment.
Oleksandr Harkavyi, the director of Interpipe’s Railway Products Division, announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports, citing the publication Forbes.
Harkavyi recalled that Interpipe successfully delivered passenger wheels for Deutsche Bahn’s high-speed trains in 2020-2021. "However, to increase our market share, currently estimated at around 5%, we need to broaden cooperation with national railway operators in Europe, including Spain's Renfe, France's SNCF, and Italy's Trenitalia, as well as complete certifications by global railcar manufacturing corporations such as Siemens, Alstom, and Stadler," said Harkavyi.
Unlike freight wheels, which have 10-15 standard types, each train or electric train in the passenger segment has its own wheel design, which may require the development of a separate production process - from steel casting to machining and painting - for each new wheel design. "This means that, first and foremost, we need a significant number of technically skilled engineers, since a wheel for a specific passenger rolling stock is essentially the development of a distinct product. Moreover, the company plans to continue modernizing its production facilities," said Harkavyi.
