Representatives of one of the world's largest railcar manufacturers, the Greenbrier Group, have visited the production facilities of the Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Interpipe announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
"With American roots and production facilities in the United States, the company is currently actively expanding its presence in the European market. We are shipping wheels, axles, and wheelsets to our new partner," the statement said.
According to the statement, Pierre Braun, director of strategic sourcing for Greenbrier Europe, visited the Interpipe Steel and Interpipe NTZ production facilities in Dnipro in early November.
"This is the first in-person visit by a European client to Interpipe's facilities since the start of the full-scale invasion. The company's production facilities continue to operate despite the war and remain reliable suppliers, which is appreciated by the customers. We are discussing further cooperation with the Greenbrier Group," Interpipe said in the statement.
"During the visit, it was important for me to see that Interpipe's production facilities continue to operate even under the current conditions in Ukraine. I observed the entire production chain - from steel billets to wheelsets, quality control, and traceability of all stages of production. In addition, I had the opportunity to talk to the team, and I saw people who want to work. This is my first visit to Ukraine. Someone might say that now is not the best time to visit. But it is important for us to show that you are not alone," said Braun.
As the CFTS portal reported, in the summer of 2024, Interpipe signed an agreement to supply railway wheels to Greenbrier Corporation.
"Interpipe signed the largest contract with Greenbrier, the largest manufacturer of railway wagons in Europe. Its parent company is American, but the plant to which we will supply a significant volume of wheelsets is located in Poland," said Oleksandr Harkavyi, director of Interpipe's Railway Products Division.
Recently, Harkavyi said that representatives of international companies had some difficulties visiting Interpipe's plants in Ukraine to audit its production facilities because of the COVID pandemic and then the war.
