Wabtec
Encyclopedia
Wabtec Corporation is an American
company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company
(WABCO) and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999.
Wabtec manufactures products for locomotive
s, freight cars
and passenger transit vehicles, and builds new locomotives up to 4,000 horsepower
(3 MW
).
also created from the Westinghouse Brake Company is independent of Wabtec and was spun off by American Standard
(the ultimate owner) in 2007.
The other company forming Wabtec, MotivePower Industries, can be traced back to 1972 with the formation of a Rail Systems Group by the Morrison Knudsen group; and the purchase of a manufacturing facility in Boise. 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 is 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.
In July 2010, Wabtec announced that it had purchased two manufacturers of rail equipment, Bach-Simpson Corp. and G&B Specialties. The companies produce locomotive components and track products respectively. The purchase price was reportedly US$48 million.
In November 2010, Wabtec acquired all of the assets of Cleveland, Ohio, based manufacturer of traction motors and electric coils for rail and power generation markets Swiger Coil Systems. On 28 February 2011, Wabtec announced that it had acquired Brush Traction
, an English locomotive builder and maintainer, for US$31 million.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
(WABCO) and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999.
Wabtec manufactures products for locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, freight cars
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
and passenger transit vehicles, and builds new locomotives up to 4,000 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(3 MW
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
).
History
The companies' origins go back as far as 1869 with the foundation of the Westinghouse Brake Company; this 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 SystemsWABCO Vehicle Control Systems
WABCO Vehicle Control Systems is a provider of electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission automation systems for heavy duty commercial vehicles....
also created from the Westinghouse Brake Company is independent of Wabtec and was spun off by American Standard
American Standard
American Standard may refer to:* American Standard, a brand of plumbing fixtures made by American Standard Brands.* American Standard, a brand of HVAC equipment made by Trane....
(the ultimate owner) in 2007.
The other company forming Wabtec, MotivePower Industries, can be traced back to 1972 with the formation of a Rail Systems Group by the Morrison Knudsen group; and the purchase of a manufacturing facility in Boise. 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 is 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.
In July 2010, Wabtec announced that it had purchased two manufacturers of rail equipment, Bach-Simpson Corp. and G&B Specialties. The companies produce locomotive components and track products respectively. The purchase price was reportedly US$48 million.
In November 2010, Wabtec acquired all of the assets of Cleveland, Ohio, based manufacturer of traction motors and electric coils for rail and power generation markets Swiger Coil Systems. On 28 February 2011, Wabtec announced that it had acquired Brush Traction
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
, an English locomotive builder and maintainer, for US$31 million.
External links
- Wabtec corporation company website
- Motive Power Inc. company website