AdTranz
Adtranz Logo
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| joint venture | |
| Industry | Rail transportation |
| Successor | Bombardier Transportation |
| Founded | 1996 (through merger) |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
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Key people
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Rolf Eckrodt (President 1992-6, Chairman 1996-8) |
| Products | Rail vehicles, railway electrification and signalling |
| Revenue |
DM5.7 billion (1996) DM6.4 billion (1997) €3.3 billion (DM6.5 billion) (1998) €3.6 billion (1999) €3.9 billion (2000) |
| Owner |
ABB, Daimler-Benz Daimler Chrysler (after 1999) |
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Number of employees
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22,715 (1997) |
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation (after 1999 DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems), commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the US.
The company was created in 1996 in the merger of Daimler-Benz's and ABB's rail equipment manufacturing facilities. In 1999, DaimlerChrysler (now Daimler AG) bought ABB's shares and changed its official name to DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems. Bombardier Transportation acquired the company in 2001, at which time Adtranz was the world's second largest manufacturer of such equipment. The acquisition significantly increased the size of Bombardier's rail industry holdings making Bombardier the largest rail equipment manufacturer in the world.
Adtranz manufactured mainline locomotives, high-speed, regional, metro and underground passenger trains, trams and people movers as well as freight wagons. Non rolling stock businesses included railway electrification and signalling infrastructure.
On 8 May 1995 ABB and Daimler-Benz proposed a merger of their rail industry related activities into a single autonomous 50:50 joint venture; the combined group would be the largest rail-technology company in the world. In Germany the combined company, along with Siemens would have a duopoly or near-duopoly in the market areas of electric locomotives, mainline and regional electric and diesel multiple units, trams and metros, and catenary systems. In the EU, outside Germany, the merger would have meant no significant market share increase, including Scandinavia, where ABB had a dominant market share. The proposed merger was suspended pending a report on any potential anti-competitive effects of the merger, on 18 October 1995 the merger was allowed, provided that both companies divest themselves of any shares in Kiepe (traction components company). The merger came into force on 1 January 1996.
The company's manufacturing facilities and product lines were rationalised, including a standard form of car body; after 18 months manufacturing costs had been reduced by 30%, revenues and orders also rose from 1996-7. However the company continued to be loss making, losing $111 million in 1997. Polish manufacturer Pafawag was acquired in 1997 and the facility modernised, controlling interests in MÁV Dunakeszi, Hungary and Schindler Waggon Switzerland were also acquired by the end of 1997.
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Wikipedia