Bombardier: New Joint Venture for Production of
Propulsion Technology in China
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--FEBRUARY 26, 2003 - 09:15 EST
Today, Bombardier Transportation has
inaugurated in China a joint venture company dedicated to the
production, marketing and maintenance of propulsion equipment for
rail vehicles. The new company, Bombardier-CPC Propulsion Systems
Co. Ltd. (BCP), is owned equally by Bombardier-Power (Mauritius)
Ltd. and Changzhou Railcar Propulsion Engineering R&D Center. It
is located in the city of Changzhou, some 1,000 km South of
Beijing.
During the official opening ceremony, which was attended by
Changzhou's mayor Fan Yanqing, Ake Wennberg, President,
Propulsion & Controls, Bombardier Transportation, pointed out:
"This is a further step in demonstrating our commitment to the
Chinese market. We are now in the position to equip the rail
vehicles that we build in China with propulsion and control
systems that are being produced locally, as well."
The manufacture of propulsion equipment is scheduled to start
this year. The number of employees working in the new plant,
which is currently around 120, shall then gradually be increased
up to 400. For this purpose, Chinese workers will be trained by
Bombardier in Sweden and Germany. European experts will support
the production start-up. The BCP plant in Changzhou, where
propulsion and control systems for trams, metros and electric
multiple units will be manufactured, is designed for a capacity
of 700 converters per year.
Bombardier Transportation has two current rolling stock joint
ventures in China. The Changchun Bombardier Railway Vehicles Co.
Ltd. (CBRC) has already received three large-scale orders for the
production of metro trains - 156 vehicles for Metro-Line 2 in
Guangzhou, 132 vehicles for Phase 1 of Shenzhen's metro network,
and 60 vehicles for Metro-Line 1 in Shanghai.
Bombardier Sifang Power (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd. (BSP),
located in Qingdao, Shandong Province, is a joint venture between
a Chinese company and international partners. It is dedicated to
the manufacture of passenger cars for China, as well as for
external markets. In 1999, BSP was awarded an order for 300
high-grade railway passenger cars by the Ministry of Railways of
China (MOR).
Including its joint ventures, Bombardier currently employs
approximately 1,000 people in China. In addition to its rail
transportation operations, Bombardier is the regional aircraft
leader in China (with 27 aircraft across 6 airlines), and the
leader in business jets. Bombardier's involvement in China dates
back over 20 years.
Bombardier Transportation is the global leader in the rail
equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its wide range of
products includes passenger rail cars and total transit systems.
It also manufactures locomotives, freight cars, propulsion &
controls and provides rail control solutions.
Bombardier Inc., a diversified manufacturing and services
company, is a world leading manufacturer of business jets,
regional aircraft, rail transportation equipment and motorized
recreational products. It also provides financial services and
asset management in business areas aligned with its core
expertise. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, the Corporation has
a workforce of some 80,000 people in 24 countries throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Its revenues for the fiscal
year ended Jan. 31, 2002 stood at $21.6 billion. Bombardier
trades on the Toronto, Brussels and Frankfurt stock exchanges
(BBD, BOM and BBDd.F). |
