OATS Propulsion Upgrade Concluded
CHICAGO, Jan. 24 -- In March 2006 O'Hare Airport Transit System (OATS) awarded an order to a consortium consisting of Converteam Canada Inc and Strukton Systems established in the Netherlands. The order comprised the upgrade of the propulsion system of the automatically operated VAL -- trains on Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Today, representatives of OATS, the City of Chicago, Converteam and Strukton celebrated the successful conclusion of this project.
The trains have been in extensive service since 1992. Main reason to upgrade the propulsion system was the gradually deteriorating reliability, component obsolescence and increased maintenance costs. Integration of existing, not affected components, has been extended to a maximum, resulting in a cost effective solution. In addition, new control electronics incorporated modern maintenance and diagnostic tools.
Strukton Systems was responsible for the design of the new equipment, including a factory test in combination with the original motor. The series production has been executed by Converteam in Ontario -- Canada. Converteam also acts as the local service provider. The actual conversion process has been executed in the OATS maintenance workshop in Chicago. The smart design resulted in an absolute minimum vehicle turn around time. In June 2007 the first modernised vehicle was subject to an extensive testing program, with successful acceptance tests in October of the same year. This was followed by series production and training of the OATS maintenance staff.
Strukton and Converteam were proud to receive positive feedback from the customer with respect to the performance of the new equipment, which is regarded as superior to the old system. Both contractors are thankful for the extremely pleasant cooperation with OATS staff. They specifically thank Mr. Raj Rambhajan and Mr. Larry Grandy for their support during the execution of this project.
About Strukton -- Strukton Systems is part of Strukton Railinfra which is a full-service provider of rail systems in Europe. The company is active in the fields of construction, renewal and maintenance of rail systems, including rolling stock and information and monitoring systems in addition to the traditional track and catenary systems. The company was founded in 1921 and has at present approximately 3,000 employees in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Italy. The turnover in the year 2006 amounted to EUR 475 mln.
About Converteam -- Converteam Group is a world leader in power-conversion engineering. Building on over a century of experience, the company is firmly placed at the leading edge of technology and innovation with a global reputation for excellence in the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical performance. Converteam develops and provides solutions built around three core components: rotating machines, drives, and process automation. Converteam provides power conversion solutions worldwide, serving its core markets in Marine& Offshore, Oil & Gas, Energy, and Industry, as well as various specialized sectors. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company employs over 4,550 people in various other locations around the world including the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil, China, and India. Converteam's North American operation is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, employing 200 people, with offices in Miami, Houston, Houma (LA), Seattle, and Burlington & Vancouver, Canada. Converteam Group's 2006 sales total more than $840,000,000 (EUR 686,000,000)
Source: Converteam
CONTACT:
Alexis Williams,
External Communications Manager of Converteam,
+1-412-963-3218,
alexis.williams@converteam.com
Web site: www.converteam.com/
