United Wagon Company (OVK) said on August 8 that it passed an audit and received the status of supplier of the largest European railway operator Deutsche Bahn. In addition, the Tikhvin Carriage Works (part of the OVK) was certified according to the European standard "Welding of railway vehicles and their elements", the audit was carried out by the German division of TUV Rheinland.
All this "opens up ample opportunities for the OVK railway holding to enter the European market," the Russian manufacturer said. "The audit carried out in the HVAC gave us the opportunity to increase the base of potential suppliers of freight cars and components," says Jens Baselt, a quality engineer at Deutsche Bahn, whose words are quoted by the HVAC.
The certificate confirms the conformity of the products to the requirements of Deutsche Bahn, its availability is a prerequisite for participation in tenders, says one of the counterparties of the German company. In which tenders Deutsche Bahn intends to participate in the HVAC, it is not known. The representative of the German company did not answer the questions last night.
The fleet of freight cars of Europe is about 860 000 units (HVAC data). Of these, 83,386 are in the management of Deutsche Bahn in 2017, (the company owns 74,500 shares). The operator's revenue in 2017 amounted to 42.7 billion euros, net profit - 765 million euros.
OVK is the largest manufacturer of freight cars in Russia and the second in the world: in 2017, the Group's enterprises produced 19,056 cars with a capacity of 22,000 units. in year. At the same time, the company received 4.5 billion rubles. net loss under IFRS at a revenue of 62 billion rubles. The long-term goal of the OVK is to achieve a 20% share of exports in revenue (in 2016, this figure was at 1%), the general director of the HVAC, Roman Savushkin, told Vedomosti in a March interview. "We began to actively develop exports last year. We already have two offices - in the US and a newly opened trading house in Europe. We participate in almost all tenders in the world, "he said. - There are regions where we deliver finished cars - it's Africa and the Middle East, there's a big line: gondola cars and hoppers. In total, contracts have been signed for the supply of up to 6,000 wagons, of which about 600 we shipped in 2017. In developed markets - the US and Europe - we supply various types of components. "
Now the United Wagon Company is developing the export of wagons to the EU countries. The company has already concluded contracts for the supply of wagons to Estonia (162 logging platforms), Poland (200 fitting platforms), lists the general director of Infoline Analytics Mikhail Burmistrov. "Over the past few years, the demand for wagons [in Europe] was about 5,000 units [per year] We forecast that in the near future it will remain at the same level," Deputy General Director for Business Development Maxim Ovcom, in response to Vedomosti's request, Kuzemchenko. "If we talk about export earnings, then this year we plan to reach the level of more than $ 40 million." As the main site for the production of wagons for export, the company is considering its plant in Tikhvin.
For comparison: in Russia the demand for freight cars in 2018 will be about 65 000 units, expects Burmistrov. In his opinion, the chances of the HVAC to become one of the main suppliers of Deutsche Bahn are "absolutely real". "Carriage-building products OVK" on the [American] Barber truck on the ratio of technical characteristics and costs surpasses the technique of most European manufacturers, "he explains. A devaluation of the ruble and the state support of exports increased the competitiveness of Russian manufacturers of railway equipment, the expert points out. The export of HVAC components is facilitated by the availability of a joint venture with the American Wabtec Corporation and the quality certificate of the Association of American Railways, which the Tikhvin Carriage Works received in 2017, adds Burmistrov.
Among suppliers of Deutsche Bahn already there are Russians. Mining and metallurgical Evraz, for example, received from the German operator a certificate for rails in 2016, and on wheels - in 2017. How much Evraz sold to Deutsche Bahn this product, the company does not disclose. Last year, Evraz increased rail sales by 47% to 863,000 tonnes, the company's report says.