“The development and production of electrical equipment and components is one of the strong pillars on which our group is based,” said Jaromír Šilhánek, president of Electric Systems & Components at Škoda Group. “In addition to the key area of deliveries for Škoda Group products, the aim is to significantly increase the volume of orders for external customers, both in rail and urban transport.”
In the first half of this year alone, Skoda Transportation’s Electric Systems & Components Division produced nearly 700 sets of electric traction equipment and hundreds more spare parts and components. The production portfolio is dominated by the most sophisticated equipment designed for various variants of the RegioPanter suburban units for the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as for the Škoda trams for Germany (Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Heidelberg and Bonn) and the Czech Republic (Pilsen, Brno and Ostrava) and other European cities.
Among the newly concluded orders for external customers outside the Škoda Group, one of the most important ones according to the company is the long-term cooperation with Alstom for the supply of traction motors and their parts for the entire spectrum of rolling stock, e.g., the S-Bahn for Germany or modern Traxx locomotives, where the total volume of deliveries will exceed hundreds of sets of traction motor components.
A new contract from Italian company Tesmec for the supply of complete electrical equipment for special locomotives used mainly for the purpose of maintenance and diagnostics of railway lines is also of particular interest to Skoda.
A significant and equally important reference of the Škoda Group is its cooperation with the engineering giant Wabtec, for which it is currently working on the production of mechanical drives, including traction motors for locomotives in Kazakhstan.
The group has already supplied the American company with equipment for more than 50 locomotives. The current contract envisages deliveries for another 26 locomotives.
“In addition to the aforementioned area of work for railway and rail transport vehicles, we are actively working on innovative solutions of traction systems for e-buses, trolleybuses and hydrogen buses,” added Šilhánek.