HEIDENHEIM - A total of 240 electric goods locomotives of the Chinese manufacturer DLoco will be fitted with Voith final drives and transmission components by the end of 2007.

The six-axle goods locomotive in question – with 7500 kW the most powerful of the DLoco series – will receive one final drive for each of its axles. For Lars Kräft, head of the final drive sales division, the altogether 1440 Voith final drives and transmission components constitute an important order that has overcome cultural barriers. According to Lars Kräft, Voith has only carried out substantial development work, but also managed to build up important contacts for future projects in China.

For Voith Turbo, this major order from China proves that aspects such as “partial relocation of production to South-East Asia” whilst simultaneously securing the location Germany do not exclude each other. Voith Turbo in Heidenheim produces gears and pinions for this contract that are shipped to China. In China, these components are assembled with other parts made by Dalian into the Voith SET-553 final drives.

Dalian is a six-million-people metropolis in North-East China. The state-owned locomotive manufacturer of the same name was founded as early as 1899 and builds some 500 locomotives of various power classes each year. The heavy goods locomotives will in future be used on the main connection lines between the North and the South-East of China. They will primarily be employed for moving heavy goods wagons with coal to China’s industrial regions. The customer for the 240 heavy electric goods locomotives to be built is the Chinese Ministry of Railway. The SET-553 is currently the most powerful Voith final drives. Each drive weighs 1216 kilograms. The output wheel alone has a diameter of nearly one meter. As the DLoco E-loco is driven by all six axles, each axle needs to be installed with a final drive.

To prepare the contract, Voith Turbo has spent several months in China with a team of up to 20 people. After the successful contract negotiations, a functioning project management system, assembly systems required by the Chinese, and a test stand, have been set up. According to Kräft, cultural and linguistic barriers have been overcome. Parts production at Dalian has already started, so that DLoco is able to deliver up to 20 new locomotives until the end of 2007.

This is the first order from the Chinese Ministry of Railway from Voith Turbo. The company therefore treats it as a reference contract, the professional handling of which will ensure that Voith Turbo receives follow-on orders from the growth market China.

Voith Turbo, the specialist for hydrodynamic drive, coupling and braking systems for road, rail and industrial applications, as well as for ship propulsion systems is a Group Division of Voith.

Voith sets standards worldwide for papermaking technology, power transmission, energy technology, and industrial services. Voith was founded on January 1st, 1867. With approximately 30,000 employees, annual sales of € 3.5 billion and over 200 locations worldwide, Voith is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. Voith is an official partner of the initiative “Germany - Land of Ideas.”