Sustainable aluminium solutions producer and recycler Novelis has purchased 220 new Shimmns wagons as part of efforts to expand its rail logistics operations in Europe.
The company invested about €43m ($50.4m) to procure the new railcars.
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Novelis has so far received 30 of these railcars. The remaining units are expected by September 2026.
The first official handover took place on 2 December 2025, at the DUSS terminal located in the Göttingen freight transport centre, Germany.
On Rail Gesellschaft für Eisenbahnausrüstung und Zubehör, based in Mettmann, Germany, is supplying the railcars.
The Shimmns railcars will be used to transport aluminium coils, scrap, and ingots. These new units will replace leased wagons that could only carry one type of material.
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By GlobalDataAccording to On Rail, the Shimmns type wagons have a tarpaulin cover and are used to transport freight that is sensitive to weather conditions.
Rail makes up 95% of transportation for material moved between Novelis’ ten production sites in Europe, said the company.
With the addition of new wagons, Novelis expects to increase the volume of aluminium ingots shipped by rail in Germany—particularly from its aluminium recycling plant in Nachterstedt to Alunorf aluminium rolling mill in Neuss.
Some shipments previously used trucks because train capacity was insufficient, notes Novelis.
The switch aims to reduce both costs and CO₂e emissions by cutting about 2,000 truck trips, which equals around a 78% reduction in related emissions a year.
Novelis plans to lower carbon output at its facilities and during production by focusing on renewable power sources and improving industrial procedures and logistics methods.
The investment contributes to Novelis’ ‘3×30’ objectives, aimed at promoting circular solutions for aluminium use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions per metric tonne (mt) below 3mt for flat-rolled products by the end of 2030.
Novelis Europe supply chain vice president Roland Leder said: “With this investment, we are laying the foundation for even more efficient and environmentally friendly logistics.
“The new railcars are expected to increase our flexibility, optimise material flows, and enable better utilisation of the trains. Thanks to built-in GPS trackers, we always know where each material delivery is currently located.”
