In recent years, the rail industry has been undergoing a rapid transformation – especially in the service business. In the past, service was mostly carried out separately by the end user. Today, vehicle manufacturers are expected to offer the option of service, preferably hand in hand with the sale of a new vehicle. The Rail Service Center has just secured its first service contract with a Swedish OEM.

Until 2012, Bombardier Transportation (BT), Sweden, will be responsible for the service and maintenance of all Itino vehicles and has therefore signed a contract with Voith Turbo regarding the heavy maintenance of the entire driveline.

Apart from T 212bre Voith turbo transmissions, the Itino also features a Voith HTSD 400 Hydrodamp, SE-450 and KE 460 final drives, heat exchangers, cardan shafts as well as Voith Turbo Scharfenberg couplers type 10. The vehicles were put in service only some two years ago. Voith engineer Ammar Bouchareb states that it is the first time that negotiations about an effective service agreement have started simultaneously with the commissioning of the vehicles, and resulted in a successful contract. Voith Turbo will carry out specified service work within a maximum of four weeks and assume responsibility for logistics, repairs and warranties for the entire drive unit.

Each vehicle of the Itino fleet will undergo heavy maintenance service after a mileage of approximately 1.2 million kilometers. Until 2012, all Itino railcars will be subject to preventive and corrective maintenance carried out after a given schedule. The agreement is valid until 2012 and therefore covers the first major overhaul due in 2007. Additionally, an option for a further five years has been agreed which includes the second major overhaul.

Both Birgit Märkel of Voith Turbo Scharfenberg and Hans Beling, representative of the Voith Turbo Marketing Company in Sweden, are convinced that there will be more and more of such service contracts. Together with Ammar Bouchareb, they form the Voith Turbo team for the Swedish project. In order to perform the service contracts successfully and in compliance with customer requirements, they regard it as indispensable that service considerations are incorporated as early as possible, both by the manufacturer and the end user.

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 AG.

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