EMD Opens Sete Lagoas Facility
Photo courtesy of Dario Cantatore / NYSE Euronext, from L-R: Deputy Mayor of New York, Robert K. Steel; Mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg; Chief Executive Officer of NYSE Euronext, Duncan L. Niederauer.
Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services, announced it has officially opened its locomotive manufacturing facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. The Sete Lagoas facility is the first EMD locomotive assembly plant to open in Brazil in more than 20 years and supports the company strategy to compete in the global railway industry.
The facility will produce the 2.8MW SD70ACe for the South American market, although other types will also be built at Sete Lagoas. Production is already underway at the facility, which is assembling a batch of 14 SD70ACes for Vale's logistics subsidiary VLI and 21 units for Eldorado Paper and Pulp, which will be delivered by February 2013.
"We made a commitment to our customers to deliver the most reliable, durable and sustainable locomotives on the market today. With the grand opening of our Sete Lagoas facility, we look to further that promise by not only providing cost effective and comprehensive rail solutions, but also by working with the best team in Brazil," said Progress Rail CEO and Caterpillar Vice President Billy Ainsworth.
The site adds to Progress Rail and EMD's efforts to increase global capacity to produce locomotives. These global capacity efforts also include locomotive assembly facilities in Muncie, Indiana USA, Sahagun, Mexico, and a joint effort with Bombardier Transportation in India.
Progress Rail Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., is a leading supplier of new and remanufactured locomotive and railcar products and services to the railroad industry, operating one of the most extensive rail service and supply networks in North America.
Through its acquisition of Electro-Motive Diesel, Progress Rail has expanded its portfolio of industry-leading products and services, furthering its commitment to our customers. Electro-Motive Diesel is an original equipment manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives. The company is the only diesel-electric locomotive manufacturer to have produced more than 72,500 engines and has the largest installed base in both North America and worldwide.