Superform on track for train contract

Superform Aluminium has secured a major new contract to supply key components to train giant Siemens for the new Desiro UK project.

Proving that it is not all doom and gloom in manufacturing, UK based Superform Aluminium has secured a major new contract to supply key components to train giant Siemens for the new Desiro UK project.

Superform will be creating the train front components and assemblies for three variants of the Desiro.

The front corners of the Desiro UK are made in two large Superformed panels measuring 2.5m high, 1m wide and 700mm deep - a mammoth task by any standards, the Desiro train front is one of the largest and deepest components that Superform produces.

A total of 153 trains will be going to South West Trains and First Great Eastern.

The bulk of the contract comes from Angel trains which has ordered 132 Class 450s (otherwise known as Desiro UK) from Siemens Transportation comprising 100 four-car units and 32 five-car units.

All 132 will be leased to South West Trains (SWT).

Worcester based Superform has an impressive history of supplying complex parts to rail vehicle manufacturers on a variety of major projects ranging from the London Underground to the Stockholm Metro and so were on the "right track" to handle this contract.

The Superform process offers great advantages in terms of design freedom enabling rail clients to be unrestricted both technically and aesthetically.

Siemens Project Manager, Hans Stiedl said, "The contract was tendered to several suppliers who underwent a rigorous selection process.

We chose Superform as we had worked successfully with them on previous projects.

Their price was extremely competitive and the flexibility of their process unbeatable".

Project Manager Phil Taylor said, "The flexibility of the process would seem to be the key to our success in the rail market.

Whilst working on the initial Desiro project (for SWT) a modification was needed to widen the window of the train by 60mm to improve driver visibility.

To achieve this cost effectively and within a tight lead-time we modified the existing tools.

Working this way prevented the need for new tooling which would have been both expensive and time consuming.

The Superform process is unrivalled in offering that kind of flexibility within such time constraints".

Indeed, as Superform continues to develop and invests in new technology and production processes the advantages for rail vehicle manufacturers and suppliers increase.

With the new high pressure forming technology, and increased forming and trimming capacity coming on stream now, Superform can produce parts that are simply impossible to achieve in any other way at a rate which will satisfy even the most demanding build schedule.

With a combination of unrivalled forming capability, a typical lead time of 8 to 12 weeks for first parts, and economical, modifiable tooling it is easy to see why many of the rail companies are choosing Superformed parts for both new build and refurbishment work.

The SWT vehicles are produced in two variants and will be constructed by Siemens SGP in Vienna, Austria and Seimens Duewag in Krefeld, Germany.

In addition, Siemens is producing another version for First Great Eastern (FGE) in an order for 21 train sets for delivery in early 2003.

This version is tailored to a new specification and has a single large window in the driverûs cab and will be supplied as a kit of parts comprising left and right hand corners, central panel and canopy, along with a range of machined extrusions for the support structure.

SWT versions are supplied as left and right hand corners as complete welded assembly (comprising of formed parts with machined extrusions as sub structure welded to the forming), and a canopy skin for over the central door.

The trains will be supplied at a rate from 12 a month to three or four a month up until the end of 2004.

To service the rail market in particular, Superform recently joined the welding elite as one of very few companies to gain the stringent DIN 6700-2, Klasse C2 welding standard, a necessary qualification for producing the extremely high quality essential for the production of all railway vehicles and vehicle parts with high static or dynamic loading or high safety requirements.

Andy Lowerson, Superforms Sales Manager says: "The new welding standard follows our recent GBP 250,000 investment in welding technology and places us at the forefront of UK suppliers for this type of work".

He added: "Combined with our new forming capabilities and increased capacity we can offer a complete package tailored to their requirements".

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