Supply Side: Cando/Caltrax; Duos; Railroad Software; Siemens Mobility
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Pictured are Cando Superintendent Chris Greenaway and Assistant Superintendent Colin Love with Caltrax employees Damen Duczek, MRU Lead, and Kevin Gage, Vac Truck Operator and MRU Technician in the field, at Cando Sturgeon Terminal. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of Cando Rail and Caltrax)
Cando Rail & Terminals and Caltrax team to provide railcar cleaning and repair on-site in Alberta, Canada. Also, Duos Technologies installs its 13th Railcar Inspection Portal; Railroad Software earns a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing U.S. private companies; and Siemens Mobility achieves the highest ranking in the EcoVadis Sustainability Rating 2023.
Cando Rail & Terminals / Caltrax
Cando Rail & Terminals and Caltrax, a division of CAD Railway Industries, have teamed to provide large industrial customers with railcar cleaning and repair on site at the Cando Sturgeon Terminal in Alberta. Since work is completed at the terminal, customers can retain their railcar volume in the region, they said.
Caltrax offers full-service independent railcar repair for all car types. “With their dedicated focus on safety, customer service and mobile repair capabilities, they are the perfect partner for us at our Multi-Purpose Terminals, allowing us to provide greater levels of service to our valued customers,” said Cando, a provider of first- and last-mile rail service and terminal infrastructure.
Duos
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Duos on Aug. 16 reported that it now has 13 Railcar Inspection Portals (RIP®) in operation at four major railroads to detect and identify railcar mechanical issues. According to the company, which provides machine vision and artificial intelligence that analyzes vehicles at speed, those 13 portals have performed more than 3.8 million “comprehensive” railcar scans through the first half of this year across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Duos reported that two additional RIPs are now being manufactured and slated for deployment on the Northeast Corridor in the coming months. “These advanced RIPs will deploy new machine vision technologies capable of capturing safety data at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour,” according to the company. “Duos expects to deploy new wheel and brake inspection technologies with this installation.”
“Through our ongoing rail industry involvement, we have been active in identifying the key metrics to support an increased safety focus including our consultation on the proposed Rail Safety Act of 2023,” Duos CEO Chuck Ferry said. “Related to that engagement, we have continued to develop our technologies to further support those efforts, including significant AI development whereby we already have more than 40 highly effective models, operating with an often greater than 95% accuracy. We are also working with a Class I railroad that has applied for waivers to the current inspection methods in order to use the Duos RIP systems in their inspection plans. As we continue to expand our footprint and capabilities, we expect to drive greater interest from prospective customers as well as further improve our performance by leveraging an ever-growing dataset.”
Separately, Duos, on Oct. 4, announced a new subscription service for the rail industry, “lowering the barriers to entry for acquiring a RIP system for railroads and railcar owners alike.”
Railroad Software
Atlanta, Ga.-based Railroad Software on Aug. 15 reported being ranked No. 3,275 on the Inc. magazine 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States.
According to Inc., companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, they must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019, and be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of Dec. 31, 2022. Inc. said that the minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2022 is $2 million.
“This is a tremendous honor, and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone on our team,” said Jeff Birmingham, CEO of Railroad Software, which offers rail yard inventory, railcar inspection, data services and compliance software, among others. “We have worked hard to build a company that is innovative, customer-focused and values excellence. This recognition is a validation of our efforts.”
Railroad Software reported that its revenue has grown by 155% over the past three years.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our customers and to be recognized for our success,” added Birmingham. “We are committed to continuing to innovate and grow, and we are confident that we can achieve even greater things in the years to come.”
Railroad Software said it was also ranked 142 on the list of fastest-growing private companies in Georgia, 401 on the list of fastest-growing private software companies in the United States, and 135 on the list of fastest-growing private companies in Atlanta.
In a related development, Tony Giamboy has rejoined Railroad Software to lead its product engineering team.
Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility on Aug. 16 reported receiving 81 of 100 points in the latest EcoVadis Sustainability Rating; it was awarded the platinum certificate for sustainability (overall score between 78 and 100 points). “With this score, the company ranked in the top 1% of the assessed companies and was the leading company in the rail industry,” the company said. “Siemens Mobility achieved progress in all strategic sustainability categories evaluated by EcoVadis in environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable value chains.”
EcoVadis is a platform that enables companies to evaluate the environmental and social performances of their suppliers around the world, according to Siemens Mobility. Companies are assessed and evaluated in four areas: the environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The methods and criteria being applied reflect the requirements of international corporate social responsibility standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the U.N. Global Compact and ISO 26000, it noted.
“We are really proud of earning the highly coveted platinum designation in the EcoVadis Sustainability Rating 2023 and leading our industry,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, which describes itself as combining “the real and digital world,” offering “highly efficient rail vehicles, digitalized rail infrastructure, intermodal and turnkey solutions, and services related to them,” and employing “alternative drive systems” equipped with battery and hydrogen technologies. “This honor recognizes our far-reaching commitment to sustainability. We not only supply our customers with leading and sustainable rail solutions, but have also dedicated ourselves to the goal of making our company carbon neutral by 2030.”
Siemens Mobility reported that it has already reduced its carbon emissions by more than 50% compared with 2014. Green power is used completely at almost all of its locations. The company said it also “applies eco design principles and efficiently uses materials and energy along its entire supply chain to conserve resources.”
