Supply Side: Duos, Wabtec
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Duos Technologies is a Jacksonville, Fla.-based supplier of automated railcar inspection portals (pictured) and artificial intelligence (AI) models. (Photograph Courtesy of Duos Technologies)
An existing passenger rail customer awards Duos Technologies $1.1 million in add-on upgrades to a new Railcar Inspection Portal (rip®). Also, Wabtec Transit in India is recognized as a Great Place To Work®.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Duos on March 14 reported securing contract modifications from an existing passenger rail customer; the modifications represent an 11.5% increase in total contract value. Duos will provide add-on upgrades as part of a long-term installation of the customer’s rip® system, which is designed to capture images at up to 125 miles per hour.
“We have been working for many years with our Class I customers to refine critical defect detection requirements and have invested tens of millions of dollars in designing, developing, and deploying the latest imaging technologies and artificial intelligence models to address their needs,” Duos CEO Chuck Ferry said. “As our offerings improve, we will continue to explore add-on opportunities, such as this agreement with an existing customer, to ensure deployed systems are continually up to date with the most advanced iterations of our hardware and software. Moving forward, we plan to continue our important work with the industry stakeholders to drive better and safer outcomes for everyone.”
Additionally, CSX on Feb. 28, 2023, reported opening its third portal, which is inspecting up to 20 trains per day on the busy main line at Walthourville, Ga. The portal, purchased from Duos Technologies in late 2021, performs detailed inspections of trains moving at track speed—between 40 mph and 50 mph.
Wabtec Corporation on March 14 reported that its Wabtec Transit (Faiveley Transport India Private Limited) sites based in Hosur, Baddi and Bahadurgarh have earned Great Place to Work® certification for March 2023-March 2024.
Wabtec Transit in India supplies subsystems for Indian Railways and metro system equipment. More than 1,250 employees span its three major manufacturing locations. The Hosur plant—the main plant and administrative office for the Transit business in India—manufactures almost all the products in the Transit portfolio, according to Wabtec.
According to Great Place to Work®, all the organizations who nominate themselves for the certification go through a standard assessment, which includes an employee experience survey and an evaluation of “people practices.” To be certified, an organization must achieve a minimum of 70% positive responses in the employee survey. Every year, more than 10,000 organizations across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work–Certified™, according to the company.
“It is an honor to be recognized by Great Place To Work for the second time,” Wabtec Transit Managing Director Ajay Mani said. “It is a reflection of the great culture, growth and career progression opportunities that we offer, as well as the dynamic market we serve.”
“This honor is a tribute to our team and supports the company’s growth phase in the region,” said Preethi Nandakumar, Human Resources Director at Wabtec Transit India. “Despite the past challenges from the pandemic and the competitive marketplace, our employees continue to embrace and live the company’s culture, vision, mission, and values.”
