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Supply Side: Millerbernd Manufacturing Company, Siemens Mobility, Zephyr Rail

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Millerbernd Manufacturing, which has produced rings and cylinders for 90 years, intends to manufacture flanges, nozzles, protective housings and fitting plates for tank cars at its Winsted, Minn., facility (pictured).

Millerbernd Manufacturing, which has produced rings and cylinders for 90 years, intends to manufacture flanges, nozzles, protective housings and fitting plates for tank cars at its Winsted, Minn., facility (pictured).

Winsted, Minn.-based Millerbernd Manufacturing Company receives Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) certification for tank car components. Also, Siemens Mobility acquires Italian software firm Optrail S.r.l.; and Zephyr Rail earns a spot on Zweig Group’s list of best AEI (architecture, engineering and construction) firms to work for.

Millerbernd Manufacturing Company on June 1 reported its certification to AAR M1002/M1003, B85 (AAR Quality Assurance Certification, Manufacture of Tank Car Tank Components) for both carbon and stainless steels. The company, which has produced rings and cylinders for 90 years, intends to manufacture flanges, nozzles, protective housings and fitting plates at its Winsted facility. It also fabricates standard and custom light poles and traffic signal structures and accessory components.

(Siemens Mobility Photograph)

Siemens Mobility’s software unit on June 1 reported completing its acquisition of Optrail S.r.l. The Italian company’s software provides unique algorithms for Traffic Management Systems that Siemens said will complement its existing Train Planning System (TPS) portfolio. Optrail S.r.l. will remain in Rome and its technology will be integrated into the TPS products of Hacon, a Siemens subsidiary based in Hanover, Germany.

“With the acquisition of Optrail, we are enhancing our digital product portfolio for timetable construction and dispatching,” said Frank Gerken, COO of Siemens Mobility Software and Head of Business Segment Train Planning System. “Combining Optrail’s mathematical approach with our existing TPS.live product we will boost the efficiency of rail operations. We facilitate significant reductions of dispatching time, minimize delays, and maximize the average speed of trains. Connected with systems in higher grade of automation, e.g. Automatic Train Operation, we will be able to increase the customer value significantly by preventing conflicts in real time.”

According to Siemens, Optrail’s core product provides real-time conflict resolution by integrating optimization algorithms. “This drives TPS beyond traditional sequential meet and pass planning toward the automated optimization of dispatching across entire rail networks,” the company said. 

Zephyr Rail Co-founder Jackie Patterson

Zephyr Rail on May 31 reported being named one of the Best Firms to Work For in 2023 by Zweig Group, a research, publishing and advisory services resource for firms in the AEC industry.

Headquartered in Orange, Calif., Zephyr Rail provides the railroad industry with engineering design, construction management and drone services.

The Best Firms to Work For Award recognizes top AEC firms in the U.S. and Canada, analyzing their “workplace practices, employee benefits, [and] employee retention rates,” with other metrics, according to Zephyr Rail, which noted that employee surveys account for 80% of the rankings. Zephyr Rail came in ninth in the 10-to-49-employee category and 14th among all civil engineering firms.

“This recognition holds profound significance for us, epitomizing our unwavering belief that our people are the quintessential cornerstone of our success,” said Jackie Patterson, Co-founder of Zephyr Rail and one of Railway Age’s 2022 Women in Rail honorees.

“At Zephyr Rail, I have lots of opportunities to try new things, and everyone is really supportive,” said Candice Nguyen, one of the company’s junior civil engineers.

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