Supply Side: Simmons Machine Tool, Thales, BAI

Simmons Machine Tool Corp. and Hegenscheidt-MFD Corp. are merging to become NSH USA Corp. In addition, Thales’ interoperable ticketing technology is now “Visa Ready for Transit” certified, and BAI Communications (BAI) is acquiring Mobilitie, a U.S. telecommunications infrastructure company.

Since 2001, Albany, N.Y.–based Simmons Machine Tool Corp. and Hegenscheidt-MFD Corp. have been partner companies within the NSH Group (Niles-Simmons-Hegenscheidt). Simmons designs and manufactures precision machines and automation systems for railway wheelset maintenance and production, and Hegenscheidt-MFD provides technical support, service and tooling for the company’s deep rolling crankshaft products in North America. Simmons said it is now acquiring Hegenscheidt-MFD “to better serve our customers.”

The new entity is NSH USA Corp. It will also serve North American customers across industries such as rail, aerospace, defense, automotive and renewable energy by providing sales, process engineering, programming and service support for all NSH Group companies: Niles-Simmons (Germany), Simmons (USA), Hegenscheidt-MFD (Germany), Rasoma (Germany), and WEMA Glauchau (Germany).

NSH USA’s headquarters will be in Albany, and the Hegenscheidt-MFD manufacturing facility in Sterling Heights, Mich., will serve the automotive crankshaft industry and provide additional support for NSH Group products. Additionally, Simmons, Stanray® and Hegenscheidt railway machines for the U.S. market will continue to be manufactured in Albany.

“Building off decades of manufacturing experience and the wide variety of strengths that make up the members of the NSH Group, NSH USA is now positioned to significantly grow our presence throughout North America,” NSH USA President and COO David William Davis said.

In December, Simmons announced the establishment of the Niles Technical Application Center (NTAC) at its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Albany.

Thales’ TRANSCITY™ “multimodal mobility platform can be deployed on a single bus, tram or metro line, or across an entire citywide, regional or national transport network,” the company reported. “With its open architecture, the solution ensures interoperability across transport modes and readily adapts when new services or operators are added to the network.”

Following software certification in 2020, TRANSCITY’s hardware components—BV600 validator and PG600 access gate—have now also been certified.

The acquisition of Mobilitie will expand BAI’s operations in North America, where its majority owned business Transit Wireless provides cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity across New York City Transit’s subway system. The deal is expected to close in third-quarter 2021, subject to customary regulatory clearances.

Mobilitie has agreements to provide wireless communications to public transit systems in Seattle, Wash., and the San Francisco Bay Area. The acquisition will also add Mobilitie’s broader portfolio of 220 venues across 39 states, 10,000 small cells across 45 states, and 300 tower sites across 14 states to BAI’s operations.

“BAI’s acquisition of Mobilitie establishes us as a leading telecommunications infrastructure provider in the United States and the most relevant provider of public transit wireless connectivity solutions in North America,” BAI Communications Group CEO Igor Leprince said. “This reflects our ambitions for the U.S. as well as the other markets in which we operate globally, and puts us in the perfect position to capitalize on the growing prioritization of connected infrastructure in regions such as the U.K. and Europe.”

“Combining BAI’s connectivity solutions and international presence with Mobilitie’s North American assets … makes us better positioned for 5G growth than anyone else in North America,” Mobilitie Founder and Chairman Gary Jabara said.