Wabtec Celebrates 10 Years in Fort Worth
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
In October 2012, Wabtec opened the doors to its one-million-square-foot locomotive plant and 250,000-square-foot mining plant in Fort Worth, Tex. Now, 10 years later, the company has established the site as “one of the premier production facilities for the rail and mining industries.”
“The region was an ideal location for Wabtec’s new plants,” the company said. “The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex offered a strong talent pool, leading universities, a major international airport, proximity to key customers, and resources to compete in the global marketplace. Additionally, there was a rail line that could be converted into a test track.”
With those ingredients for success, the site helped Wabtec increase the productivity and flexibility of its North American manufacturing operations, enabling the company to better serve its customers.
“This anniversary is a tribute to the dedication and focus of the Fort Worth team,” said Group Vice President for Wabtec’s Freight Operations Justin Downs. “They have positioned the site as one of Wabtec’s most productive operations by demonstrating the ability to take on different types of work and exceeding customer expectations.”
The 94-acre site’s capabilities have diversified and grown throughout the decade, Wabetc said. The plants’ original focus was primarily the production of new locomotives and drive systems for giant mining trucks, but the team has since added modernization and kitting work to the locomotive plant, while the mining facility added production of truck control boxes. The site also added a 262,000-square-foot warehouse to support the locomotive and mining plants right across the street.
According to Wabtec, since beginning operations in 2012, the Fort Worth team has delivered approximately 3,000 new locomotives, kits, and modernized locomotives to railroads in North America and Australia. The mining plant on the site also delivered more than 5,300 AC wheel transmission axles, 2,200 retarders, and 1,700 control groups for 150-400-ton capacity mining trucks.
“We could not have achieved this level of success alone,” said Dave Cox, Group Vice President of Wabtec’s Mining and Components Operations. “Thanks to the support from the community, suppliers and other Wabtec sites, our team positioned the site and the company for success for years to come.”
Wabtec and its employees are active members in the Fort Worth community through the United Way, March of Dimes, and various STEM initiatives. Last year, the company supported the community with a donation of $30,000 for local relief efforts in Texas following the winter storm and destructive power outages. The donation was split among three nonprofits: Salvation Army of North Texas, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition.
Wabtec says its Fort Worth site “will continue to be an involved member of the community and a leading manufacturer for the rail and mining industries.”
“Given the successful first decade and the company’s focus on sustainable technologies, the Fort Worth site will be an integral part of Wabtec’s vision to deliver environmentally friendly technology to the industries it serves for decades to come,” the company added.
