MAJOR ORDER FROM AKIEM FOR THE DESSAU MAINTENANCE DEPOT

DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung had already been awarded the contract for the overhaul of six locomotives for this year. This ongoing business has now increased to 35 locomotives with the signing of the contract.

The fleet built by Siemens between 2002 and 2005 comprises a total of 56 vehicles. The locomotives are used for rail freight transport and are primarily deployed on the Rhine-Alpine Core Network Corridor, Rhine-Danube Core Network Corridor and Central European corridors. The order volume of this major contract will make a significant contribution to long-term planning of capacities in Dessau.

"A long-term contract means planning security for both the client and the contractor! For us as a contractor, we can now embed the time slots, maintenance slots, into our production programme over the contract period of five years. The class 189 is currently in the main overhaul cycle. In this area, the challenges lie in the delivery condition of the locomotives after 20 years of service and how we ensure the facts in advance, for example, the material protection of components and their parts," explains Mike Gawlik, who is responsible for production control at the Dessau maintenance depot.

Dessau: Specialist for Siemens locomotives
The class 189 is the first multi-system locomotive, a predecessor of the Vectron, to travel across national borders in Europe.

DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung knows the class 189 very well: "We are a reliable partner for all rail transport companies that operate the ES64F4 platform. As a maintenance depot, however, we are not resting on our laurels, but are proactively liaising closely with our business partners on all issues relating to their series, right down to component level, even before the locomotives are delivered. The Dessau maintenance depot is the lead maintenance depot in Europe for the ES64F4, class 189 series family in Germany. With all country versions and special specifications of this electric locomotive family, we at the Dessau maintenance depot are the specialist for the entire locomotive system and for the reconditioning of all important components, from pantographs to running gear. Everything from a single source at a single location. Incidentally, we carried out the trial disassembly (locomotive 189 005) at the Dessau maintenance depot back in May 2005. And from that day on, this series was and is an integral part of our production programme," says Mike Gawlik.