Neumarkt, Germany, 11 September 2006 – The RAIL.ONE Group, a leading manufacturer of concrete sleepers and a comprehensively oriented provider of engineering and systems for railway track systems, acquires the International Business Unit of the insolvent Eichholz Group of railway-construction companies on 1 September 2006. By acquiring staff and expertise, as well as ongoing projects, RAIL.ONE strengthens its own position on the international market for railway infrastructure. On 7 September 2006, RAIL.ONE and the Eichholz Group sign the required agreement for the acquisition.
RAIL.ONE takes over all the staff of the International Business Unit of the Eichholz Group, which has, in recent years, concentrated on the engineering and supervision of international construction projects for railway transport, and which has, especially in Asia, achieved a sustainable market position.
RAIL.ONE and Eichholz have in the past already collaborated on a
number of ballastless-track projects in Germany and Taiwan for example. The two companies are members of a European consortium which is currently engaged in the application of ballastless-track technology for new rail lines being constructed for high-speed traffic in China.
RAIL.ONE furthermore acquires valuable engineering expertise, including patents and utility models, for the installation of ballastless track, especially in the turnout area. This development provides RAIL.ONE with holdings in a marketing company of the Eichholz Group, as well as four current projects. These newly acquired activities will be continued and expanded within the context of an independent subsidiary.
The existing office in Tauberbischofsheim, in the German state of
Baden-Württemberg, will continue its operations. With this acquisition, RAIL.ONE supplements its comprehensive performance
portfolio for the development, production, and application of
products and technical solutions in the new construction and expansion
of railway track systems. Richard Ziegler, CEO of RAIL.ONE, and Hans
Bachmann, Managing Director for Marketing and Sales, expressed their
satisfaction at this acquisition: “With these new, highly qualified staff, and with the expertise of the Eichholz Group, we have obtained additional competency and capacity for provision of high-quality civil engineering and services in railway infrastructure projects. We shall be able to outstandingly employ this supplement to our capabilities, especially in the achievement of our ambitious growth plans in China and the rest of Asia.”
Visit RAIL.ONE at InnoTrans 2006:
19 to 22 September 2006, at the Messe Berlin fairgrounds
Hall 26, Stand 215.