Metro Montreal’s maintenance operates with Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik

Kissing (Germany), 13 January 2015 – For the maintenance of its latest rail vehicles, the “Société de Transport de Montréal” (STM) (Montreal Transit Corporation) has equipped itself with heavy-duty lifting jacks from Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik of Kissing/Germany. In May 2014, a jacking system from the German railway technology specialist was installed at the STM Youville depot in Montreal. The jacking system is 160m long and lifts up a complete train with nine carriages and a total weight of up to 306 tons by 1.7m – and what is more, synchronously with a maximum deviation of just +/- 3mm over the entire length of the train. In the tendering phase for this prestigious project, Pfaff-silberblau staved off rival bids and obtained the contract. Lifting technology for Canada’s largest underground With some 900,000 passenger trips each day, the metro in Montreal is Canada’s most widely used underground. For its new 468 MPM-10 cars, that consist of nine coupled carriages and run on quiet, low-vibration rubber tyres as opposed to steel wheels, it was necessary to upgrade the depot in Youville with the latest lifting technology. To satisfy the stringent rail traffic safety requirements, the bogies of these modern rail vehicles have to be maintained and replaced at regular intervals. All safety-related standards and requirements satisfied To allow the maintenance to be carried out efficiently, quickly and safely, STM set out to find the best possible jacking system for its Youville depot by conducting an in-depth selection and tendering procedure. The awarding of the contract in 2011 was followed by the technical and contractual coordination with the customer along with the design and production of the system. In terms of the design, it was not just a question of satisfying the European standard for vehicle lifting platforms EN1493, but also a matter of observing the North-American welding and electrical standards. Following the factory acceptance test by STM and the production of a prototype, Pfaff-silberblau shipped the system to North America in 18 containers with a total weight of 280 tons. By late 2013, the team of engineers from Kissing (who communicated in French and English with the partners on site) was ready to commence the installation in Youville under the strict scrutiny of the Canadian health and safety regulations. True to form, the installation ran smoothly, such that Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik was able to hand over the jacking system to the Société de Transport de Montréal and commission it on schedule. More information about Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik and its products is available at www.pfaff-silberblau.com/rail-systems. About Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG is an affiliated company of Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, which is also based in Kissing, under the umbrella of Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO), Amherst/USA. As well as supplying transportation components, Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik primarily supplies complete planning, installation and maintenance of turnkey jacking systems for rail vehicles. Pfaff-silberblau jacking systems are used worldwide in locations such as Montreal/Canada, Guangzhou/China, Taipei/Taiwan, Madrid/Spain and Vienna/Austria. More information about the services and products of Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik can be found at www.pfaff-silberblau.com

About Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products The company Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, has ranked with its brands Pfaff-silberblau and Alltec Antriebstechnik for many decades amongst the technology leaders in components and system solutions for mechanical motion and lifting technology. The portfolio ranges from sophisticated screw jack elements to innovative linear drives through to powerful lifting tables and wire rope winches. On the basis of these components, Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products also offers customised solutions for a wide range of different fields of application. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products is a subsidiary of the listed Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO), Amherst/USA, a leading supplier of lifting and materials handling equipment. Worldwide, the Group has around 2,600 employees at 18 production sites in seven countries and at 52 other company branches. Further information on Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products along with its brands Pfaff-silberblau and Alltec Antriebstechnik is available online at www.pfaff-silberblau.com.