Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik awarded contract worth millions for the Riyadh Metro mega-project

The Kissing-based company has prevailed despite tough international competition and will supply its powerful lifting systems for today's most prestigious transport project in existence

In the battle between contractors to supply lifting technology for the maintenance of subway trains as part of the Saudi Arabian "Riyadh Public Transport Project", with a budget in the billions of dollars, Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik has emerged as the clear winner: All three of the consortiums employed for the overall construction chose the reliable underfloor lifting systems and mobile lifting jacks produced by the company in Kissing. Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik was able to defeat the tough international competition with its safe, reliable lifting solutions and its expertise and service standards which are recognised throughout the industry. Mega-project with Siemens, Ansaldo STS and Alstom The "Riyadh Public Transport Project" in the Saudi Arabian capital is considered to be the largest single infrastructure project in the country's history. The funding for the overall project is around 22.5 billion US dollars. Three international consortiums, involving such firms as Siemens in Germany, Ansaldo STS in Italy, and Alstom in France, have been employed for the construction of the prestigious Riyadh Metro, which will comprise of six metro lines with a total rail network of 176 km. It will use driverless trains manufactured by Siemens, Bombardier/Ansaldo and Alstom. Safe underfloor lifting systems and mobile lifting jacks Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik's robust lifting systems will be used for the maintenance of the subway cars in the three cutting-edge Riyadh Metro workshops. The underfloor lifting systems and mobile lifting jacks produced by the Pfaff-silberblau engineering specialists can perform a synchronized lift of complete metro trains having a total weight of up to 144 tonnes to ergonomic working heights, either for inspection or to change out the bogies. The Pfaff-silberblau lifting systems meet the strictest safety standards, such as the European standard on vehicle lifting platforms, DIN EN 1493. "We are very proud of the fact that we were able to convince all three consortiums working on the Riyadh Public Transport Project with our engineering and our specialist knowledge", says Peter Zeller, Managing Director of Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG. "We know from many years of experience that with a project of this size, it is important to provide not only lifting systems that meet the customer's tough demands in terms of capability, reliability and safety, but also in-depth knowledge and reliability on the part of the project team in all stages of the work." The completion of the Riyadh Metro is planned for 2019. The factory acceptance testing of the Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik systems has already begun this year. The supply and installation of the lifting systems and lifting jacks are to be completed by the end of 2016, so that operation in the workshops can start as soon as they have been handed over and the operating staff are fully trained in Saudi Arabia. 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 Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, ranks with its brand Pfaff-silberblau amongst the technology leaders in components and system solutions for mechanical motion and lifting technology. The product portfolio ranges from high quality worm gear screw jacks to powerful lifting tables and rope winches. Based on these components, Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products also offers customer specific solutions for all kinds of applications. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, is a company of the listed Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO), Amherst/USA, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of material handling products, systems and services. Worldwide, the corporation has more than 2,600 employees on 18 production sites in 7 countries and 52 additional sales offices. For more information about Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products and the brand Pfaff-silberblau please visit www.pfaff-silberblau.com.