History
United Wagon Company was established in 2012 to run the activities of Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant and the leasing company RAIL1520.
The official launch of Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plan took place in January 2012.[10][11][12][13] In July 2014, the plant produced its 10,000th freight car[14]
The freight car leasing company RAIL 1520 was founded in 2011.[7] In January 2012, RAIL1520 started a car leasing joint venture with the Japanese Mitsui – MRC1520.[15] RAIL1520 is in the TOP-10 largest leasing companies of Russia[16]
In September 2013, United Wagon Company and US-based Wabtec signed a joint venture agreement.[17] Several months prior to that, a similar agreement had been signed with Amsted Rail.[18][19]
In March 2014, UWC and Timken Company (U.S.) announced a joint venture to manufacture cassette bearings.[20]
In April 2014, United Wagon Company set up its own R&D engineering center.[9]
In June 2014, UWC acquired a 100% stake in NPC "Springs" (Izhevsk, Udmurtiya) producer of transport springs.[21]
In the same month, UWC launched a new transport company named Vostok1520 for heavy haul. In November 2016, United Wagon Company sold a 100% stake in Vostok1520 to First Heavyweight Company.[22]
In 2015, UWC and the global supplier of hi-tech products for railways Wabtec (USA) signed a contract for the supply of large car casting to the US market.[23][24]
In December 2015, UWC launched TikhvinChemMash plant to produce tank cars.[3]
In March 2016, United Wagon Company acquired Tikhvin Assembly Plant "Titran-Express" specialized in maintenance and repair of the rolling stock.[25]
In September 2016, United Wagon Company opened a representative office in the United States Uniwagon North America Corp. (New Jersey).[26][27]
In October 2016, UWC launched the manufacture of parts made of high-strength isothermally hardened cast iron with the capacity of 30,000 car sets a year.[28][29]
Late in 2016, the first batch of specialized cars was manufactured at a new plant of the railway holding TikhvinSpetsMash. The facility specializes in the output of various small-scale rolling stock types, including platforms for timber and metal transportation, isothermal cars and dumpcars.[30]
In March 2017, United Wagon Company established UNICON 1520, a transport start-up for container and tank container.[31]
In September 2017, Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant passed the AAR quality certification procedure at the Association of American Railroads and launched the export shipment of large car casting for North American freight cars.[32]
In August 2018, United Wagon Company won status as supplier to Deutsche Bahn (DB), and in November UWC won DB tender for delivery of flat cars.[33][34]
In March 2019, United Wagon Company and the TEXOL group, one of Kazakhstan's largest railway operators and freight car fleet owners, have signed a contract on the supply of 400 articulated tank cars for the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).[35][36]
In December 2019, UWC has released the 100,000th freight car produced since the launch of the Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant in January 2012.[37]
