United Wagon Company is Russia's leading and one of the world's biggest manufacturers of freight cars. The company is on the Russian Ministry for Economic Development list of strategically important organizations. United Wagon Company operates a railway holding comprising a few enterprises located in Leningrad and Udmurtiya region – Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant, TikhvinChemMash, TikhvinSpetsMash, NPC "Springs", as well as the transport company UNICON 1520, leasing companies under the RAIL1520 brand and the car-repair enterprise TAP "Titran-Express". UWC also oversees its own R&D Center The company is headquartered in Moscow.
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. In July 2014, the plant produced its 10,000th freight car The freight car leasing company RAIL 1520 was founded in 2011. In January 2012, RAIL1520 started a car leasing joint venture with the Japanese Mitsui – MRC1520. RAIL1520 is in the TOP-10 largest leasing companies of Russia In September 2013, United Wagon Company and US-based Wabtec Corporation signed a joint venture agreement. Several months prior to that, a similar agreement had been signed with Amsted Rail. In March 2014, UWC and Timken Company announced a joint venture to manufacture cassette bearings. In April 2014, United Wagon Company set up its own R&D engineering center. In June 2014, UWC acquired a 100% stake in NPC "Springs" producer of transport springs. 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. In December 2014, the car fleet of RAIL1520 amounted to 20,000 freight cars. In 2015, UWC and the global supplier of hi-tech products for railways Wabtec signed a contract for the supply of large car casting to the US market. In December 2015, UWC launched TikhvinChemMash plant to produce tank cars. In March 2016, United Wagon Company acquired Tikhvin Assembly Plant "Titran-Express" specialized in maintenance and repair of the rolling stock. In September 2016, United Wagon Company opened a representative office in the United States Uniwagon North America Corp.. 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. 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. In March 2017, United Wagon Company established UNICON 1520, a transport start-up for container and tank container. 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. In August 2018, United Wagon Company won status as supplier to Deutsche Bahn, and in November UWC won DB tender for delivery of flat cars. 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. 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.
Business activities
The railway holding Research and Production Corporation "United Wagon Company" is engaged in design, manufacturing, leasing and maintenance of freight cars as well as transportation services. United Wagon Company is one of the first companies in Russia to launch the production of new fifth generation freight cars with an increased axle load of 25 tonnes. UWC owns the copyright to the technologies by the two largest global manufacturers of bogies Barber S-2-R and Motion Control, to their manufacture and sale in the territory of Russia and the CIS. Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant is the production center of the Holding. In 2019, the business units of United Wagon Company built 21,000 freight cars.
Finances
By the end of 2018, the turnover of United Wagon Company amounted to RUB 76,443 billion. The operating income was RUB 4,243 billion. The UWC shares are in the first tier of listed securities and are included in the MICEX Index. In April 2017, United Wagon Company additionally placed 2.2% of its shares on the MICEX in the amount of RUB 1.9 billion rubles. According to the results of SPO the UWC's free-float increased to 21.05%.
has been a member of the non-profit partnership Union of Industries of Railway Equipment since 2009. Starting in 2013, the leasing company RAIL1520 has been a member of the SRO The Union of Railway Transport Operators. In the same year, Tikhvin Freight Car Building Plant joined the Union of Car Builders Association, whereas United Wagon Company joined the Association of American Railroads. In 2014, UWC joined the ranks of The International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics and the Organization for Railways Cooperation; it also co-founded the non-profit partnership Steel Industry Association. Since 2015, United Wagon Company has been a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Since 2016, UWC has been a member of the international association Railway Supply Institute. Since 2017, United Wagon Company has been a member of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Russian Managers Association.
Management
Timofey Khryapov is the Chief Executive Officer of Research and Production Corporation "United Wagon Company".
