KEMA acquires German Rail Power System consultant ELBAS
Reinforcement global market position in Rail & Public Transportation Power Systems
Arnhem/Dresden, July 20, 2009 - KEMA has acquired 100% of the shares of the business of the German ELBAS Elektrische Bahnsysteme Ingenieur-Gesellschaft mbH and 50% of the ELBAS Schweiz AG. ELBAS is an internationally leading provider of specialized consulting and engineering services for electrical railway systems including power supply, overhead contact lines and signaling systems. The company’s head office is located in Dresden, with offices in Berlin, Stuttgart and Zurich. The combination of ELBAS with KEMA's current European and US Rail consulting services marks the reinforcement of a global Rail Power Systems consultancy practice with clients around the globe. The new combination is market leader in German speaking countries. Especially in the software field, ELBAS is a global leading authority, owning top-rated tools for rail power system analysis.
Synergies
KEMA and ELBAS have already been successfully cooperating in the rail consultancy market for ten years. The most recent achievement of this cooperation was winning the ProRail contest on a CO2 neutral rail power supply. The activities of ELBAS and KEMA’s existing Rail & Public Transportation Power Systems practice are to a large extent complementary, whereby transfer of knowledge and best practices are an important item. The joint expertise focuses on both light and heavy rail & public transportation power systems including overhead contact line systems, signalling systems, operations control centers and public safety systems & facilities. Important services concern system planning & design, system review, sustainable power supply, protection & control, regulation & policy, asset management, earthing & EMC and certification.
Broad client base and presence
With more than 80 Rail Power Systems consultants, the combination is working for rail equipment manufacturers and, for public transportation companies and authorities in Europe, The Americas, Asia and Australia/New Zealand. ELBAS and KEMA have been and/or are involved in, a.o., the supervision of the energy supply for the Betuwe Route and the High-Speed Rail Track in the Netherlands HSL-Zuid (Amsterdam – Belgium), the design of power supply for a lot of tram systems in Germany and other European countries, for example design of power supply, overhead contact lines and signalling systems for German Railway like Stuttgart 21, for Swiss Railway like Zurich cross city link and a range of design services for Amtrak, the national railway company from the US.
Comment by Karen Reimann and Dr. Steffen Röhlig, Managing Directors of ELBAS GmbH
“The cooperation with KEMA since 1998 is very successful and played an important role in the business of ELBAS. With the new level of cooperation – a logical step – ELBAS has the possibility to provide services in a larger market directly.”
Comment by Thijs Aarten, member of the Executive Board KEMA
“We are very pleased to move our partnership to the next level. With ELBAS, being market leader in German speaking countries and having a strong reputation worldwide, as part of KEMA, we are broadening our service offering and strengthening our international market position.”
About ELBAS ELBAS
Founded in 1991, offers its customers consultancy and engineering services for electrical railway power supply systems. Special services relate to the development of simulation software for AC and DC railways, including electric and magnetic fields, and for the detailed design of overhead contact lines. The company’s headquarters is located in Dresden. In 2001 ELBAS Switzerland AG in Zurich was co-founded.