What is the future of ADtranz mark after the whole incorporation into DaimlerChrysler?
It is supported ADtranz. It has been eliminated the acronym of ABB. Before we were ABB Daimler Benz Transportation and united to the country name or the concrete business; now our name is DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems and in relation to the country, we use the name Spain S.A., or we make a reference to the business in which we are. In relation to what the meaning is that an industrial group as DaimierChrysler had bought the 50% of other industrial group, we think that it is one of the most important and positive facts, because of different reasons. In the first one, it is easier to bring up strategies and to have decissions when one have the 100% of the share capital than when one has the 50%. By the way, I think specially positive the consideration of DaimlerChrysler as industrial group, with a clear orientation to the transport, by road and by plane. The technological development in that two sectors is more advanced than in the railway world and it allows the possibility of technological transfers (from the plane to the car) to the railway. Thanks to that, nowadays we are creating platforms, a concept directed to the indentification of some railway products which should cover the costumer's necessities or, at least, the most possible part in these needs. Those platforms are perfectly identified and to the user is showed a briefcase of products, each one in the range and in the section which belongs, but completely developed and that the constructor has always thought considering the costumer's necessities. This comes derived from the aviation and the car world. In fact, we don't know any enterprise which could make planes under order with characteristics and posings completely different from one country to another one.
It would be to cut revolutionarely with a long tradition in relation to the buying politics of rolling stock for the railway companies...
It is the only possibility that the sector has to consolidate its future and to arrive to productivity ratios similar to those that other transport sectors have. Of course, this needs years. It won't be easy that the costumers would agree that the suppliers'd be who technologically develope and bring up the product in relation to the basic necessities of operation that the costumer has. This one is just the equation: the costumer will always have some specifications which will determine what his needs are and the suppliers must offer the most appropiated products to cover those necessities. But, if we accept that it can be any taking part for the costumer in the technological developments and, these each time will be fewer, because at the end all the costumers are asking for ratios of availability, reliability and few costs of maintenance. And that must be determined by the supplier in relation to his own technological development. In fact, all the big industrial groups which make railway material are just starting to bring up in these terms the production of the equipments. Moreover, the other important fact is the cost; the most important part of the railway models are short and if also it is maintained the criterion about which each unit is different when the model starts or finishes and, close it, we must introduce the changes in all of them, the costs of production, of put in service and of maintenance are difficult to know and to control.
How do you combine this posing with other politics of the railway companies -or, at least, coming from Renfe, the "coffee with milk for all " posing, that is to say, that all the makers in Spain would take part in any aspect in the projects?
Those are different things: one of them is the position from the technological view and the other one belongs to the industrial view. Technologically there isn't any doubt in relation to the platforms are going to suppose that the groups and the enterprises which would have much development in I+D could establish a briefcase of products. Other theme will be how those are going to be made from the industrial view. But if we watch the car world, we can see that in different countries there are production lines and there aren't complete manufacture in an only factory. The production must be something in that line and we are going to see how the factories are specialized in determined systems or pieces, while the called final assembly is made in the countries which have buying potency. What kind of consequences it is going to carry to Spain. Indeed, in the future the railway enterprises of supplying are going to be clarified, and this is to say that some models couldn't continue using factories which since nowadays make subsystems or components. In our case, there is a close collaboration with CAF for the Diesel Regional Train (TRD). The licence has been given to CAF, we have supplied some important components and CAF has adapted the product to the requested by the Spanish costumer.
The railway models, although they increase very much, they will be small...
When we had rationalized the product, we could have been reached the levels of the aviation industry. From the consumer view, the car industry is very different; but if we compare how much a train cost in relation to the plane, I can say that the relation capacity-quality-security-price, is possiblely more expensive in the railway sector than the aviation sector.
What happens with the AVE Madrid-Barcelone and the 350 km/h?
We are working in that theme. We want to go to the tender and to get the supplying. This is a project which, without any doubt, has its particularities and an enormous importance, because technologically it is very special. There isn't any operator in the world who would have trains at 350 km/h; in Germany they are approaching to the 330 km/h, but they aren«t approaching to the 350 km/h. After the agreement with Talgo, we have decided to make a prototype, which, in these moments, is in the production line. In this context, we have a planing of tests in the line to the first three months of the year 2000, probablely to the end of February. We are talking about a prototype where the tractor head will be ADtranz's responsability and the waggons of passangers Talgo's responsability.
Does the train be as a conventional Talgo?
No exactly, more or less as the AVE train, because it has a tractor head and some waggons behind. The difference with the classic Talgo is that the traction is completely separated from the rest of the train. We think that it will be a success. In fact, perhaps we could say at the first of the year 2000 that it is the only train at 350 km/h that it is in the line...
The 350 km/h don't seem a problem for your enterprise, but there is someone who says that to other people yes, is it true?
The three or four most important groups can have some problem, because the systems which have in this moment are which they are... and if we come into any adventure, we will need a lot of money, people and another things more. But I don't think that there would have been nobody who couldn't make a train at 350 km/h... I'm talking about the groups which can be in the high speed, and, by the way, the three european groups will be in the first line of the offer, I haven't got any doubt.
In relation to the politics, do you think that can favour you the fact that Talgo is a Spanish train?
I think that the European Union, where the frontiers have been eliminated and the technical developments haven't got any limit, that is a very important thing. In any case, it will be a fact which we will be able to clarify in our offer. Above all in relation to that gives to the Spanish industry, from the technological view and in work hours. We can't forget the possibility of exploiting that train out of Spain.
Will your company be able to obtain the train or only a prototype?
To obtain the train we must have the prototype, test it and convince the costumer about that this one would be requested to us. In relation to the time there isn't any doubt, because, as I have said before, the prototype planning involves to put it in the line next February. The idea which there is in this moment in Renfe and in the most important companies in this theme, it is that the decission will be taken in the second period of six months of the year 2000. Indeed, we will have more or less six or eight months to test the train.
What kind of expectations has ADtranz in relation to the next Renfe's Electric Regional Train (TRE)?
When we started the project of the Diesel Regional Train (TRD), we wanted to cover the needs of the Renfe's Business Unit of Regional Trains in those zones where, until this moment, the material wasn't modern. We are very surprised because the success of this train, in Galicia and in the Spanish South. Today the TRD is being exploited at very different places. In the North there are a lot of mountains, but it isn't too cold, and also in Almeria's province, where the conditions are completely differents. Renfe has wanted to test at both places and the result has been an increase of the number of users which has exceeded all the foresights. It is a product which has started very well, it is very confortable and the relation quality-price is very high. Renfe is enlarging the model in 7 new trains and it is being talked about making more. The TRD has the possibility of coupling trains, of making trains more confortable than the current trains; and with that we will be able to couple systems with mixed traction, diesel and electrical traction, to be able to exploit them in lines eclectrified partially. This is, perhaps, one of the most important points in the train because that possibility of coupling and mixed traction, electrical and diesel, today, it isn't in the market. It is being made the first tests of exploitation in Sweden and Danmark, coupling electric trains with diesel trains. With that, it could leave from Madrid with electrical and diesel traction, arrive to Albacete, there divide and continue to Murcia with diesel and to Alicante with electrical.... Imagine, in relation to the operation costs, what this adventage means for Renfe.
What are ADtranz's expectations with its two Spanish projects in high speed: a train at 350 km/h and the Talgo XXI at 220 km/h? What is the most important project?
My answer is both of them, but it isn't an answer politics, it is an answer based on the expectations which we have for both projects. Nowadys, the planning in relation to the use of the high speed trains which is making for the Ministry, the GIF and Renfe, has been opened: before we were talking about an european high speed line Seville-Madrid-Barcelone-Frontier with a possible connection to Portugal; today we are talking about a train Madrid-Valladolid, about a Malaga-Cordoba and about a Madrid-Valencia. Therefore, this which will be able to seem as technologically very important, but indudtrially few important, is changing.... and the high speed train at 350 km/h is going to be very important technologically and industrially. The other project, the one of 220 km/h, has another thing, which is the boggie with variable width, and it is as important as the before element, because it means to have a train at 220 km/h which can circulate and to complete to the high speed train... and we can't forget that the 220 km/h is a very important speed. I always remember a development planning which the Swiss railways, called "Planning 2000", where it was said that the most important fact wasn't the train's speed, it was the necessary time to arrive from one city to another one. The train of variable width at 220 km/h is going to have an enormous importance, beacuse it is going to join a lot of cities where the high speed line with european width doesn't arrive at them. Both of them are some very important projects.
The Talgo XXI seems an easy train to export, but the material to the train at 350 km/h doesn't seem that...
In a few time we see much expectations in the train at 220 km/h with variable width because in Europe there are a lot of lines with different widths which need boggies, but also there is planned a polemics in relation to which one the future european line in high speed is going to be. We are starting to speak about that the high speed are both: one at 220 km/h and the other one at 350 km/h. The difference between speed high or high speed is being rejected, because it seem a difference between a first class train and other of second class. Both have very high levels of confort and some excellent possibilities in relation to times, in the best kind of travel in each case. Thus, the exportation possibilities will have relation to the development of the european line systems at 220 km/h, at 250 km/h and at 300 or 350 km/h... I must say that our agreement with Talgo in relation to the exportation projects will involve a study in each case. Both enterprises will see how each project will be attacked and how we will go in each opportunity.
What kind of projects has ADtranz in this moment?
ADtranz isn't only a supplier of rolling stock. We have four business areas: of rolling Stock, which is divided in different units of products, as can be the regionals, engines, long distances, etc.; another one, called Signing, for the supplying and for the development of equipments and systems of signing and security; other business unit is Fixed Installations, which is the one that supplies the energy to the railway systems; and, the last one, the business unit of services post selling. We are, possiblely, the most important supplier in substations that there is in Spain and one of the three most important in signing systems. What kind of projects we have, if we are talking about the AVE Madrid-Barcelone, the trains will be the most important projects, but also the electrification, the signing systems and the communications.... and we will go to the tender. We have made three Spanish consortiums: in the material part with Talgo, in the electrification part with ACS, (Cobra, Semi, Elecnor and EMTE); in the signing part we have an agreement with Dimetronic. In relation to the communications, we aren't sure if it will be included into the signing part or it will be another tender.
Will ADtranz obtain Talgo?
The Oriol's family is a family very joined and we don't allow anyone to obtain Talgo enterprise... although has been known by all of us that they are going to open the share capital to other important shareholders, in addition to Oriol's family. This passing, from being suppiers of complete trains, is very big.
What kind of products does ADtranz export?
Spain has some economic agreements with different countries across some important organizations. We are supplying trolley buses, in collaboration to another arm of this group Mercedes, which is supplying the platform for the city of Quito (Ecuador). We have just signed a contact for the city of Merida (Venezuela); we are supplying nearness trains, with CAF and Alstom, for Sao Paolo (Brazil) and we are into a signing project for Mexico's underground which has19 substations.
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