Hitachi Metals and Hitachi Rail Europe Signed Supply Agreement of Rolling Stock Cables for Railway Carriages of the UK Intercity Express Programme

We hereby announce that Hitachi Metals, Ltd. (TOKYO:5486) (ISIN:JP3786200000) (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; chairman and chief executive officer, Kazuyuki Konishi; hereafter, Hitachi Metals) has concluded a supply agreement with Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. for the supply of rolling stock cables for the Class 800/801 trains on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, which are both part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

Rolling Stock Cables (Photo: Business Wire)

1. Background

Hitachi Metals, by capitalising on its technological competence developed through manufacturing electric wires and cables of all types, engages in manufacturing rolling stock cables, both for rolling stocks and on-board components. In Japan, thanks to our prominent reputation for stable product quality, our wires and cables of various kinds have been widely employed in rolling stocks for various railways, including Shinkansen, conventional railways and underground railways, driving our market share to a level as high as around 80 percent. Meanwhile, we have also been manufacturing rolling stock cables for rolling stock for overseas markets since the 1980s, with a rich track record of delivering our products to railway markets around the world, not least for the high-speed railways in the United Kingdom and China. Furthermore, as part of an effort to globalise our operations, we have been engaging in mass production of rolling stock cables in Suzhou, China, since 2013.

The aforementioned track record both at home and abroad being valued, we were chosen as the supplier of rolling stock cables for the Class 800/801 trains for the UK's Intercity Express Programme.

2. Outline

The rolling stock cables to be supplied based on the aforementioned agreement signed by Hitachi Metals, through its subsidiary Hitachi Metals Europe GmbH, with Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. will be used in railway carriages on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, comprising power cables and control cables used for wirings in the carriages, such as those in the driver’s cab, under roofs, and under floors. Delivery of some of the orders has already commenced. Hitachi Metals will accelerate its global business deployment, through further product development in the area of rolling stock cables, in consideration of local needs.

Also, at InnoTrans 2014 (International Trade Fair for Transport Technology) to be held at Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany, from September 23-26, 2014, Hitachi Metals is scheduled to exhibit various types of rolling stock cables including those employed for the Class 800/801 trains and harness products.

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