Alstom extends its expertise in braking systems for Railway Industry

Saint Ouen, France (Urban Transport News): French multinational company Alstom Transport on April 2, 2021, announced that it has acquired Flertex group which is specialized in the design and manufacture of brake linings (pads and shoes) for braking systems, particularly for the rail industry but also for other industrial applications.

With this acquisition, Alstom expanded and strengthened its expertise in braking systems, a key element in the overall technical performance of trains. It comes only a few months after that of IBRE, a company specialized in the development, manufacture, and supply of cast-iron or steel brake discs. This acquisition also represents a promising development opportunity for Flertex and its employees.

"We are pleased with this acquisition which, similarly to IBRE, enhances our solutions and skills in the field of braking to meet our own needs as well as those of our customers," said Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom France.

Flertex is a group of international scope with approximately 120 employees, with the vast majority working at its sites in Gennevilliers (in the region of Île-de-France) and Saint-Florentin (in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), with a turnover of around 16 million euros in 2020.

More than 50% of its turnover comes from the rail industry, mainly in France and Europe but also in Latin America. For more than 60 years, Flertex has focused strongly on innovation to develop ever more efficient materials: increased braking performance, noise reduction and reduced emissions of fine particles into the atmosphere.

Apart from this, Alstom has also enhanced its expertise in Hydrogen Technology with the acquisition of Helion Hydrogen Power which is a 100% subsidiary of AREVA Energies Renouvelables. The subsidiary is specialised in high-power fuel cells.

With the completion of the transaction, which took place on April 1, 2021, the Helion Hydrogen Power, renamed ALSTOM Hydrogène S.A.S., will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alstom.