CHICAGO, October 31, 2007 -- GE Equipment Services, Rail Services today announced the availability of several mobile repair facilities as part of its Repair Solutions suite of railcar repair services. The facilities, currently operational in La Porte, TX and opening soon in Mounds, IL, and Waycross, GA, leverage GE's technical and regulatory knowledge of the rail industry.
"As one of North America's largest rail equipment lessors, we have years of experience with maintenance and repair," said Jay Wileman, president and CEO of GE Equipment Services, Rail Services. "Our Repair Solutions, which include the capabilities of our new mobile facilities, provide an alternative to certain full-service shop repair work and will help rail equipment owners and users across North America keep shipments in motion and on their way to customers."
GE's mobile repair units, also referred to as mobile call-outs, work on assets within a 200-mile radius of their base facilities. Because the shop travels to the car, the call-outs reduce the total cost of light maintenance by eliminating freight, switching, shop cycle time and increasing asset availability. Mobile call-outs also increase asset visibility, as the work can be performed on the same day at the customer's site.
In addition to mobile call-outs, GE offers inspection stations, currently operational in LaPorte, and opening soon in Mounds and Waycross. These inspection stations can provide HM-201 testing. HM-201 is a series of tests to ensure the structural integrity of tank cars and is required by federal regulation. GE's inspection stations are co-located with cleaning companies, eliminating the need for additional transit time, and help ensure compliance needs are met, improving asset availability and productivity for customers.
GE also provides full-service repair capabilities through the use of GE-owned shops located in Regina, SK; Waterloo, IA; and Sayre, PA. The GE full-service shops in the United States earned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR award. The Canadian shop received a similar recognition, the GE STAR award. GE's full-service shops have one of the best cycle times in the railcar repair industry.
"GE is committed to continuing to improve and refine our processes and cycle times to provide consistent quality of workmanship and professionalism," said Wileman.
GE is leveraging its extensive industry, technical and regulatory knowledge to provide additional services solutions to customers. Programs offered include Maintenance MAX®, a cost-effective maintenance and administrative fleet management service, as well as VeriWise™ RAIL and VeriWise™ INTERMODAL, remote asset management solutions that provide customers with on-demand visibility into the status of their fleet and the cargo it carries.
For more information on the mobile call-outs or additional GE services please call +1 (800) 445-6126 or visit www.ge.com/railservices
About GE Equipment Services, Rail Services
A unit of GE's Equipment Services business, Rail Services, headquartered in Chicago, is a provider for all aspects of railcar and intermodal fleet management. The unit provides a range of flexible leasing products as well as a full suite of services, including Maintenance MAX® fleet management, VeriWise RAIL and VeriWise INTERMODAL asset intelligence, and the Repair Solutions Program. Offering one of the most diverse fleets in the industry, Rail Services leases approximately 165,000 railroad cars and 120,000 intermodal trailers, containers and chassis to shippers and railroads in diverse markets across North America. For further information, visit http://www.ge.com/railservices
About GE Equipment Services
GE's Equipment Services business is a global provider of transport solutions for the world's supply chains. Offering a full range of equipment leasing and intelligence-based asset management and logistics services for manufacturers, retailers, and shippers, Equipment Services enables the timely movement of raw material and cargo for the global economy.
Gautham Appaya