Aug 26, 2016: Bombardier Transportation inaugurated a new South African production facility and future headquarters in Isando, Johannesburg on August 25. The ceremony was attended by Transnet Group CEO Siyabonga Gama.

The 6,000 square-metre site will be used for the production of Mitrac traction equipment for the Traxx Africa electric locomotives ordered by Transnet Freight Rail, and house a testing centre for traction converters and electrical cubicles.

The facility would become Bombardier Transportation’s local headquarters from October. Around 100 employees are present at the site and this is expected to increase to around 200 by 2017.

The contract for 240 Bombardier locomotives which was agreed in April 2014 includes ‘stringent’ localisation, technology transfer and job-creation requirements. The majority of the Traxx locomotives are to be assembled by Transnet Engineering's plants at Koedoespoort in Pretoria and Edwin Swales in Durban.

The Bombardier production centre was tagged as 'yet another boost for manufacturing in South Africa', by the Transnet and 'an example of the many transactions that Transnet has entered into with the aim of driving localisation, transformation and empowerment.'

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