TransANT is an Austrian joint venture by TAS Group, voestalpine Stahl GmbH and ÖBB Rail Cargo Group. The young company is pursuing the visionary idea of revolutionizing rail freight transport in Europe. TransANT develops, produces, and homologates future-proof freight wagons for the European standard gauge market.
Mrs. Tigipko, could you give us some insights on TAS Group? What are the strategic goals of TAS Group and how does TransANT fit into these?
TAS Group is a Ukrainian based modern financial-industrial business group. The group specializes in banking and insurance services, logistics services, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, real estate, property development, venture projects, and more. The group can look back on more than 20 years of experience.
This deep understanding in the above-mentioned areas of business gives us an understanding of the development trends, including the TransANT rail freight wagon business, namely, what types of rail freight wagons should be paid attention to. Depending on the types of cargo transported for the further market demand TAS Group can adapt to the changing environment and trends quickly and has a good track record of doing so.
The mission of TransANT is to revolutionize rail freight with efficient, sustainable innovations, manufacturing customized, high-quality wagons tailored to its customers’ needs, supported by engineering excellence.
TransANT’s core objective is to develop and manufacture according to the customers’ requirements. Additionally, TransANT has extensive in-house expertise in engineering, simulation, and homologation, ensuring a comprehensive and streamlined development processes. This brings the company closer to the customer.
As TAS Group, we are working on extending our product line and providing our customers with high quality products. Currently, the group has a strong focus on export, and we believe that the European market can truly benefit from such a union of progressive thinking and hands on experience. TransANT is a perfect fit on that.
Speaking of extending your product line, can you tell us about the manufacturing capacity of the TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC and assembly near to Polish border?
The base steel construction of the TransANT wagons is manufactured by another TAS Group company: TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC.
TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC is characterized by its extensive expertise in wagon construction and is responsible for manufacturing the steel structure, assembling, and painting of the wagons. An assembly plant close to the polish border, located in Kovel, is currently under construction and will be fully operational within the next months. This will enable our customers to oversee the production process and quality gates. Also, factory acceptance tests can be conducted there.
What is the role of TransANT in this cooperation?
TransANT is the contact and partner of the customer. TransANT manages the entire supply chain to ensure that all high-quality production steps are completed on time and according to plan.
Overall, how do you experience the collaboration and manufacturing process between Dniprovagonmash and TransANT so far?
TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC is a self-sufficient enterprise, that has all the necessary qualifications and equipment to produce high-quality rail freight wagons for the European market.
The production process is regulated by international norms and standards, as well as internal standards that TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC and customer TransANT have developed and agreed to. These measures ensure meeting requirements and customer satisfaction.
It is a very close cooperation between the two companies, as the vision must be transformed into a physical product.
Considering recent developments, what are your expectations for the future partnership between Dniprovagonmash and TransANT?
The cooperation between TransANT and Dniprovagonmash is a synergy of innovative European trends in the railway business, paired with expertise of TransANT in development, homologation, and all commercial aspects, as well as almost 100 years of production experience at Dniprovagonmash.
This cooperation provides an optimal solution of efficient and innovative rail freight wagon for the European market, available with shorter lead-times.
How do you perceive TransANT's innovative product portfolio?
The innovative product portfolio of TransANT serves as a crucial foundation in our mission to provide the European market with solutions that truly enhance rail freight transport capabilities.
From highly modular designs to cost-optimized conventional solutions, TransANT offers a diverse range of products tailored to meet the needs of every stakeholder in the European rail transport industry. TransAnt is actively developing new types of wagons and superstructures to better meet customer needs. Coupled with our ambition to become a strong partner in the sector, I am confident that we can deliver exceptional value that few others can match.
What are the main difficulties and challenges for the Ukrainian based manufacturing site Dniprovagonmash entering the 1435 market?
The main challenge for us in the 1435 market will be to establish TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC as a reliable and high-quality supplier and partner of TransANT, with the ability to meet the demands of its customers within a shorter time frame than the overall market is currently capable of.
The first wagons have already been produced by TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC and successfully delivered to Austria. At this stage TAS Dniprovagonmash LLC is producing small quantities of TransANT wagons and preparing for a ramp-up of production.
In the light of the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, how have these challenges influenced your approach? How do you address customers’ needs and concerns regarding manufacturing at the production sites in Ukraine?
We understand individual customers concerns. To minimize risks for the customers, we offer a variety of measures. Mainly we provide delivery within the European Union, as well as contractual risk mitigation. Additionally, we provide the tracking of production on a weekly basis, meaning traceability for our customers. Of course, we offer delivery insurance and further guarantees. We are very open to discuss any concerns if they arise and find an appropriate way forward.
Please note, that several Ukrainian companies, despite the war, remain the main supply of components for railcars in Europe, raw materials for metal production and agricultural products.
We are determined to serve our customers and continue to invest into business development.
What are your expectations for the European market, and how do you anticipate the market evolving in the upcoming years?
As TAS Group, we recognize significant potential in the European market. The European Union's commitment to increasing rail transport aligns perfectly with the growth opportunities for our rail freight wagon business. While the European market is currently experiencing a recession, we view this as an opportunity to secure a strong position in anticipation of the inevitable economic upturn.
This perspective also addresses the second part of your question. We foresee not just a short-term recovery but a sustained long-term growth in the market. Our strategy to support this positive development is centered around the westward reorientation of our wagon business, ensuring we are well-positioned to contribute to and benefit from the evolving European rail industry.
As InnoTrans 2024 is taking place in September in Berlin, do you plan on visiting the exhibition and what are you looking forward most to?
We are delighted to be part of the exhibition and are definitely looking forward to meeting our potential customers there.
Visit us at TransANT’s indoor booth hall 21/150, outdoor booth number T8/60.
Take a look at our offer and see our quality work for yourself.
