GATX Rail Europe (GRE) screens, audits, trains, and supports workshops around Europe to grow our maintenance network. One of our long-term partner workshops is Franz Kaminski Waggonbau GmbH. As an expert in all areas of railcar maintenance & revision, the company has workshops in Germany, France, Poland, and Hungary. To grow its capacity and expand services around its main workshop in Hameln, Germany, Kaminski has now acquired GRE’s former Jungenthal assets in Misburg, Germany, located an hour away from Hameln. The new, expanded workshop will be named Franz Kaminski Hanover.

“We are glad to be the facilitator of growth for Kaminski and are happy to see that our old premises serve a new purpose and we can thus make the capacities of the plant available to the market again,” explains Johann Feindert, CEO GATX Rail Europe. “We have been working with Kaminski since 1992. This is a milestone in our partnership. Together, we are expanding the offer for railcar maintenance and revision which is key to making railcar leasing easier for our customers.”

Quality assurance remains our focus during the process of workshop expansion and GRE collaborates with Kaminski to ensure just that. “We see this as an investment in our people who are dedicated maintenance and revision experts” explains Karsten Elstner, Managing Director of the Franz Kaminski Waggonbau GmbH, and adds that “we are expecting to have the new workshop up and running by mid-November”. The ambitious timeline will make the opening worth celebrating. “Every person in our organization is working towards this goal,” says Karsten Elstner and Johann Feindert adds “and we are here to support you on this journey.”

Why is the expansion of the railcar maintenance network so important? A higher maintenance capacity directly relates to a reduction in railcar downtimes, better overall service, and safety. All of this is important to GRE and the wider rail transport industry because it adds significantly to making rail transport more attractive to every decision-maker who chooses between road and rail.