Alstom and its Russian partner Transmashholding signed with Russian Railways (RZD), the national railway company, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning production systems development with the use of lean manufacturing technology.

The MoU was signed during the railway engineering forum “Partnership of 1520 and 1435 rail gauge manufacturers” in Berlin.

In the framework of this MoU, the three parties will share experience, transfer of management methods and conduct training sessions for employees. The MoU also involves the creation of joint engineering centers to execute efficiently common projects.

Furthermore, it intends to harmonize Russian and European technical requirements and standards to ensure quality of their productions.

Thibault Desteract, Senior Vice President of Alstom Transport for the CIS Region, said: “Reducing costs and improving the efficiency become a priority for all businesses. Lean manufacturing is a “remedy” that ensures a radical increase in business efficiency with minimal investments. For Alstom, lean manufacturing has been an every-day life for a decade. Mixing our time-tested know how and our partners’ best practices will have a ripple effect on our customers operations and profitability.”