United Wagon Company to Supply 50 Tank Cars to Russian Copper Company
United Wagon Company (UWC) will supply 50 model 15-9545 tank cars on a bogie with increased axle load to the copper smelting company Karabashmed (part of Russian Copper Company) for the transportation of sulfuric acid. The cars will be shipped to Karabashmed before the end of 2018.
The cars have a capacity of 77 tons and the enlarged tank volume of 44m3 allows for the transportation of up to 10% more cargo than competitors in the market. UWC claim that 89 of their cars can transport as much cargo as 100 analogous cars. The design of the 15-9545 tank car uses a tank with a “broken” axis, which ensures maximum drainage. The bogie also has an increased axle load of 25tf. The life-cycle cost of the car is more than three times lower than that of competitors, with reduced uncoupling for repairs and extended overhaul periods; the 15-94545 model can go approximately 800,000km between repairs, as opposed to 210,000km for standard cars. UWC has produced the 15-9545 model at its TikhvinChemMash plant since 2015.
Andrey Khanzhin, CEO at Karabashmed, said:
“Our company is carrying out a large-scale programme of ecological and technological modernization. The Russian Copper Company has invested more than 18 billion roubles in Karabashmed. And the programme is not yet complete. The company cares about the quality of its products, the safety of production and the reliability of its transportation fleet, including freight cars. We hope that the new tanks will enable us to achieve this objective.”
In 2017, the growth rate of sulfuric acid production was 4.1% of the natural volume of production, and in 2016 it was 13.1%. Experts have predicted that the demand for sulfuric acid tanks in Russia will increase as companies replace outdated models. PhosAgro, Acron, Shchekinoazot and other manufacturers have announced projects to increase their production, and by the end of 2018 up to 10% of the current fleet might be replaced, with decommissioning surpassing 15% by 2024.
