NETHERLANDS: Alstom has signed an agreement to acquire Rotterdam-based rolling stock maintenance company Shunter.
Founded in 2003, Shunter offers locomotive and rolling stock and on-board signalling equipment maintenance, repair and modification services. It now has around 110 employees at three maintenance workshops and three servicing sites, as well as on location. It undertakes work on more than 1 000 vehicles/year, and had a turnover of around €20m in 2020.
The transaction announced on March 8 is expected to be completed by Q2 2021. Alstom said the acquisition would reinforce its position in the Benelux maintenance market, and provide its global maintenance services activities with a physical presence in the Port of Rotterdam.
‘We are very enthusiastic to integrate Shunter’s expertise which is widely recognised by operators’, said Bernard Belvaux, Alstom Managing Director Benelux. ‘Shunter’s full maintenance expertise will complement Alstom’s knowledge and installed base. It will enable us to become an even stronger maintenance partner to our customers, increasing availability and reducing the total cost of ownership of their fleets.’
Shunter Managing Director Jos Toes said the companies had been working together for more than 14 years, adding that the integration of Shunter into an international group ‘will bring us new possibilities with access to new markets’.
