New plant with automated assembly line inaugurated
In the Swedish town of Sannahed, Vossloh has commissioned a new turnout plant. The facility marks a technological leap in turnout production: For the first time, Vossloh is using an automated assembly line with robotic installation of sleepers. The new plant can produce up to 900 turnouts per year.
“Sweden’s first new switch factory in over a century is a significant milestone for the Swedish railway system,” said Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Andreas Carlson at the inauguration on Wednesday. “It is a good example of collaboration in the railway industry and absolutely essential for eliminating bottlenecks, strengthening resilience, and continuing the work to clear the maintenance backlog that has built up over a long period of time.”
“Today we are inaugurating more than just a new production facility for railway turnouts,” said Roberto Maiorana, Director General of Swedish Transport Administration Trafikverket. “This is a key part of the industrial capacity needed for Sweden to catch up on the backlog of railway maintenance.”
Setting new standards in automation
Turnouts in Sannahed are assembled on a conveyor belt across five consecutive stations. A robotic arm installs the sleepers, and then the turnout is built up step by step in the 150-meter-long hall. The automated process replaces many of the traditionally manual tasks in turnout production.
“Sannahed sets new standards in automation, quality, and capacity,” said Oliver Schuster, CEO of Vossloh AG. “The new plant combines industrial turnout production with digital lifecycle management, for example through the use of digital twins of the turnouts.”
A dedicated hall in Sannahed is reserved for special-purpose production as well as for the training and further education of skilled workers.
Sannahed is located in central Sweden, between Kumla and Hallsberg, at the country’s most important rail hub. The new plant replaces the production site in nearby Örebro, where turnouts for the Swedish rail network and the neighboring Nordic countries had been manufactured since 1914.
The opening ceremony on Wednesday was attended by more than 200 guests from the worlds of business and politics, including many international guests.