Mermec’s diagnostic trains for inspection and control of the San Francisco subway (USA). The Apulian group, active in advanced technologies for railway transport (signalling, trains and measurement systems, electric traction, telecommunications), reaps a new international success, confirming itself as a champion of Made in Italy. Mermec’s headquarters are in Monopoli (Bari).
Founded in 1970, the Italian multinational Mermec is part of the Angel group, led by the president Vito Pertosa. Angel is the largest Italian private high-tech holding which includes some of the most innovative companies in the transport, aerospace and digital mechatronics sectors. Overall Mermec has 1,400 highly qualified employees, including a thousand engineers. The technological solutions developed by Mermec are currently in use in 71 countries around the world. But let’s go in order.
The presentation ceremony of the new diagnostic vehicle for inspection and control of the San Francisco subway built in the United States by the Mermec group took place in California on 3 May. The event was attended, among others, by the CEO of Mermec, Luca Necchi Ghiri and the vice president for international affairs of Mermec, Angelo Petrosillo, together with representatives of the Californian metropolitan area.
The vehicle, built by Mermec in compliance with the requirements established by the American legislation, represents a significant step forward for the railway industry and for the passengers of San Francisco, improving the safety, reliability and quality of the railway service: in fact it will allow to identify the presence of problems along the track traveled with extreme accuracy and without obstructing the normal course of railway operations. We speak in these cases of predictive maintenance. In particular, the vehicle will provide an exhaustive profile of the track using hi-tech laser technology, sensors, cameras, measurement and data management systems, all while traveling at speed. Necchi Ghiri says: «We have launched a high-tech vehicle for infrastructure measurement, one of the most advanced in the world and a model for the entire West Coast». Petrosillo adds: «We are extremely satisfied with this important milestone achieved together with our American partners. A project in which the excellence of Made in Italy in railway high technology plays a key role».
But Mermec’s plans and Cavalier Vito Pertosa’s thoughts aren’t just abroad. Italy also has a strategic role. Mermec recently completed the acquisition of Ferrosud, a historic Matera factory engaged in the mechanical construction of the railway sector. The Ferrosud factory in Matera had been closed for years and can now look forward to a new life with confidence. The diagnostic trains of the Mermec group will be produced in the Basilicata factory, probably destined to operate on the Belgian railway network. An advantageous operation for the entire Appulo-Lucan area, which will be able to count on a solid production reality, in step with the times and with its head in Italy.