Rail depot equipment specialist, Mechan, is expanding its export horizons and preparing to ship its very first order to the Americas.
The Sheffield-based manufacturer is supplying heavy lifting equipment to the Panama City Metro, as part of a major project to construct a second line in the republic’s capital.
Mechan is working with parent company, CIM Group, to deliver a set of 20 12-tonne lifting jacks, four turntables and 40 vehicle stands to a new build depot in the Nuevo Tocumen area of Panama City. The equipment is about to leave the UK, after successful factory acceptance tests.
This is Mechan’s first project with CIM, following its acquisition by the French group in March last year. CIM has a contract to install and maintain 50 kilometres of track, catenary and workshop equipment in Panama City, linking the western district of San Miguelito with Felipillo in the east.
Lindsey Mills, Mechan’s sales manager, said: “Since CIM’s takeover, our international development has accelerated dramatically and we are receiving enquiries from across the globe. The Panama project is particularly significant, as the Americas were the only remaining continents we had yet to supply. Production of the equipment is going well and we are looking forward to travelling there very soon to oversee the installation.”
Completion of the Panama City Line Two project is expected in 2019, introducing 21 five-car Alstom Metropolis trains to the capital, significantly improving travel options for its 1.4 million inhabitants. CIM completed Line One in 2014 and has, since then, worked in close partnership with the Panamanian Ministry of Education at a professional railway maintenance training centre.
