Schuler awarded major order from Turkey

To expand its rail division, the Turkish company Karabük Iron & Steel Industry and Trade Inc. (Kardemir) has placed an order with Schuler worth more than 90 million euros for a line to produce railway wheels. It is the largest single order the press manufacturer has received in its 174-year history.

Kardemir manufactures railway lines and switch points for high-speed railroads, which the Turkish state is expanding strongly at present. According to government sources, the whole rail network will be doubled to 15,534 miles by 2023.

Schuler's wheel rolling machine produces railway wheels from preforged blanks. The company also will supply a heat treatment line and equipment for machining the railway wheels. The package also will include testing technology for the finished wheels.

The production line will be able to produce about 200,000 wheels per year, with an average blank weight of about 1,102 lbs.