KMM Lincoln Plant Makes 1000th Rail Car

Tokyo, April　13, 2010 — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM), reached a new milestone as the 1000^th rail car rolled off the production line at its rail car plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. This 1000^th rail car is a PA-5 railcar for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The KMM Lincoln plant was built in 1974 as Kawasaki’s U.S. production base for motorcycles. The plant’s operations were expanded in 2001 to include rail car manufacturing. Since then, it has continually focused on keeping Kawasaki ahead of the pack in the rolling stock industry. The plant is the only facility in the U.S. designed for integrated mass production of railcars. The Lincoln plant has produced subway cars for MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and bi-level commuter cars for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The plant built its 500^th railcar in February 2008 and now just two years later has completed its 1000^th. This momentous achievement coincides with peak production to fill orders KMM had received between 2005 and 2008 for PA-5 as well as R160B NYCT subway cars.

The Lincoln plant plays a significant role in Kawasaki’s rolling stock operations. This vital production base in the U.S. enables Kawasaki to save shipping costs, improve productivity, and ensure compliance with the “Buy America” regulations that requires manufacturers to buy domestic components for use in production. KMM has earned an excellent reputation in the local market, supplying quality “Made in the U.S.A.” rail cars at low cost.

The U.S. currently has plans on the drawing board that include a wide spectrum of rail cars ranging from high speed rail cars to light rail vehicles. America is moving to expand its railway system, using freight lines for passenger rail services and replacing its large aging rail fleet with a brand new one.

Kawasaki is leveraging the superior technological capability and reliability of its KMM Lincoln plant, a key Kawasaki production base in the U.S., to take its rolling stock business to new heights.