Item 1. BUSINESS
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Item 1. BUSINESS
General
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, doing business as Wabtec Corporation, is a Delaware corporation with headquarters at 30 Isabella Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our telephone number is 412-825-1000, and our website is located at www.wabteccorp.com. Except as the context otherwise requires, all references to “we”, “our”, “us”, the “Company” and “Wabtec” refer to Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries. George Westinghouse founded the original Westinghouse Air Brake Co. in 1869 when he invented the air brake. Westinghouse Air Brake Company (“WABCO”) was formed in 1990 when it acquired certain assets and operations from American Standard, Inc., now known as Trane (“Trane”). The Company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995.
Throughout the years, the Company has made a number of strategic acquisitions leading the Company to where it is today. These have primarily included:
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the 1999 merger with MotivePower Industries, Inc. whereby the Company adopted its current name of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, or Wabtec;
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the 2017 acquisition of Faiveley Transport, S.A. (“Faiveley Transport”), a leading provider of value-added, integrated systems and services, primarily for the global transit rail market. Based in France, the Faiveley Transport business has roots to 1919 and made Wabtec a leader in manufacturing pantographs, automatic door mechanisms, air conditioning systems, railway braking systems and couplers; and,
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the 2019 acquisition of GE Transportation, a business unit of General Electric Company. This brought a global technology leader and supplier of locomotives, equipment, services and digital solutions to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries into Wabtec.
As a result of those strategic acquisitions, as well as other smaller acquisitions and organic growth, Wabtec is now one of the world’s largest providers of value-added, technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems and services for the global freight rail and passenger transit industries, and also serves customers in the mining, marine, and industrial markets. Wabtec has approximately 27,000 employees, excluding contingent workers, and operations in over 50 countries. We hold a leading market share for many of our core product lines globally. Our highly engineered products, which are intended to enhance safety, improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs for customers, can be found on most locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit cars and buses around the world.
Through both internal growth as well as acquisitions, Wabtec has positioned itself with the following strategic strengths:
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Diversity of revenues by product, geography and market. Comprehensive product and service offerings spanning the freight rail and passenger transit industries, as well as products in the bus, mining, marine, and discrete industrial markets help Wabtec to balance the cyclical nature of the global rail business.
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Significant operating synergies and improved financial profile. The acquisition and integration of GE Transportation has led to operating synergies across all of Wabtec. Wabtec continues to focus on realizing operating synergies from smaller strategic bolt-on acquisitions as well as driving operational efficiencies through the previously announced Integration 2.0 initiative, a three-year strategic initiative that targets operational synergies and supports Wabtec's margin improvement through productivity gains. Wabtec is also focused on earnings growth through expanding high-margin recurring revenue streams.
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Exceptional technical and engineering expertise. Wabtec's engineers and technical capabilities support continued focus on innovative product development and efforts to achieve scalable technologies. Our technology expertise and investment in technology is key for Wabtec leading the decarbonization of the rail industry.
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Scale of Wabtec’s operations. Wabtec is one of the world’s largest providers of technology-enabled locomotives and equipment, freight car components, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries. The size of Wabtec's operations enables the Company to achieve economies of scale, in addition to using best-cost locations for executing on operational decisions.
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Complementary Digital and Electronics technologies. Wabtec has a comprehensive digital and electronics portfolio and leading engineering and technical intellectual property, which provides electronics and digital technologies to meet growing demand for train intelligence and network optimization.
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Enhanced Aftermarket and Services opportunities. Wabtec has an installed base of more than 23,000 locomotives and content on virtually all North American locomotives and freight cars, as well as a diverse offering of Transit
locomotives and cars both internationally and domestically, which enables significant opportunities in the higher-margin aftermarket parts and services business and mitigates the exposure to cycles.
Industry Overview
The Company primarily serves the global freight rail and passenger transit industries. As such, our operating results are largely dependent on the level of activity, financial condition and capital spending plans of freight railroads and passenger transit agencies around the world, and transportation equipment manufacturers who serve those markets. Many factors influence these industries, including general economic conditions; traffic volumes, as measured by freight carloads and passenger ridership; government spending on public transportation; and investment in new technologies. In general, trends such as urbanization and growth in developing markets, sustainability and environmental awareness, investment in technology solutions, an aging equipment fleet, and growth in global trade are expected to drive continued investment in freight rail and passenger transit.
The Association of the European Rail Industry, UNIFE, advocates for and represents European train builders and rail suppliers. UNIFE publishes a biennial market study that provides an overview of the market in its current form and a forecast of its future development in different regions and market segments. The 2022 biennial edition of the study concluded that the rail supply industry faced a moderate annual decline of 0.2% in the 2019 to 2020 period as a result of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but forecasts a recovery of the global rail supply market with a compound annual growth rate of 3% through 2027.
As growth continues, Wabtec expects to have additional opportunities to provide products and services in these markets. New technologies offered by Wabtec can provide solutions to improve safety, cost and reliability of rail, as well as support the modernization of the global rail fleets. Consistent with the 2020 UNIFE study, increased investment in infrastructure improvements, digitalization and automation is expected, all of which would improve efficiency in the global rail industry.
Business Segments and Products
We provide our products and services through two principal business segments, the Freight Segment and the Transit Segment, both of which have different market characteristics and business drivers. The Freight Segment primarily manufactures new locomotives; provides aftermarket parts and services to existing locomotives; provides components to new and existing freight cars; builds new commuter locomotives; supplies rail control and infrastructure products including electronics, positive train control equipment, signal design and engineering services; provides a comprehensive suite of software-enabled solutions designed to improve customer efficiency and productivity in the transportation and mining industries; overhauls locomotives; and provides heat exchangers and cooling systems for rail and other industrial markets. Customers include large, publicly traded railroads, leasing companies, manufacturers of original equipment such as locomotives and freight cars, utilities, and companies in the mining, marine, and industrial markets. We are the largest global manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives for freight railroads producing mission-critical products and solutions that help railroads reduce operating costs, decrease fuel use, minimize downtime and comply with emissions standards. As a result of the large base of more than 23,000 locomotives currently in use, Wabtec's Services product lines of modernizing, rebuilding, remanufacturing, maintaining, and exchanging locomotives and components in the aftermarkets provides a significant, recurring revenue stream. In 2022, the Freight Segment accounted for approximately 72% of Wabtec’s total net sales, with approximately 56% of its net sales in the U.S. In 2022, approximately 66% of the Freight Segment’s net sales were in the aftermarket.
The Transit Segment primarily manufactures and services components for new and existing passenger transit vehicles, typically regional trains, high speed trains, subway cars, light-rail vehicles and buses; supplies rail control and infrastructure products including electronics, signal design and engineering services; and refurbishes passenger transit vehicles. Customers include public transit authorities and municipalities, leasing companies, and manufacturers of passenger transit vehicles and buses around the world. In 2022, the Transit Segment accounted for approximately 28% of our total net sales, with approximately 17% of its net sales in the U.S. Approximately half of the Transit Segment’s net sales are in the aftermarket with the remainder in the original equipment market.
The following is a summary of our leading products in both aftermarket and original equipment across both of our business segments:
Equipment:
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Diesel-electric, battery, and liquid natural gas powered locomotives for freight and transit
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Engines, electric motors and premium propulsion systems used in locomotives, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling applications
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Marine and mining products
Digital & Electronic Products:
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Positive Train Control ("PTC") equipment and electronically controlled pneumatic braking products
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Railway electronics, including event recorders, monitoring equipment and end of train devices
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Signal design and engineering services
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Train performance such as distributed locomotive power, train 'cruise control', and train remote control
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Transport intelligence such as Industrial/mobile Internet of Things (IoT) hardware & software, edge-to-cloud, on and off-board analytics & rules, and asset performance management
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Transport logistics such as rail transportation management, shipper transportation management, and port visibility and optimization
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Network optimization such as rail network scheduling, dispatch and optimization, intermodal, terminal management and optimization, and rail yard management and optimization
Components:
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Freight car trucks and braking equipment and related components for Freight applications
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Draft gears, couplers and slack adjusters
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Air compressors and dryers
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Heat exchangers and cooling products for locomotives and power generation equipment
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Track and switch products
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New commuter and switcher locomotives
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Turbochargers for industrial and aftermarket vehicle applications
Services:
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Freight locomotive overhaul, modernizations and refurbishment
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Master service agreements for locomotive and car maintenance
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Transit locomotive and car overhaul
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Unit exchange of locomotive components
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Maintenance of way equipment and services
Transit Products:
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Railway and freight braking equipment and related components, including high-speed passenger transit vehicles
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Friction products, including brake shoes, discs and pads
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Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
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Access doors and platform screen doors
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Pantographs and third rail collectors
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Energy measuring systems
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Auxiliary power converter and battery charging
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Antifire systems
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Passenger information systems and CCTV
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Signaling and railway electric relays
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Sanitation systems
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Doors, window assemblies, accessibility lifts and ramps for buses
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Electric charging solutions for buses and electric ferries
We are a leader in the freight rail and passenger transit industries by capitalizing on the strength of our existing products, technological capabilities and new product innovations, and by our ability to harden products to protect them from severe
conditions, including extreme temperatures and high-vibration environments. Supported by our technical staff of more than 6,300 engineers and specialists, we have extensive experience in a broad range of product lines, which enables us to provide comprehensive, systems-based solutions for our customers.
We have continued to develop Energy Management Solutions for railroads to further reduce fuel consumption and emissions. These developments include the design of a battery electric locomotive that will be integrated with other diesel electric locomotives in a train. This hybrid consist, under the control of our Trip Optimizer software, will significantly reduce fuel consumption and have the ability to operate in a low emission state while in populated areas. In 2021, Wabtec and a Class I completed a three month pilot of a battery electric locomotive which reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 11% in a revenue service train. In 2022, this battery electric locomotive was recognized for sustainable innovation by the Business Intelligence Group and awarded “Commercial Technology of the Year” at the Platts Global Energy Awards.
In recent years, we have also introduced a number of significant new products, including PTC equipment that encompasses onboard digital data and global positioning communication protocols. We are making additional investments in this technology which we believe will provide customers with opportunities to improve safety and efficiency, in part through data analytics solutions. Other new products include HVAC inverter integrated solutions, brake discs and brake controls, platform doors and gates and door controllers.
For additional information on our business segments, see Note 19 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
Competitive Strengths
Our key strengths include:
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Iconic legacy and strong reputation with a history of over 150 years of innovation****.** Wabtec has been at the forefront of shaping and transforming the rail landscape through various innovations and technologies for over 150 years. We are a recognized leader in the development and production of electronic recording, measuring and communications systems, PTC equipment, highly engineered compressors and heat exchangers for locomotives, and a leading manufacturer of freight car components, including electronic braking equipment, draft gears, trucks, brake shoes, and electronic end-of-train devices. We are also a leading provider of braking equipment; heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; door assemblies and platform screen doors; lifts and ramps; couplers and current collection equipment, such as pantographs, for passenger transit vehicles.
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Breadth of product offering with a stable mix of original equipment market (OEM) and aftermarket business****.** Our product portfolio is one of the broadest in the rail industry, as we offer a wide selection of quality parts, components and assemblies across the entire train and worldwide. We provide our products in both the original equipment market and the aftermarket. Our substantial installed base of products with end-users such as the railroads and the passenger transit authorities is a significant competitive advantage for providing products and services to the aftermarket because these customers often look to purchase safety- and performance-related replacement parts from the original equipment components supplier. Sales of aftermarket parts and services typically represent approximately 60% of our total net sales.
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Leading design and engineering capabilities****.** We believe a hallmark of our relationship with our customers has been our leading design and engineering practice, which has assisted in the improvement and modernization of global railway equipment. We believe both our customers and government authorities value our technological capabilities and commitment to innovation, as we seek not only to enhance the efficiency and profitability of our customers, but also to improve the overall safety of the railways through continuous improvement of product performance. To that end, we have assembled a wide range of patented products, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage.
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Market leader in decarbonizing the rail industry.** Today, rail represents the cleanest, most energy efficient, and safest mode of moving freight and people on land. As global demands for growth increase, current trends indicate that freight and passenger rail activity will more than double by 2050, leading to an increased demand for sustainable transportation of people and goods. These converging forces highlight the critical interplay between market dynamics, the need for decarbonization and Wabtec’s business strategy. We are advancing our sustainability priorities both through our own commitments to our people, communities, and planet, as well as by innovating next generation technologies that reduce emissions, energy consumption and waste, and increase fuel efficiency for our customers through advancements in our equipment and digital solutions.
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Driving the digital transformation of the rail industry****.** Our early investment in data analytics and software has allowed us to become a strategic partner for customers looking to derive new value from assets and digitally transform their operations. Through these initiatives, our digital solutions have helped to transform many distribution channels in the transportation industry including mine to ports, from shipper to receiver, from port to intermodal terminals to main
line locomotives and railcars and across train yards and operation centers. The breadth of our Digital and Electronic solutions gives customers confidence in our ability to address their current and future needs.
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Strategic partnerships with longstanding customers and other key stakeholders.** We listen to our key stakeholders and focus on areas where Wabtec can enable the most meaningful impact for our customers, communities, and the world. Transformational change requires collaboration, so we are committed to accelerating progress by partnering with customers, government leaders, corporations, universities and other key stakeholders. For example, we have partnered with a customer, a leading short line and regional freight railroad, as well as a leading artificial intelligence and robotics institution to create technologies that will further decarbonize freight rail transport, improve freight safety, and generate greater rail network utilization. We also have collaborated with a global transportation company focused on the development and commercialization of battery technology and hydrogen fuel cell systems for Wabtec locomotives. By working together with these partners and others, we are developing advanced solutions for the industry to realize the zero-emission rail network of the future.
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Experience with industry regulatory requirements.** The freight rail and passenger transit industries are governed by various government agencies and regulators in each country and region. These groups mandate rigorous manufacturer certification and a new product testing and approval processes that we believe are difficult for new entrants to meet cost-effectively and efficiently without the scale and extensive experience we possess.
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Streamlined cost structure and operational excellence provide operating leverage and support Wabtec’s growth.** We focus on driving continuous operational improvement across the organization by sharing best practices, instilling a culture of learning, problem solving and continuous improvement, and driving standard operating practices. This culture is illustrated by the launch of Integration 2.0 in 2022.
Business Strategy
We strive to generate sufficient cash to invest in our growth strategies and to build on what we consider to be a leading position as a low-cost producer in the industry while maintaining world-class product quality, technology and customer responsiveness. We continuously strive to improve quality, delivery and productivity, and to reduce costs utilizing global sourcing and supply chain management. These practices enable us to streamline processes, improve product reliability and customer satisfaction, reduce product cycle times and respond more rapidly to market developments. We also rely on functional experts within the Company across various disciplines to train, coach and share best practices throughout the Company, while benchmarking against best-in-class competitors and peers. Over time, we expect to continue to increase operating margins, improve cash flow and strengthen our ability to invest in the following growth strategies:
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Accelerate innovation of scalable technologies****.** We continue to emphasize innovation and development funding to create new products and capabilities to increase customer productivity, efficiency, capacity, utilization and safety, such as the battery electric locomotive, vehicle monitoring and data analytics. We will continue to lead the way with technologies that use less energy, reduce weight and size, and increase recyclability. We plan to invest in bringing new technologies to market for our customers. A significant portion of our investment will be focused on three customer-centric areas of innovation: zero-emissions operations, automation and digitization and advanced supply chain visibility. These investments will position our customers for success and make these technologies the standard going forward. We have a multi-year initiative to build on our existing expertise and technologies in the digital and electronics areas. In addition, we invest in developing enhancements and new features to existing products, such as brake discs and heat exchangers. We are focusing on technological advances, especially in the areas of electronics, battery power and alternative fuels, braking products and other on-board equipment, as a means to deliver new product growth. We seek to provide customers with incremental technological advances that offer immediate benefits with cost-effective investments.
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Grow and refresh expansive installed base. We are a leading transportation and component manufacturer with a significant installed base with expansive product and service capabilities. We have over 23,000 locomotives in service, the majority of which are equipped with Digital technologies, like Positive Train Control. We intend to increase sales through direct sales of existing products to current and new customers, by developing specific new products for application in new geographic markets, by making strategic acquisitions and through joint ventures with railway suppliers which have a strong presence in their local markets. We believe that international markets represent a significant opportunity for future growth. In Transit, we are focused on mature markets such as Europe and emerging markets such as India. In Freight, we are targeting markets that operate significant fleets of North American-style locomotives and freight cars, including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, South Africa and other select areas within Europe, Asia and South America. In addition, we have opportunities to increase the sale of certain products that we currently manufacture for the rail industry into other industrial markets, such as mining, off-highway and energy.
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Lead the decarbonization of rail. We have taken significant steps to decarbonize global transport and make our world safer, smarter and greener. Today, rail represents the cleanest, most energy efficient and safest mode of moving freight
and people on land. As global demands for growth increase, current trends indicate that freight and passenger rail activity will more than double by 2050, leading to an increased demand for sustainable transportation of people and goods. These converging forces highlight the critical interplay between market dynamics, the need for decarbonization and Wabtec’s business strategy. Wabtec is leading the transition to a more utilized, efficient, and low-carbon rail network. Alternative clean energy technologies are critical in the fight against climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We are helping our customers reduce their overall carbon footprint through the development of low-emitting locomotives like our Tier 4 and battery-electric locomotives, Trip Optimizer, Green Air and Green Friction products, and the use of alternative fuels such as biodiesel, renewable diesel, and hydrogen.
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Expand high-margin recurring revenue streams.** Our expansive installed base allows us to generate strong recurring revenues with replacement parts and components, digital solutions, overhauls and modernizations. Aftermarket sales are typically done at higher margins and are less cyclical than OEM sales because a certain level of aftermarket maintenance and service work must be performed, even during an industry slowdown. Sales of aftermarket parts and services typically represent approximately 60% of total net sales. As a long time supplier of original equipment, we have an extensive installed base of equipment in operation and growing this installed base further will expand our recurring aftermarket sales. Wabtec provides aftermarket parts and services for its components, and we seek to expand this business with customers who currently perform the work in-house. In this way, we expect to benefit as transit authorities and railroads outsource certain maintenance and overhaul functions.
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Drive continuous operational improvement****.** We are focused on continuous improvement to drive cost competitiveness, effectively deploy capital and accelerate Lean. Lean is a set of principles that emphasize customer focus, elimination of waste, high quality growth and ruthless prioritization of work to improve safety, quality, delivery and cost. Lean is being embedded in our culture and is fundamental to how we execute our strategy. We are using Lean principles to help examine processes and continuously improve them by solving problems at their root cause. Our Lean transformation model focuses on driving process improvements and management systems to maximize the flow of value produced for the customer, remove waste, empower employees and optimize the enterprise. These principles are also rigorously applied to sustainability and safety.
Recent Acquisitions
See Note 3 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information about our recent acquisitions.
Backlog
Backlog represents the future sales we expect to recognize on firm orders received from customers and approximates the Company’s remaining performance obligations at the end of each period. The Company’s total backlog was approximately $22 billion at December 31, 2022. The Company’s contracts are subject to standard industry cancellation provisions, including cancellations on short notice or upon completion of designated stages. Generally, if a customer were to cancel a contract we would have an enforceable right to payment for work completed up to the date of cancellation which would include a reasonable profit margin. Substantial scope-of-work adjustments are common. For these and other reasons, completion of the Company’s backlog may be delayed or canceled. The railroad industry, in general, has historically been subject to fluctuations due to overall economic conditions and the level of use of alternative modes of transportation.
The roll forward of the Company's backlog of firm customer orders and the expected year of completion are as follows:
| In millions | Freight Segment | Transit Segment | Consolidated | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2021 | $ | 18,502 | $ | 3,667 | $ | 22,169 | ||||||||||||||
| New orders | 6,294 | 2,742 | 9,036 | |||||||||||||||||
| Less: Net sales | (6,012) | (2,350) | (8,362) | |||||||||||||||||
| Adjustments / foreign exchange, net | (143) | (259) | (402) | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2022 | $ | 18,641 | $ | 3,800 | $ | 22,441 | ||||||||||||||
| Expected Delivery | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | $ | 4,901 | $ | 1,859 | $ | 6,760 | ||||||||||||||
| Other years | $ | 13,740 | $ | 1,941 | $ | 15,681 |
Although the current unfavorable global economic conditions have not resulted in any material cancellations, they have impacted the timing of some orders in backlog as, in certain cases, the delivery of goods and services were pushed out from their original timelines.
Engineering and Development
To execute our strategy to develop new products, we invest in a variety of engineering and development activities. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we invested $209 million, $176 million and $162 million, respectively, in engineering for product development and improvement activities. Significant incremental engineering expense can be incurred with the execution of original equipment customer contracts. Across the Company we have established multiple Centers of Competence, which have specialized, technical expertise in various disciplines and product areas.
Our engineering and development program includes investments in data analytics, train control and other new technologies, such as battery-electric, liquid natural gas and hydrogen-powered locomotives, with an emphasis on developing products that enhance safety, productivity and efficiency for our customers. For example, we have developed advanced cooling systems that enable lower emissions from diesel engines used in rail and other industrial markets. We periodically conduct specific research projects in conjunction with universities, customers and other industry suppliers.
We use our product development system to develop and monitor new product programs. The system requires the product development team to follow consistent steps throughout the development process, from concept to launch, to ensure the product will meet customer expectations and internal profitability targets.
Intellectual Property
We have approximately 6,000 active patents worldwide and on average file for approximately 300 new patents each year. We also rely on a combination of trade secrets and other intellectual property laws, nondisclosure agreements and other protective measures to establish and protect our proprietary rights in our intellectual property. We actively monitor competitor patent issuance during our product development to reduce litigation risks, and we follow their product development practices to monitor possible patent infringement by them, and to evaluate their strategies and plans.
Trademarks we utilize can be licensed from other companies, acquired as part of mergers or acquisitions, or have been developed through the normal course of business. We have entered into a variety of license agreements as licensor and licensee. We do not believe that any single license agreement is of material importance to our business or any of our business segments as a whole.
Customers
We provide products and services for more than 500 customers worldwide. Our customers include passenger transit authorities and railroads throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and South America; manufacturers of transportation equipment, such as locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit vehicles and buses and companies that own, lease, and maintain such equipment, as well as customers in the mining, marine, and industrial markets.
Top customers can change from year to year. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, our top five customers accounted for approximately 30% of net sales. No one customer represents 10% or more of consolidated net sales. We believe that we have strong relationships with all of our key customers.
Competition
We hold a leading market share for many of our core product lines globally, although market shares vary by product lines and geographies. We operate in a highly competitive marketplace. Price competition is strong because we have a relatively small number of customers and they are very cost-conscious. In addition to price, competition is based on product performance and technological leadership, quality, reliability of delivery, and customer service and support.
Our principal competitors vary across product lines and geographies. Within North America, New York Air Brake Company, a subsidiary of the German air brake producer Knorr-Bremse AG (“Knorr”) and Amsted Rail Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Amsted Industries Corporation, are our principal overall OEM competitors. Our primary competition for locomotives is Electro-Motive Diesel, a division of Caterpillar. Our primary competition for freight and passenger transit service and repair is mostly from the railroads’ and passenger transit authorities’ in-house operations and Knorr. We believe our key strengths, which include leading market positions in core products, including sustainable technologies, breadth of product offering with a stable mix of OEM and aftermarket business, leading design and engineering capabilities, significant barriers to entry, strategic partnerships and operational excellence, coupled with an experienced management team, enable us to compete effectively in this marketplace. Outside of North America, Knorr is our main competitor, although not in every product line or geography. In addition, our competitors often include smaller, local suppliers in most international markets. Depending on the product line and geography, we can also compete with our customers, such as CRRC Corporation Limited, a China-based manufacturer of rolling stock.
Environmental, Social and Governance
Sustainability
Wabtec is committed to sustainable value creation. Our sustainability strategy is to contribute to a better, more sustainable world through our unique business offerings, leading technologies and sustainable business practices. Our strategy helps us capitalize on market opportunities and reduce safety and environmental risks, while creating value for our customers, employees and other stakeholders. Wabtec utilizes three Strategic Sustainability Principles to execute our sustainability strategy:
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Innovating with Purpose. We are committed to developing responsible and sustainable products that minimize the impact on the planet.
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Driving Responsible Operations. We are committed to providing safe work environments and products that enable productive and efficient use of resources.
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Empowering People and Communities. We are committed to driving an inclusive culture grounded in integrity, committed to the development of and investment in the communities where our teams live and work.
As we develop and refine our sustainability strategy, it is important that we listen to our key stakeholders and focus on areas where Wabtec can enable the most meaningful impact for our customers, communities and the world. In 2021, we conducted a comprehensive Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") assessment that included internal and external stakeholder involvement, to identify key ESG issues of focus for the Company. Based on the assessment, we identified topics with the highest relative priority to Wabtec and its external stakeholders that are aligned to our overall sustainability strategy and action plans:
| Topic | Definition | Alignment to Wabtec Strategic Sustainability Principles | ||||||
| Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions | Reducing GHG emissions across Wabtec’s value chain and helping Wabtec partners across their value chain reduce GHG emissions. This includes reducing major sources of indirect emissions during the procurement and processing of raw materials, during manufacturing and the operation of our facilities, and during product distribution and end use. | • Innovating with Purpose • Driving Responsible Operations | ||||||
| Energy & renewables | Supporting policies and organizational partners that contribute to the renewable energy transition. Contributing to the success of the energy transition by improving the energy efficiency of Wabtec’s products and operations. Integrating renewables into Wabtec’s products and operations and enabling the adoption of new and emerging renewable energy solutions. | • Innovating with Purpose • Driving Responsible Operations | ||||||
| Innovation & technology | Capitalizing on opportunities related to new product advancements and innovations that include the adoption of emerging technology to help address key societal and transportation sector challenges. Developing a resilient business model capable of meeting societal expectations for continuous improvement. | • Innovating with Purpose • Empowering People and Communities | ||||||
| Business Ethics & Compliance | Upholding ethics and integrity in every aspect of Wabtec’s business by ensuring transparency in all financial practices. Complying with all applicable national and local laws and regulations by promoting practices and policies that encourage reporting instances of non-compliance and by implementing corrective actions that prevent recurrence. Preventing bribery, corruption, and anti-competitive behavior. Promoting ethics and compliance throughout Wabtec’s value chain, especially among suppliers. | • Driving Responsible Operations • Empowering People and Communities | ||||||
| Data privacy & cybersecurity | Investing in cybersecurity measures and adapting to business risks presented by technology and digitization. Protecting Wabtec’s proprietary information and intellectual property. Ensuring the responsible management and use of data, including data from customers, employees, and suppliers. Protecting data collected by Wabtec products. | • Innovating with Purpose |
During 2021, Wabtec adopted its Green Finance Framework. Following the release of the Green Financing Framework, the Company issued its inaugural "green bond" – a €500 million issuance in the European bond market. The Company intends to utilize green financing instruments as part of its overall capital resources strategy to support the transition to a low-carbon transportation future and meet the sustainable transportation needs of growing cities around the world. Projects supported by green financing will largely target the objective of climate change mitigation by focusing on the efficiency of freight rail systems and public transport, as well as on the provision of energy-efficient customer solution services. Focus areas include:
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Clean transportation
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Eco-efficient and/or circular economy adapted products, production technologies and processes
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Renewable energy
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Pollution prevention and control
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Energy efficiency
During 2022, Wabtec issued the 2022 Green Bond Report. This report describes our Green Bond Program and summarizes the full utilization of the green bond proceeds and allocation of the expenditures to our five focus areas. See "Available Information," below*.*
ESG Goals
Wabtec is committed to transparency on ESG topics, including the opportunities and challenges we encounter as we work to enhance performance and conduct business in a responsible manner. In 2020, we established ESG goals around innovation, operations, safety, and people. We report our progress on these goals in our annual Sustainability Report. See "Available Information," below.
Wabtec developed an ESG governance framework to provide oversight for our climate action strategy. This structure starts with Wabtec's Board of Directors and its committees who oversee the execution of the Company’s ESG strategy as part of their oversight of Wabtec’s overall business. In particular, the Board established the Environmental, Social and Governance Subcommittee ("ESG Subcommittee") of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to support and provide oversight of Wabtec’s sustainability strategy and ongoing commitment to ESG matters relevant to Wabtec, including complying with all applicable laws and regulations affecting the health and safety of our employees and stakeholders, as well as protection of the environment (including climate) and other public policy matters. To further facilitate the Board’s engagement and oversight, ESG was added as a risk category in Wabtec’s enterprise risk management process.
Human Capital
At Wabtec, we believe performance drives progress, and are committed to developing sustainable transportation solutions that move and improve the world. We are committed to driving an inclusive culture and integrating our talent and capabilities across the enterprise. As a Company, we believe that protecting the health and safety of our people and the environment is the responsibility of everyone at Wabtec.
Our headquarters are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and we have offices and facilities in over 50 countries around the globe. As of December 31, 2022, we have a global workforce of approximately 27,000 employees, excluding contingent workers.
A portion of our workers are represented by labor unions. For 2023, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), Locals 506 and 618 collective bargaining agreement, covering approximately 1,400 locomotive manufacturing workers in Erie, Pennsylvania, expires on June 9, 2023. Negotiations with UE will begin in 2023. The Company continuously monitors its labor activity.
Diversity and Inclusion
Wabtec is committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace that respects and seeks the unique talents, experiences and viewpoints of all our employees. Wabtec has a Diversity and Inclusion Council, led by members of Wabtec’s executive leadership team, who oversee global diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where employees can be themselves. During 2022, we created the position of Global Diversity & Inclusion Leader to drive progress on our commitment to promoting diversity and fostering an inclusive workplace that attracts, develops and retains diverse talent. Our Board of Directors also plays a critical role in creating an organization that prioritizes, supports, and invests in diversity, inclusion, and equity. Over the last three years, Wabtec has named three diverse members to its Board, with 55% of Wabtec’s Board currently considered diverse (gender; race/ethnicity). In 2021, women constituted approximately 17% of our global workforce and approximately 19% of our salaried employees, and people of color constituted approximately 20% of our U.S. salaried workforce and approximately 24% of the total U.S. workforce.
Training and Development
We continually invest in our employees’ career growth and provide employees with a wide range of development opportunities, including face-to-face, virtual, social and self-directed learning, mentoring and coaching programs. We have invested in training courses through Wabtec’s Learning Management System ("LMS"). In 2021, Wabtec partnered with a third-party to provide diversity and inclusion training. In 2022, Wabtec continued this partnership, refining the program to our company-wide initiatives. Over 5,000 employees have participated in the training, which was coupled with tools and resources for people leaders to help make diversity and inclusion part of a long-term conversation rather than a one-time training.
Our two-year Leadership, Expertise, Advancement and Development ("LEAD") program is the primary path for university graduates into Wabtec. LEAD is a two-year program that offers an immersive learning experience in the fields of engineering, operations, finance and IT along with extensive leadership training designed to build the next generation of leaders. On average, there are 100 participants in the LEAD program that rotate between business units every six months to
work on strategic projects and assignments, gain exposure to senior leadership and build their global professional network. We are focused on strengthening this program to support our global talent pipeline.
Environmental, Health and Safety
At Wabtec, our commitment to environmental, health and safety ("EHS") is at the heart of our core values. The well-being of our employees, the communities where we operate, and our customers and their customers depends on it. To ensure operational accountability for EHS across all levels of Wabtec, we use standard metrics (both lagging and leading indicators) and structured management reviews to track and measure EHS performance across all our operational sites. Each site is responsible for developing a risk reduction plan to drive site or project-level actions related to risk reduction, employee engagement, and continuous EHS improvement. Monthly EHS operating reviews with the Executive Vice President for Global Operations are used to review operational risks at the enterprise-level, develop strategic initiatives, and communicate key performance indicators to senior management. In 2022, we continued our progress toward best-in-class EHS performance by strengthening our focus on compliance assurance, risk reduction, and learning and development. We also continued our efforts to comprehensively deploy and validate effective and consistent adherence with the Environment, Health, and Safety component of the Wabtec Management System (known as the “EHS WMS”) to strengthen our management system approach to addressing EHS risks and promote the consistent implementation of best practices across all our global manufacturing and services sites, regardless of how local laws are implemented or enforced. We also improved our focus on proactive risk reduction in our operations by conducting monthly incident review sessions with our site Operations and EHS teams to review common incidents, discuss corrective actions, and share best practices. Through these enhanced incident learning efforts, our Operations and EHS teams are partnering to eliminate and reduce hazards and risks within Wabtec’s operations, which is fundamental to improved EHS performance. With zero fatalities and over 65 operational sites with zero recordable injuries, 2022 saw a 10% injury rate reduction across Wabtec's operations as compared with 2021.
In 2022, Wabtec continued its EHS leadership training course aimed at building the toolkits of general managers and plant managers to empower them as critical stewards of our EHS culture. This course instills Wabtec’s EHS expectations of its Operational Leaders by providing an awareness of EHS impacts and legal and compliance responsibilities, practical tips for achieving and maintaining EHS excellence, and ideas for cultivating a positive culture and engaging employees to take ownership for EHS. As of 2022, approximately 175 leaders from over 25 countries have attended the training.
Compensation and Benefits
We remain committed to a strong pay-for performance philosophy that aligns individual performance, behaviors and business results with individual rewards. To deliver on that commitment, we utilize market data to benchmark to the external market, and consider factors such as an employee’s role and experience, the location of the job and performance when determining compensation.
We provide our employees resources to help them succeed. We offer a wide range of benefits including healthcare and wellness benefits, retirement benefits, an Employee Assistance Program, Employee Resource Groups to build diverse and inclusive communities at Wabtec, and paid time off.
Cybersecurity Framework
Cybersecurity and data protection are important considerations in the design and production of Wabtec products, projects, and services. Information technology is used and relied upon extensively by our business. We collect, process, and retain sensitive and confidential customer information, including proprietary business information, personal data and other information, some of which may be subject to privacy and security laws, regulations and/or customer-imposed data protection controls. To address risks related to cybersecurity and privacy, Wabtec seeks to leverage industry cybersecurity practices that have been developed by organizations such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Standardization Organization (ISO) and also engages external independent advisors. Wabtec’s Data Protection Plan describes the technical, physical and administrative controls used to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information provided to and managed by Wabtec. Cybersecurity is addressed and discussed regularly with our Chief Information Officer, the Audit Committee and Board of Directors. Wabtec also maintains SOC 1 Type 2 certification for select digital products, as well as cyber liability insurance coverage. We also regularly evaluate our response readiness, including disaster recovery plans and business continuity considerations in the case of a cyber incident. Finally, Wabtec engages in regular security awareness training to highlight and educate its employees on how to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks at the individual level.
Regulation
In the course of our operations, we are subject to various regulations and standards of governments and other agencies in the U.S. and around the world. These entities typically govern equipment, safety and interoperability standards for freight rail rolling stock and passenger transit, oversee a wide variety of rules and regulations governing safety and design of equipment, and evaluate certification and qualification requirements for suppliers. New products generally must undergo testing and approval processes that are rigorous and lengthy. As a result of these regulations and requirements, we must usually obtain and
maintain certifications in a variety of jurisdictions and countries. The governing bodies include the FRA and the Association of American Railroads ("AAR") in the U.S., and the International Union of Railways (“UIC”) and the European Railway Agencies in Europe. Also, in Europe, the European Committees for Standardization continually draft new European standards which cover, for example, the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety of railways systems. To guarantee interoperability in Europe, the European Union for Railway Agencies is responsible for defining and implementing Technical Standards of Interoperability, which covers areas such as infrastructure, energy, rolling stock, telematic applications, traffic operation and management subsystems, noise pollution and waste generation, protection against fire and smoke, and system safety.
Most countries and regions in which Wabtec does business have similar rule-making bodies. For example, in China any product or system sold on the Chinese market must have been certified in accordance with national standards. In the local Indian market, most products are covered by regulations patterned after AAR and UIC standards.
Effects of Seasonality
Our business has limited seasonality. Third quarter results may be affected by the timing of services performed under our locomotive maintenance contracts and vacation and scheduled plant shutdowns at several of our major customers. Fourth quarter results may be affected by the timing of spare parts and service orders placed by transit agencies worldwide. Quarterly results can also be affected by the timing of projects in backlog and by project delays.
Environmental Matters
The Company's operations and products are subject to a variety of environmental laws and regulations governing air emissions, discharges into water, the use, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous substances and waste materials, as well as the remediation of contamination associated with releases of hazardous substances. The Company believes its operations and products currently comply in all material respects with all of the various environmental laws and regulations applicable to our business; however, there can be no assurance that environmental requirements will not change in the future or that we will not incur significant costs to comply with such requirements.
Available Information
We maintain a website at www.wabteccorp.com. Available free of charge on this site are: our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as the annual report to stockholders, our Green Bond Report (www.wabteccorp.com/investor-relations/green-finance-framework), our Sustainability Report (www.wabteccorp.com/sustainability), and other information. The Internet site and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K. The following are also available free of charge on this site and are available in print to any shareholder who requests them: Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of our Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, our Code of Conduct, which is applicable to all employees, our Code of Ethics for Senior Officers, which is applicable to our executive officers, our Policies on Related Party Transactions and Conflict Minerals.
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The following table provides information on our executive officers as of February 15, 2023.
| Officers | Age | Position | ||||||||||||
| Rafael Santana | 51 | President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||||||
| David L. DeNinno | 67 | Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||||||||||
| John A. Olin | 62 | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||||||
| Nicole Theophilus | 52 | Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | ||||||||||||
| Eric Gebhardt | 54 | Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer | ||||||||||||
| Gina Trombley | 52 | Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing & Chief Commercial Officer - Americas | ||||||||||||
| Greg Sbrocco | 54 | Executive Vice President, Global Operations | ||||||||||||
| Michael E. Fetsko | 58 | President, Freight and Industrial Components | ||||||||||||
| Pascal Schweitzer | 46 | President, Freight Services | ||||||||||||
| Rogerio Mendonca | 50 | President, Freight Equipment | ||||||||||||
| Nalin Jain | 53 | President, Digital Electronics | ||||||||||||
| Lillian Leroux | 51 | President, Transit | ||||||||||||
| John A. Mastalerz | 56 | Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer | ||||||||||||
| Kristine Kubacki | 48 | Vice President, Investor Relations |
Rafael Santana was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective July 1, 2019. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President from February 2019 to July 2019. Mr. Santana was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Transportation since November 2017. Mr. Santana has held several global leadership positions since joining GE in 2000, including roles in the Transportation, Power and Oil and Gas businesses. Prior to being named President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Transportation, Mr. Santana was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE in Latin America. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Oil and Gas Turbomachinery Solutions and had roles as Chief Executive Officer for GE Gas Engines and Chief Executive Officer for GE Energy in Latin America.
David L. DeNinno was named Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company effective December 2016. Previously, Mr. DeNinno served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since February 2012. Previously, Mr. DeNinno served as a partner at K&L Gates LLP since May 2011 and prior to that with Reed Smith LLP.
John A. Olin was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective October 1, 2021. Prior to joining Wabtec, Mr. Olin served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Harley-Davidson, where he was instrumental in driving strategic change amidst significant market disruption, including reshaping the company. Prior to Harley-Davidson, Mr. Olin served as Controller of Kraft Foods' Cheese Division, and had 12 years of financial leadership at Kraft, Oscar Mayer Foods, and Miller Brewing Company. Mr. Olin also held positions with financial services and specialized consulting firms including Ernst and Whinney (now Ernst and Young).
Nicole Theophilus was named Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer in October 2020. Prior to joining Wabtec, Ms. Theophilus served most recently as Chief Human Resource Officer of West Corporation from March 2016 through February 2018. Previously she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer, Vice President of Human Resources and Vice President and Chief Employment Counsel of ConAgra Corporation, where she was employed from 2006 through 2015. Prior to 2006, Ms. Theophilus was a partner with the law firm Husch Blackwell.
Eric Gebhardt was named Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer in October 2020. Prior to joining Wabtec, Mr. Gebhardt served as Managing Director of KCK-US from May 2019 through September 2020. He also served in a variety of roles with General Electric including Chief Technology Officer of GE Power from August 2017 through January 2019, Chief Product Management Officer for GE Energy Connections from February 2017 through August 2017, Chief Platforms and Operations Officer for Current from January 2016 through January 2017, and Chief Technology Officer for GE Oil & Gas from October 2012 through December 2015.
Gina Trombley was named Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing & Chief Commercial Officer - Americas, effective September 8, 2020. Prior to joining Wabtec, Ms. Trombley served in various executive roles at Bombardier Transportation from 2017 to 2019, most recently as Vice President of Services and previously as Vice President Sales for Bombardier Transport - Americas. Ms. Trombley also held progressive commercial and marketing leadership roles at Parsons and GE Transportation.
Greg Sbrocco was named Executive Vice President, Global Operations in February 2019. Prior to this, Mr. Sbrocco was Global Supply Chain Leader for GE Transportation since September 2014. Mr. Sbrocco had been with GE since 1992 when he joined as an Environmental Engineer for the GE Energy business. During his tenure with GE, Mr. Sbrocco held several leadership roles in GE Energy, GE Oil and Gas, and GE Transportation.
Michael E. Fetsko was named President, Freight and Industrial Components effective January 2017. Previously, Mr. Fetsko served as Vice President and Group Executive from January 2014. He joined Wabtec in July of 2011 as Vice President, Freight Pneumatics. Prior to joining Wabtec, Mr. Fetsko served in various executive management roles with Bombardier Transportation. Prior to Bombardier, Mr. Fetsko served in various management roles with two different environmental engineering firms.
Pascal Schweitzer was named President, Freight Services in February 2019. Previously Mr. Schweitzer was the Vice President—Services of GE Transportation since April 2017. He served as General Manger – Europe – Power Services for GE Power from November 2015 through April 2017 and prior to that several positions with Alstom Power.
Rogerio Mendonca was named President, Freight Equipment in February 2021. Previously Mr. Mendonca served as Vice President for Baker Hughes from July 2017. Prior to that he served as President of GE Transportation in Latin America from April 2016 through July 2017 and in several roles leading up to that including Commercial Director and Service Operations General Manager.
Nalin Jain was named President, Digital Electronics business effective December 2020. Mr. Jain had served as President, Global Equipment since May 2019 and previously as President & CEO, International Markets since Aug 2017 for GE Transportation. Prior to that, Mr. Jain had multiple leadership roles of increasing responsibility with GE Aviation and GE Transportation, since September 2005. Mr. Jain served as Director Global Partnerships with Bombardier Inc since July 2002 and prior to that he worked for Saint Gobain.
Lilian Leroux was named President, Transit effective March 2019. Previously he served as Group President—Brakes & Safety from January 2017 to October 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Leroux held various executive management roles with Faiveley Transport, starting in January 2001.
John A. Mastalerz was named Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer in February 2020. Previously, Mr. Mastalerz served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer from July 2017 to February 2020 and as Vice President and Corporate Controller from January 2014 to July 2017. Prior to joining Wabtec, Mr. Mastalerz served in various executive management roles with the H.J. Heinz Company from January 2001 to December 2013, most recently as Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer. Prior to 2001, Mr. Mastalerz was a Senior Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Kristine Kubacki was named Vice President of Investor Relations in April 2019. Previously, Ms. Kubacki was on Wall Street from January 2004 to April 2019 as a sell-side equity analyst covering industrials and served as Executive Director and Senior Analyst for the transportation, logistics and equipment sector at Mizuho Securities USA from June 2017 to April 2019, as well as Director of Equity Research for the global industrial equipment industry at CLSA from July 2016 to March 2017. Ms. Kubacki prior to her role at CLSA spent nearly nine years covering the industrial sector at Avondale Partners, as well as operations management, process design and supply chain management positions at Procter and Gamble.
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