For over fifty-five years, TransTech has been a leader in providing electricity to moving machines. With a rich North American history, the chances are good that you have stumbled across TransTech’s work more than once, without ever realising it.
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TransTech provides the essential power behind many things that “go.” From electrification of cranes in steel mills and ports to the pantographs that power many of the trains in the northeast, countless businesses rely heavily on the advanced electrification products and systems that TransTech offers.
By creating tailor-made solutions that suit the electrical system needs of each project, TransTech has gained widespread industry recognition. Ian Paradis, Managing Director at TransTech, explains: “We specialize in engineered solutions. We don’t just have canned solutions; we’ll custom engineer or configure solutions for specific applications.” TransTech’s rise to the top is a testament to the firm’s in-house experts and manufacturing capabilities that provide solutions to even the most complex applications.
TransTech’s growth is built on a reputation which spans decades in North America. The company began in the 1900s, making brush holders for DC (direct current) motors in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1984, South Carolina’s booming industry presented a dynamic workforce opportunity that influenced the firm’s move to the Greenville, South Carolina location where all of TransTech’s manufacturing still happens today.
Half a century later, TransTech is thriving and serving the U.S., Canada, Mexico and several other international markets alongside multiple sister companies. A corporate culture of quality has infiltrated every step of TransTech’s journey, and has driven the company’s growth through even tough global economic times. ISO: 9001: 2008 certified for fifteen years, the company is uniquely positioned within a broad range of sectors but remains rooted in manufacturing quality systems which power moving machines.
“We are really committed to excellence in every way, not just in the products we deliver, but how we deliver them and how we engage with the customers,” says Paradis.
Unlike many other manufacturing companies, TransTech has the benefit of not only manufacturing, but engineering as well. TransTech is committed to a holistic approach that, in turn, saves clients time and, more importantly, money. Paradis explains that, “Instead of depending on outside suppliers, we have the capability to do everything in-house. This allows us to control our cost, our quality, and our lead time.”
The company provides a diverse range of in-house services that include: machining, welding, molding, powder coating, blasting, forming, and even making all its own tooling. TransTech can maintain a level of quality control which companies that rely on multiple subcontractors simply cannot.
Providing electrification solutions is a complex process that demands both flexibility and expertise, and the firm is known particularly for surpassing the capabilities of general providers. “Customers come to us when they have a problem and no one else can solve it. We can solve it,” says Paradis. In order to respond to strict budgets and the varying operational requirements of harsh environments, adaptability is key. “We do specialty systems. [If a system has] has curves in it, has a really dusty environment, is a high-use or high-speed environment, or in an area which demands an intense application, we can do it.”
TransTech manufactures components that are crucial to the people-moving industries such as locomotive transport. From pantographs and overhead catenary components to DC motors or third rail collectors, the nation’s biggest public transit dilemmas are resolved with the help of TransTech’s innovative technologies.
The people-moving industry is a notoriously fast-paced, high-stakes sector, which is an indisputably fundamental feature of modern society. With an increasing number of people on the planet, and an upturn in the economy, the importance of effective transit has never been clearer.
TransTech has a wealth of experience in the transit and people-moving industries and today, the firm regularly serves North American transit authorities and OEM car builders such as Kawasaki and Siemens. The company’s commitment to developing custom solutions that solve electrical interface issues, improve efficiency, and save energy has become an intrinsic part of this booming sector. TransTech has worked on some of the most well-known train and subway transit systems in most of the major cities across the U.S.
In addition to manufacturing and engineering, TransTech is also committed to innovation – continuously developing new products to respond to the dynamic needs of the people-moving industry. Transit projects are not for the faint of heart; highly demanding and often encompassing both private and public organizational demands, these endeavours call for a high level of expertise and planning. One of the firm’s significant achievements comes in the form of providing companies with the tools to pre-empt issues, preventing the loss of time and revenues which come with faulty equipment or inefficient energy systems.
The firm currently has several developments in the works, including the ongoing development of data collection programs that will help transit companies proactively maintain conductor systems by pre-emptively identifying issues in overhead line systems. As transit companies endeavour to increase capacity and efficiency, TransTech continues to pioneer the innovative solutions necessary to power these developments.
Just as TransTech is a central part of the people-moving industry, it is an equally major player in the steel industry. The company’s work in the industry is vast and penetrates every phase of steel production. Creating systems that power the heavy cranes, ladles for molten steel, and “moving steel” products requires an in-depth understanding of intricate systems and an attention to durability. Indeed, the work undertaken at steel mills is arduous, and to have electrical systems or equipment fail is not an option. Steel companies consistently seek out TransTech’s services to guarantee the viability of the equipment necessary to keep things moving smoothly.
“These are really intense applications. They have to work 24/7 in really tough environments. If production cranes go down, it’s a big deal. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour,” says Paradis. Consequently, TransTech’s reputation for creating effective and reliable equipment remains the firm’s top selling point within the steel mill market.
With a range of products and expertise focused on the creation of sound electrification systems, TransTech is the first point of call for a number of steel giants as well as other raw metal manufacturing and distribution companies across North America.
TransTech’s ambitious growth over the past fifty-five years is matched only by the promise of years to come. According to Paradis, “twenty-five percent of our business is new customers or new products every year.” Through an increasing number of influential partnerships with global firms, TransTech’s potential reach is larger than ever.
Paired with its German sister company, Stemmann-Technik, Transtech is currently stretching into projects with North America’s major ports and wind energy providers, further diversifying its industrial footprint. “We intend to grow; we plan to double in size in the next five years,” says Paradis. With its proud history of quality and its ongoing commitment to provide solutions to some of the most challenging applications in its field, this plan seems well in hand for TransTech.
