Coming in the Autumn issue: Executive Roundtable

Marty Haycraft

Editor’s note: In our Autumn issue, we will feature insights from industry leaders about market trends and developments. In this excerpt, Marty Haycraft, CEO of Progress Rail, discusses his thoughts on emerging trends.

Question: What do you consider to be the key market indicators/emerging trends and how are you mobilizing your business to address them?

Haycraft: Our customers are driving toward sustainable solutions that reduce greenhouse gases. To support those efforts, Progress Rail has developed a new battery-powered switcher locomotive, working in collaboration with our South American customer, Vale. The zero exhaust emission, zero-idle and low noise EMD Joule locomotive broadens our rolling stock portfolio with the latest lithium-ion battery technology and reliable performance for instant start within yard applications. We are excited to supply the first EMD Joule to Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) for a demonstration project operating in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.

Question: Industry-wide, what recent developments—technological, economic, regulatory or other—do you think will have the greatest impact on business in the next year or so?

Haycraft: Throughout our history, we have been at the forefront of innovation, and today, we continue to invest in broadening our product and service offerings. This means addressing how we effectively use the mountain of data coming from our locomotives, engines, wayside communications, maintenance-of-way equipment and other products to serve our customers. With tools like our PR Uptime Suite, Talos Train Automation and our PowerView event recorder, we are capturing the power of data analytics and offering complete condition-based maintenance. And through our energy management solutions, we can provide the most comprehensive fuel-savings suite of products on the market. These solutions pave the way toward creating smart, connected assets to meet and exceed the needs of our customers both today and in the future.

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