BLOG: Ostrava's Economy tied to Portland's (Part IV)
Sam Adams
Up early the next morning, we toured the plant where Portland’s next 3 streetcars are being built.
On site, it is clear that streetcar manufacturing is a unique skill.
The guts of these cars are raw metal that is cut, pounded and assembled piece-by-piece, weld-by-weld, section-by-section - the old fashioned way.
It takes 7,000 feet of wire, hundreds to electrical re-routes and circuits to automate each streetcar.
The metal and wires are then skinned with fiberglass, sheet metal, paint, rubber, fabric and plastic.
There are only a few makers of modern streetcars in the world and none in the U.S.
Yet.
Our streetcars are a little behind schedule; we cajole Josef and his team about this fact. They say they will make it up. They have on past orders.
Like good streetcar tourists, our delegation takes turns powering a streetcar around the test track.
At a coffee break, Josef tells our delegation he was up last night worrying about the Oregon Iron Works deal.
“Good,” I thought to myself, “that makes at least two of us.”
Let me tell you what I am now thinking…
He went on to outline a much improved joint venture proposal to build a US streetcar prototype with Oregon Iron Works: these kind of business to business deals are confidential.
Finally, progress.
Still, Inekon and Oregon Iron Works are a long way from a deal, but Josef’s new proposal represents big change in his position.
And, a Portland-area-made streetcar inches forward down the tracks.
Meanwhile, I am going home early, I have a tram to help fix…
Posted by Sam Adams on October 30, 2005
(6) Comments | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Filed Under Blog, Front Page, Jobs & Economy, Ostrava, Transportation
Comments by site visitors
Jim,
I am getting complaints from a number of folks about the number and length of blog posts from you on this site. To many, it looks like you feel you need to post comments on every blog entry.
Some say that your frequent posts turn them off looking at this site and deter them from posting their own comments.
I know you have been blocked from posting on other blogs. I do not want to do that to you on mine, but I need you to be aware of this issue. What do you suggest?
Sam
Posted by: Sam Adams | Oct 31, 2005 11:07:04 PM
I am a strong supporter of the streetcar and of public transit in general, but I would like to know more about Inekon as a company (of course, this is what Oregon Iron Works really has to concern itself with). Is Inekon still largely state-owned? Have they successfully rid themselves of Soviet style business and manufacturing practices? From the shop description, I'm not so sure. Would OIW have to extensively rework all that to fit US standards? If a partner is required, maybe at least also looking at a German or Japanese company makes sense.
Posted by: Robert Jordan | Nov 2, 2005 8:17:05 AM
Inekon was always privately owned. Joseph Husek, the chairman, is the majority shareholder.
It will be important to Portland to have as much spare parts compatability between any cars produced by Oregon Iron Works and the current fleet of vehicles. So a Czech partner is much preferred from that point of view.
Posted by: Chris Smith | Nov 4, 2005 1:55:32 PM
Sam:
Jim,
I am getting complaints from a number of folks about the number and length of blog posts from you on this site. To many, it looks like you feel you need to post comments on every blog entry.
Some say that your frequent posts turn them off looking at this site and deter them from posting their own comments.
I know you have been blocked from posting on other blogs. I do not want to do that to you on mine, but I need you to be aware of this issue. What do you suggest?
Sam
JK:
Sam,
Sorry for any offense. It is your blog and I will respect your wishes. To that end I have cut back on my postings and tried to reduce their length.
Please note that I was blocked from ONLY ONE blog. And that was during a time that I was showing one of the blog’s owner’s favorite causes to be quite over hyped.
As a harsh critic of government waste and the PDC, I noticed that one complainer about my posts on this blog,, kim thayer happens to share a last name with Jim Thayer, PDC senior business recruiter. See http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=31201
It’s probably just a coincidence.
Thanks
JK
Posted by: jim karlock | Nov 25, 2005 7:05:52 AM
I bet they don't make enough streetcars to justify a huge automated manufacturing plant like an auto manufacturer uses to churn out 100,000 cars a year.
Automated manufacturing robots - ones that weld, lift pieces around, etc on an assembly line cost a ton of money. Probably a lot more than each streetcar costs.
Oh yea, this is an old blog posting. Ignore me. =)
Posted by: Justin | Dec 12, 2005 9:50:04 AM
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SAM:
"The guts of these cars are raw metal that is cut, pounded and assembled piece-by-piece, weld-by-weld, section by section the old fashioned way."
JK:
That sure looks like the expensive way to do things. Talk to local mechanical engineers, working on the shop floor, for a different perspective.
How many of those things do they make anyway?
PS: 7000 feet of wire is only 70 wires running the full length of a 100 ft car.
Thanks
JK
(Who has NO INCOME from any source connected with city spending - can everyone here say the same thing?)
Posted by: jim karlock | Oct 31, 2005 3:17:40 PM