Bombardier werke (Hennigsdorf)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail vehicle manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Founder | AEG |
| Headquarters | Hennigsdorf , Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Locomotives, diesel and electric multiple unit railcars |
| Parent | Alstom |
The railcar manufacturing plant located in Hennigsdorf, Germany, was established in 1910 by AEG. Production of locomotives commenced in 1913, and during the 1930s, the facility incorporated the August Borsig locomotive works, adopting the name Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH until 1944. Following the conclusion of World War II, the factory was nationalized within the German Democratic Republic and primarily produced electric locomotives for export to Communist Bloc nations under the designation Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke (LEW).
After the German reunification in 1990, ownership reverted to AEG as AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH, before transitioning through a series of mergers involving Adtranz (1996), Bombardier Transportation (2001), and eventually Alstom (2021). Locomotive manufacturing ceased under Adtranz, with current operations focusing on producing diesel and electric multiple unit railcars.
History
In 1910, AEG purchased land in Hennigsdorf near Berlin for establishing a ceramics factory, which began operations in 1911. By 1913, AEG transferred its locomotive production from Berlin to Hennigsdorf, initiating electric vehicle manufacturing. During the period from 1914 to 1918, the site shifted focus to producing steam locomotives.
Between 1920 and 1921, a collaboration with Rosenthal & Co. AG led to the creation of Rosenthal-Isolatoren GmbH and a steelworks facility in Hennigsdorf. By 1927, the factory was manufacturing steam engines powered by powdered coal.
In 1931, AEG merged with Borsig AG, which had succumbed to bankruptcy amid the Great Depression. The locomotive production was relocated from Borsig's Tegel factory to Hennigsdorf, and by 1935 AEG had full ownership. Until 1944, locomotives were produced under the name Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH.
Post-World War II, with approximately 80% destruction and situated within Soviet-controlled East Germany, the factory was nationalized in 1947 as "VEM Vereinigung Volkseigener Betriebe des Elektro-Maschinenbaus-Lokomotivbau Elektrotechnische Werke Hennigsdorf (Osthavelland)". Electric locomotive manufacturing resumed in 1948. In 1951, it was renamed VEB Lokomotivbau-Elektrotechnische Werke "Hans Beimler" (LEW).
By 1955, LEW's production portfolio included trams, diesel locomotives, underground and rack railway locomotives, as well as mineral wagons, with exports accounting for 60% of output. From 1960 onwards, the factory also pioneered ultra-pure metals using electron beam furnace technology. Over subsequent decades, LEW introduced electric locomotive models for Deutsche Reichsbahn such as the DR Class 250 (1974) and DR Class 243 (1982).
Starting in the mid-1980s, LEW collaborated with AEG—then majority owned by Daimler-Benz—on exports to non-Communist countries, notably producing the 601 Series intercity diesel multiple units for Greece's OSE in 1989. In 1990 LEW transitioned into LEW Hennigsdorf GmbH as a private entity; negotiations for acquisition by AEG commenced that same year.
In November 1991, AEG reached an agreement with the Treuhand agency to acquire LEW’s core rail business and invest DM 600 million into upgrading Hennigsdorf facilities. Beginning January 1992, operations continued as a subsidiary under AEG Bahnsysteme named AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH, with Long-Distance Traffic headquartered at Hennigsdorf.
In January 1996 AEG Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH became part of ABB Daimler Benz Transportation (Adtranz), formed through merging AEG Bahnsysteme and ABB Transportation. Locomotive production at Hennigsdorf ended in 1998 and was transferred to ABB Henschel in Kassel. Following Bombardier Inc.'s acquisition of Adtranz in May 2001, the Hennigsdorf site was integrated into Bombardier Transportation.
Under Bombardier—and since 2021 under Alstom—the factory produces passenger rail vehicles including the RegioSwinger, Bombardier Itino DMUs; DBAG Class 422, DBAG Class 424, and NS Sprinter Lighttrain EMUs; along with trains such as the Bombardier Talent, ICE 3, and Bombardier Movia.
External links
- Manufacturing catalogs
- Further resources