Officials with Swiss-based train manufacturer Stadler announced that Stadler US will become its own division.
The company, a provider of mobility solutions in rail vehicle construction, service and signaling, said the U.S. branch of the company has grown rapidly in recent years, and in an effort to support and strengthen the development, the board of directors has decide to separate the U.S. location from the Swiss division effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The new North American Division will be headed by current CEO Martin Ritter, who will become a member of the group management board. Ritter has already successfully managed the company’s Salt Lake City site, officials said, and the organizational changes will not result in any changes to the terms and conditions of employment for US staff members.
“Stadler has enjoyed significant growth over recent years,” Chairman of the Board of Directors Peter Spuhler said. “We are now strengthening the location to underscore the importance of this market. Martin Ritter is an experienced leader with a proven track record, and he will head the new North America division. I wish him and the whole team every success”.
Stadler established its U.S. headquarters in Salt Lake City in 2016 after Trinity Metro in Texas order eight diesel-electric FLIRT trains in 2015. The new facility helped the company to comply with the Buy America Act, which stipulated that at least 60 percent of the value added for federally funded project must be generated in the United States. Since then, Stadler has grown, with more than 500 employees now working for Stadler US. At the end of October 2024, the company began on work to expand the plant which will enable the company to manage growth, and in the future, manufacture car bodies in the United States.
“I am delighted to have been asked to run Stadler US as a division in its own right,” Ritter said. “The decision to make the US a separate entity demonstrates the importance of this location for the entire Stadler Group. It is down to the tremendous commitment of all the employees here in Salt Lake City, and I would like to thank everyone for their dedication. I look forward to taking on the new challenges and continuing to grow the north American market.”