Business profile
For more than a century L.B. Foster has manufactured, supplied and distributed engineered global infrastructure products and services
C
ompany founder Lee B. Foster was just 20 years old when he began selling used track rails to
mines, logging camps and quarries. Lee’s brothers soon joined him and the company quickly grew to become a leader in the transportation, construction and utility industries. John Kasel, senior vice president, Rail Products, said: ‘L.B. Foster is committed to meeting customer requirements and increasing buyer satisfaction through the continual improvement of its products and services. To this end, the company maintains programmes to enhance product quality, improve operational processes and assure employee safety. The fact that 14 L.B. Foster facilities around the world have achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification is testament to the company’s commitment to quality.’ The publicly traded company, which achieved a turnover in excess of £383 million last year, consists of three groups specialising in rail, construction and tubular products/services. The teams manage manufacturing, distribution and sales facilities worldwide, alongside a network of sales agents operating across Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.
L.B. Foster’s rail business A one-source supplier and manufacturer of rail products for the heavy haul, transit, mining, port and industrial railway markets worldwide, the company also provides professional project management services. It expanded its rail product and service
offerings with the key late 2010 acquisition of Portec Rail Products - later renamed L.B. Foster Rail Technologies - with operations located in the United States, Canada and the UK. Last year, L.B. Foster initiated a team realignment programme throughout the rail aspect of the business in order to improve competitiveness, increase product development and boost its market share. ‘This historic change to the rail team will increase the company’s drive to respond more effectively and efficiently in today’s competitive railway markets,’ said Kasel. The new rail business structure aligned its sales functions, product development, manufacturing and distribution into company-wide units. This new structure allows L.B. Foster to leverage the value inherent in a single rail organisation by offering customers full access to every rail product.
‘This improved the movement of customer comments and requests back to
product development and support teams. Our focus on customer loyalty requires that we always take steps necessary to improve service and make it easier for customers to do business. A single team provides one face to the customer to simplify the service,’ added Kasel. Key product lines include Rail
Distribution - continuous welded rail, stick rail and used rail; L.B. Foster rail jointing products - insulated rail joints and other accessories alongside Transit Products - direct fixation fasteners, power rail systems, cover boards, insulators and embedded rail products. Its range of Track Components - track anchors and spikes; CXT® Concrete Ties; and Rail Technologies - wheel/rail friction management devices, consumables and rail asset management services, including gauge face and top-of-rail friction modification systems, track performance monitoring devices, wheel impact load detectors and locomotive and car repair equipment also form part of the company’s product range.
Transit products A supplier to transit markets worldwide, L.B. Foster has an extensive line of resilient rail fastening systems having served customers in those markets for more than 40 years. The company also provides related
products and accessories for the heavy and light transit and commuter rail markets. Special trackwork, direct fixation fasteners, contact rail systems, rail boot systems, coverboards, two block concrete tie systems, ballast mats, friction management systems and rail monitoring devices are available in addition to a wide range of accessories including the concrete inserts used in slab track construction. Engineering and testing services are also offered through the testing facilities at the Suwanee, GA lab, which is a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for the transit industry. The uniqueness of the company’s product offerings is based on its ability to readily design, develop tooling, manufacture and ultimately qualify products based on customer performance needs. This is achieved through engineering analysis, prototyping and in-house testing capabilities which allows L.B. Foster, according to Kasel, to be ‘adaptable and flexible’. ‘Our vast experience and the relationships we have with key supply chain partners allow us to perform such development in a timely manner with great success’ he added.
The company participated in a number
of projects supplying direct fixation fasteners (DFF) to New York City Transit, Washington Metro Area Transit
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