Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd (Sumitomo Metals) and Sumitomo Corp. have signed a three-year contract to supply high-speed railway wheels to Deutsche Bahn AG (DB). The wheels will be used for the Inter City Express (ICE), DB’s high-speed train. This is the first long-term contract that Sumitomo Metals and Sumitomo Corp. have concluded for supply of this type of wheel in Europe. Test runs of Sumitomo Metals’ high-speed railway wheels for ICE cars have been conducted since 2003. As the wheels have been highly acclaimed for their abrasion resistance and other qualities, Sumitomo Metals entered the market on a full-scale on this occasion by concluding a contract to supply the wheels over the next three years. In addition to the current mainstay products of freight car wheels for North American market, the Company will make aggressive efforts to grow sales of high-speed railway wheel in overseas markets.
