Alstom is a large French multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are located in Levallois-Perret, near Paris.^[2] Its current CEO is Patrick Kron.

Alstom is active in the field of hydroelectric power generation; in conventional islands for nuclear power plants; and in environmental control systems. It is also the manufacturer of the AGV, TGV, and Eurostar trains, as well as of Citadis trams. Alstom is also present in the urban transport market, and is behind regional train models, signalling infrastructure equipment, and a number of associated services.

Financial information[link]

Alstom has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 22 June 1998. The Group has not been listed on the London Stock Exchange since the 17 November 2003, nor on the New York Stock Exchange since August 2004.

History[link]

Company structure, products and services[link]

Alstom operates in three main business areas: Power generation, Rail transport, and Transmission.^[24]

Power generation[link]

Alstom power activities include the design, manufacturing, services and supply of products and systems for the power generation sector and industrial markets. The group covers all energy sources - gas, coal, nuclear, hydro, wind. Alstom supplies and maintains all components of a power plant and provides complete turn-key solutions. During the financial year 2007/08, Alstom Power sales amounted to 11.4 billion euros.

The company provides components for power generation: boilers, steam turbines and gas turbines, wind turbines, generators, air quality control systems and monitoring and control systems for power plants, as well as related products.

Additionally the company provides turn-key solutions for the construction and operation of gas-fired, coal fired and hydroelectric power plants, conventional islands for nuclear power plants, and wind farms

The company also provides a variety of services including product retrofitting for nuclear and fossil steam turbines and refurbishment of existing power plants, maintenance as well as servicing under long term agreements for Alstom, GE and Siemens gas turbines.

Notes[link]

• The company supplied major equipment for 25% of the worldwide existing power plants. Recently, the group won a contract for the turn-key construction of two coal-fired power plants in South Africa.
• In France, Alstom is currently providing the "conventional island" (turbogenerator unit) of Flamanville 3, the third generation of nuclear power plants.
• The group participated in the largest hydropower projects in the world like the Three Gorges Dam in China and Itaipu in Brazil and Paraguay.
• In May 2008, the company signed a frame agreement with Iberdrola to supply around 300MW of wind turbines.
• In the emirate of Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), an Alstom-led consortium won a contract to build a 2,000 MW gas-fired power and desalination plant including a long term maintenance contract.
• In the late 2000s, Alstom won Middle Eastern contracts to the value of ~€100m for power generation equipment.^[25]

Transport[link]

Alstom Transport develops and markets a complete range of systems, equipment and service in the railway industry. With a market share of 18% and sales of 5.3 billion euros, the company is number 1 in very high-speed trains, number 2 in tramways and metros, and is among the leaders for electrical and diesel trains, information systems, traction systems, power supply systems and track work. Alstom Transport is present in 60 countries with 26,000 employees.

Alstom's product range includes high and very high speed trains, trams, metros, commuter and intercity trains, as well as tilting trains and locomotives. The company also operates in the rail infrastructure market, designing, producing and installing infrastructure for the rail network to upgrade safety and performance of existing networks, or as part of new turn-key solutions. These includes information solutions, electrification, communication systems, track laying, station utilities and workshops & depots.

Turn-key systems for light rail systems including tramways with or without electric overhead lines, metro systems and air-rail links (traditional and automatic) are also supplied.

Maintenance, rebuilding and renovation services are also provided by the company.

Notable products includes series production of the TGV high-speed trains with over 650 trainsets sold over 25 years, as well as the AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse) revealed in February 2008. The company also produces Citadis trams; as of 2009, over 1100 Citadis trams are in use by 28 cities including Dublin, Algiers, Barcelona, Melbourne and Paris. Since 2002 Alstom manufactures the Pendolino tilting train following the acquisistion of Fiat Ferroviaria.

Alstom Grid[link]

A third business section based on power transmission was formed on 7 June 2010 with the acquisition of the transmission business of Areva SA.^[26] The division manufactures equipment for the entire chain of electrical power transmission, including ultra-high voltage transmission lines (both AC and DC). The new sector, headquartered in France at La Défense, the business district west of Paris, has four main businesses: products (electrical equipment of the ultra-high-voltage and high-voltage electricity transmission system, 51% of sales), with world leading positions in disconnectors and instrument transformers; Systems (network management systems and big turn-key projects, 34% of sales), with a leading position in HVDC solutions (high voltage direct current) thanks to its expertise in power electronics; Automation (sophisticated information systems for real-time management of electricity grids); and Service.

Corruption investigations[link]

On 8 December 2005 Mexican authorities (Secretaría de la Función Pública) imposed a 27,000 USD penalty and disqualified Alstom from obtaining contracts from the federal government for two years after it was revealed that the company had made deposits to the overseas accounts to the Director General and Deputy Director in order to win contracts worth 2.8 million USD.^[27][28]

6 May 2008 French authorities investigated Alstom after the Wall Street Journal reported that the company had paid hundreds of million dollars in bribes to win contracts in Asia and South America between 1995 and 2003. French authorities said the investigation was the result of information provided by the Swiss Government in May 2007.^[29] Alstom initially denied it was under investigation for bribery in reference to South American and Asian contracts. In one case, the WSJ alleged that Alstom paid $6.8m (£3.5m) in bribes to win a $45m contract to expand São Paulo's underground network.^[30]

Jerusalem light rail controversy[link]

Alstom's participation in the construction of the Jerusalem Light Rail System brought criticism from some shareholders and investors; Swedish pension fund AP7 and the Dutch ASN Bank excluded Alstom from their investments due to the route of the rail project passing through the contentious occupied territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day War.^[31]

See also[link]

Companies portal

• List of French companies
• List of locomotive builders
• General Railway Signal - company acquired by Alstom

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alstom

• Official website

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