History of the company

The origins of Dniprovagonmash JSC date back to the far 1913 when the first wagon repairing workshops were opened at the metallurgical plant built in Kamianske by the Polish-Belgian-French South Russian Dnieper Association. What should be a wagon-building plant? Nobody had the slightest idea. In 1925, when the issue arose as how to launch a wagon-building department with its further transformation into an independent enterprise, the first steps regarding the production capacity were outlined. And if during the first economic year only 300 wagons were to be manufactured, then in 1932 the plant had to produce 5,000 units. On October 26, 1926, the workshops were transformed into an independent wagon-building company — Kamianske Wagon Building Plant. 20-ton two-axle covered cars and then two-axle flat cars with wooden walls were the first wagons built here.

It was time of new, advanced for that moment, technology and tooling. By the end of 1929, the plant got its first welding machine. The workers of the enterprise mastered new equipment and set welding processes up at once. In 1931, the government set new tasks for car builders, namely: the creation of large-capacity freight wagons — 50-60-ton cars fitted with automatic couplers and automatic brake systems. It become necessary for wagon-builders to readjust production facilities. They started rebuilding of the plant. The result of the performed work was the introduction of flow method for freight wagon assembling. In 1931, the first industrial freight wagon was manufactured — this was a hopper wagon for coke designed on request of Dnieper Metallurgical Plant named after Dzerzhinsky. Scope of freight wagon production under the brand name of the Kamianske Wagon Building Plant was increasing every month.

In 1936, the factory was renamed Dniprodzerzhynsk Wagon Building Plant named after the Pravda newspaper. In 1937, the plant developed and in 1938 for the first time manufactured a 4-axle side dump car with a carrying capacity of 60 tons with an application of one more non-standard solution — the wagon was designed as an all-welded structure. Until then, there were no all-welded wagons of such a large loading capacity in the wagon-building industry. Taking into account an intense demand for new engineering projects and developments which could satisfy huge industrial needs, a design bureau was founded at the plant. In 1940, as a result of the completed reconstruction of the plant, it was possible to launch the simultaneous production of four types of wagons. In the same year, 3,600 large-capacity rail freight wagons were produced. During the Great Patriotic War, the enterprise was evacuated, and the restoration of the destroyed factory was started in 1943.

In 1951, the design department of the enterprise developed technical documents for 11 new freight wagons. The year may be assumed as the third birthday of the enterprise. A number of facilities and production areas were overhauled, and it became possible to produce 8 different types of wagons at the same time. There were a few particularly important and unique design projects: measuring hopper wagon (1958) and wagon with raisable body for apatite (1965). In the 1970-80s the enterprise became a leading experimental research and development centre of USSR’s Ministry of Heavy Engineering Industry in the field of development of specialized freight wagons of all types. In 1976, for its successful production activities and achievements in wagon building the plant was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

In 1990, the enterprise produced the 400,000th rail freight wagon. In the 90s, a series of wagon models was developed for the metallurgical industry — flat wagons for steel coils, with a bucket for scrap, for rails up to 25 m, for sheets, blooms, and slabs. On the basis of the wagon-building plant and a number of its divisions, in July 1993, Dniprovagonmash Production Association was established, and in December 1993, it was transformed into Dniprovagonmash Open Joint Stock Company. In March 1995, the general meeting of Dniprovagonmash OJSC decided to establish a metallurgical enterprise, Dniprodzerzhynsky Steelmaking Plant, as a subsidiary of Dniprovagonmash OJSC.

The enterprise celebrated its 75th anniversary and, in honour of the holiday, it was awarded the Distinction and Certificate of Honour of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ‘For the high labour achievements in the heavy engineering development’. The best engineers and constructors were awarded orders, distinctions, diplomas and certificates of appreciation. The plant mastered the serial production of a gondola wagon of model 12-4106. Dniprovagonmash OJSC was continuously gaining pace of production increasing its output by quantity and quality. Every year, the enterprise designed and set the production of at least 3-4 new models or modifications of freight wagons. Most of them were performed as inventions or industrial prototypes.

The staff of Dniprovagonmash OJSC was working on the creation of new competitive and even more advanced freight wagons. These railcars shall be designed for modern, increased axle loads and have improved technical and operational parameters. The product line was completed with a few developments: namely, a high-performance flat wagon for large-capacity containers of model 13-4117 and a multipurpose flat wagon of model 13-4128 for transportation of timber, lumber, and containers. Since its foundation, more than 440 thousand freight wagons have rolled off plant’s production line. For that moment, the range of products amounted to more than 150 models of railcars. Dniprovagonmash Open Joint Stock Company is being reorganized into Dniprovagonmash Public Joint Stock Company. This period is marked with development and start of serial production of new hopper wagon for grain and other food cargoes of model 19-4146 with a body volume of 116 m³ and a loading capacity of 69.5 tons.

New market trends are inspiring freight rolling stock builders to create new models of freight wagons. The enterprise has mastered and started serial production of a mainline side dump wagon of model 31-4154 with a loading capacity of 68.5 tons and a covered wagon of model 11-4150 with a body volume of 158 m³. Among other newly developed vehicles there is an innovative cover hopper wagon for grain and other food products of model 19-4152 which has no equivalents in terms of technical parameters and design solutions with its body volume of 133 m³ that is not specific for any similar wagon on the market.

On April 19, 2019, by the decision of the general meeting of shareholders, the Dniprovagonmash Public Joint Stock Company was reorganized into the Dniprovagonmash Private Joint Stock Company. Since its foundation in 1926, the plant celebrated its 95th anniversary by producing more than 500,000 freight rail cars. The company has begun to implement an investment program in order to update the main equipment and tooling and to incorporate new progressive manufacturing processes. Dniprovagonmash Private Joint Stock Company successfully increases its production paces creating new types of products and expanding its product range of both freight rolling stock (it amounts to more than 160 freight wagon models) and other welded steel structures designed for various requirements of the market and industry of Ukraine and the world.