On Wednesday, 9 March 2016, first and second year students from SBS Swiss Business School’s BBA program took a trip to the Swiss headquarters of Bombardier Transportation Ltd., in Oerlikon. During the two-hour visit, students were given a presentation on the company and had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Stéphane Wettstein, the Managing Director and Chief Country Representative Delegate of the Board of Directors for Bombardier Transportation, as seen in the picture below.
After that, we were shown to the Powerlab – a state-of-the-art testing laboratory for Bombardier’s power solutions for trains – and given a tour of the laboratory. The students saw how the testing was done on the power converters that move large cargo and passenger trains, and had their questions answered by Mr. Axel Tute, the systems engineer who oversees the operations in the Powerlab. He explained how and why the tests needed to be done, and some of the clever mechanisms they utilize in their designs. He also explained what goes into designing the electrical power plants for Bombardiers’ trains and locomotives for destinations and markets outside of Switzerland and Europe. The students commented that it was a very interesting and informative visit, and that they enjoyed the trip.