For the historic Alstom site in Savigliano di Cuneo, a global leader in the railway sector, we recently created a cutting-edge liquid painting system.
The development of the railway network is today a key element for the economic growth of a country and fits perfectly into the global sustainability objectives. The implementation of modern and sustainable railway infrastructures allows to reduce CO2 emissions, improve air quality and reduce road congestion, thus contributing to the United Nations sustainable development goals, in particular Goal 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities).
To achieve these goals, however, it is essential that the factories that produce rolling stock adopt innovative technologies to ensure an increasingly efficient and environmentally friendly production cycle. Alstom also stands out in this for its commitment to reducing emissions and optimising the use of resources, as demonstrated by the recent expansion of the Savigliano site, which also includes an advanced painting plant built by Eurotherm.
An evolution that does not only concern sustainability, digitalization towards Industry 5.0, high quality standards and automation of production processes, but also the well-being of the workers themselves.
Alstom’s new paint shop
As part of the expansion of its production capacity, the Alstom site in Savigliano has invested in the enhancement of the painting department, choosing Eurotherm to build a new cutting-edge plant. This choice was driven by the need to have a plant that today:
- meets the highest quality standards,
- ensures a sustainable painting process,
- improves the working conditions of the operators,
- it integrates perfectly into the spaces of the existing plant.
One of the major constraints in the construction of the plant was the limited space inside the existing shed. To integrate the plant without compromising the logistics of the plant, Eurotherm adopted several tailor-made solutions, including the insertion of micro-reinforcement piles to prevent landslides of the structure above, and the strategic positioning of the cabin to ensure the passage of the train carriages without obstacles.
Technical features of the Eurotherm plant
Alstom has a broad background in the field of painting for the railway sector for which it had already prepared a specification with precise specifications that our technicians satisfied by bringing customized 360° technical solutions and measures: from footprint to greater ergonomics for the work of collaborators.
The system installed by Eurotherm stands out for its impressive size and innovative technologies:
- Length: 35 meters.
- Width: 7 meters.
- Height: 8 metres (of which one metre dug under the floor to facilitate painting the underbody).
- Pressurization with humidity control for an optimal working environment.
- Two lifts with a capacity of 250 kg each to improve accessibility to the surfaces to be painted
These features allow to operate on regional and high-speed train bodies, ensuring high precision and maximum safety.
The new painting plant integrates energy efficiency technologies, including:
- Gas burners with air vein technology, a stable, reliable and energy-efficient solution.
- Air recirculation: 90% of the air used during curing is recovered, reducing energy requirements and ensuring a uniform temperature.
The system is also equipped with an advanced air filtration system:
- Vertical flow filtration with top entry and suction and filtration under the floor level.
- Four AHUs of 5.000 m³/h each, combined with a humidification system + cooling group.
Despite the titanic work, our staff took care of the entire project, from design to installation, including excavation works, offering a new “turnkey” liquid painting system.
Quality first
Having supplied painting systems for the railway sector for years, we know how much the painting of trains is subjected to strict quality standards. Alstom, in the construction of the new regional trains for Trenitalia, Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige Spa and ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG, passed the validation in record time, confirming the fact that the new system represents the state of the art of technology today.
An investment that demonstrates Alstom and Eurotherm’s commitment to increasingly sustainable and technologically advanced mobility.
We are very proud to have been part of this project and we wish Alstom a successful continuation of its journey, continuing to chart new paths in the future of rail transport.
You can read the in-depth article on ipcm®_International Paint&Coating Magazine M. Fumagalli, “A new coating plant becomes a key asset in Alstom’s strategy for ergonomics and sustainable mobility”, in Corrosion Protection n. 09 (January 2025), pages. 10-20.
