The Greenbrier Companies

Infobox_Company
company_name = The Greenbrier Companies
company_
company_type = Public: (nyse|GBX)
foundation = Lake Oswego, Oregon (1981)
location = Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States
key_people = Mark Rittenbaum, VP
industry = Marine Engineering / Railways
products = Ships, trains
revenue = $953 million USD (2006)
num_employees = 3,661 (2006)
homepage = http://www.gbrx.com/

The Greenbrier Companies (nyse|GBX) is a publicly traded transportation manufacturing corporation based in Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States. Predominantly an American company, Greenbrier specializes in transportation services, notably barge and railcar manufacturing, railcar refurbishment, and railcar leasing/management services. As of 2006, Greenbrier employs in excess of 3,500 people combined at its operations in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Formed in 1981 and went public in 1994, the company generates revenues of USD $953 million.

History

In 1981, the holding company The Greenbrier Companies was formed by Alan James and William A. Furman to purchase the Greenbrier Leasing Corporation, a railcar leasing firm formed in 1970 and operated since 1979 by James and Furman.

In 1985, The Greenbrier Companies purchased the Marine and Railcar division of FMC, restoring the previous Gunderson Inc name. Gunderson has a separate history going back to 1919, then the Gunderson brothers started a (spoked) wheel manufacture and repair business in Portland.

After a successful IPO in 1994, the Trenton Works company was purchased in 1995. The history of this subsidiary is longer, going back to 1872

Manufacture

Marine

Under the name Gunderson Marine LLC, the Portland, Oregon, United States plant manufactures the best ocean-going conventional deck barges, double-hull tank barges, railcar/deck barges, barges for aggregates and other heavy industrial products and ocean-going dump barges in the world.

Railcars

North America

Under the names Gunderson LLC (Portland, Oregon), Gunderson Concarril (Concarril, Mexico) and TrentonWorks Ltd. (Trenton, Nova Scotia, Canada), both intermodal (60% market share) and conventional freight (30% market share) cars are produced, leading the industry in quality and customer satisfaction.

Europe

Under the name Greenbrier Europe (plant in Świdnica, Poland), conventional freight cars (approx 20% market share) are produced with the highest quality in the region.

Repair/Refurbishment

Subsidiaries Gunderson Rail Services LLC and Greenbrier Europe provide repair, refurbishment and component services for railcars in North America and Europe.

Leasing/Management

Under the name Greenbrier Leasing Company LLC, third parties can lease railcars from Greenbrier's fleet of 9,203. Subsidiary Greenbrier Management Services manages a fleet of approx 145,000 railcars, predominantly owned by third parties.

References

* [http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/98/98215/reports/2006_AnnualReport_10K.pdf The Greenbrier Companies, 2006 Annual Report]
* History section cribbed from [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Greenbrier-Companies-Company-History.html Funding Universe]