Novelis, an industrial company specializing in aluminum production and recycling, is acquiring 220 Shimmns wagons through an investment of approximately EUR 43 million, a decision that will contribute to the expansion of its rail logistics in Europe.
The supplier of the new wagons is On Rail Gesellschaft für Eisenbahnausrüstung und Zubehör mbH in Mettmann, Germany (On Rail GmbH for short), founded in 1982, which is mainly active in the leasing of railway vehicles.
The official handover of the first wagons took place on December 2, 2025, at the DUSS terminal in the Göttingen freight transport center, and by December 11, 30 such wagons had already been delivered.
With a share of 95%, rail transport is the main means of transport for material deliveries between Novelis’ 10 European production sites. The 220 newly purchased Shimmns wagons are flexible in use and allow the transport of aluminum coils, metal scrap, and aluminum ingots. They replace the previously leased railcars, which were only suitable for one type of material.
Another advantage of the new railcars is the increase in transport capacity, which will allow a significantly larger volume of aluminum ingots to be transported by rail in Germany from the Novelis plant in Nachterstedt (Saxony-Anhalt) — Europe’s largest aluminum recycling facility — to the Alunorf plant in Neuss (a city in North Rhine-Westphalia), the world’s largest aluminum rolling mill.
Some of these shipments were previously carried out by truck due to insufficient rail capacity. The modal shift to rail will not only generate cost savings but also significant reductions in CO₂e emissions. Approximately 2,000 truck trips can be avoided annually, which means a 78% reduction in CO₂e emissions.
“With this investment, we are laying the foundation for even more efficient and environmentally friendly logistics. The new rail cars will increase our flexibility, optimize material flows, and enable more efficient use of trains. Thanks to integrated GPS trackers, we always know where each material transport is located,” says Roland Leder, Vice President of Supply Chain at Novelis Europe.
With the purchase of new Shimmns railcars, the company is consistently pursuing its sustainability strategy and promoting the principle of “rail instead of road.”
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