Alstom joins the "Burgundy Nuclear Partnership"
competitiveness cluster

Alstom Transport Le Creusot, a centre of excellence for
bogies and damper devices, is now an active member of the
"Burgundy Nuclear Partnership" (PNB) competitiveness cluster.
This cluster aims to promote the development of the nuclear
industry in the Burgundy region of France and to secure its
global leadership in the field. Its mission is to develop and
consolidate cross-disciplinary projects based on multiple
partnerships between SMEs, industry, universities and research
laboratories in the region.

Alstom Transport's partnership with the PNB represents a major
opportunity to:

- consolidate its plans for a technology hub devoted to
research into the bogies of the future (offering lighter
structures, simplified maintenance and e-maintenance) in
partnership with the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts
et Métiers (ENSAM) in Cluny,

- help alleviate the shortage of qualified staff working in
metallurgy occupations and the sheet metal and welding
professions,

- energize R&D projects, while creating partnerships with,
and involving, businesses and regional education centres. This
will, for example, enable Alstom Transport to carry out
research into the use of new materials and innovative
production processes (cutting and welding).

In return, PNB benefits from Alstom Transport Le Creusot's
know-how and expertise in the fields of metallurgy, engineering
and welding - techniques used by Alstom to produce bogies for
its trains, and which are very similar to those used in the
nuclear industry.

Innovation lies at the heart of Alstom Transport's strategy,
and the company is already a partner of the I-Trans (Lille/
Nord-Pas de Calais Picardie), Aerospace Valley (Toulouse/
Aquitaine Midi-Pyrénées), Micro techniques (Belfort/
France Comet) and System@tic (Paris Region) competitiveness
clusters.

About Alstom Transport
With sustainable transport in mind, Alstom Transport develops
and offers the most complete range of systems, equipment and
services on the rail market. Alstom Transport is capable of
managing an entire transport system, from rolling stock to
signalling and infrastructure, as well as offering turnkey
solutions. Based on its turnover for the financial year
2006/2007, Alstom Transport has consolidated its position as
the world leader in the transport market.

As Alstom Transport's global excellence centre for bogies and
damper devices (R&D, industrialization and manufacturing),
Le Creusot employs more than 530 people and coordinates all of
the company's bogie sites.

Find out more:
www.transport.alstom.com
 

About the Burgundy Nuclear Partnership

The Burgundy Nuclear Partnership represents the
nuclear power industry's metallurgy and engineering sectors in
Burgundy. It was awarded the status of "competitiveness
cluster" in July 2005. It has 82 members, including prime
contractors, SMEs, education and training centres and related
partners.

A cluster of nuclear engineering expertise, unique in the
world, the PNB drives its members' activities in a range of
fields (R&D, training and collaborative tools) with the aim
of increasing their competitiveness.

The PNB is run by a Management Board consisting of one
president and five vice-presidents, including one specifically
devoted to SMEs. A seven-member Scientific Board, chaired by a
representative of the CEA, the French Atomic Energy Commission,
is responsible for defining the cluster's R&D strategy,
validating R&D topics presented by members and monitoring
them prior to approval. The cluster has helped develop several
training courses (a vocational baccalaureate, vocational
degrees, masters and an international school) in the region's
educational centres; it is currently rolling out an initiative
to promote metallurgy occupations in association with the UIMM,
the French Metallurgy Industries and Businesses Union. PNB
plays an increasingly active role in countries around the
world, including the UK, US, South Africa, the Czech Republic
and India.

Find out more:
www.polenucleairebourgogne.fr

Press contacts:
Alstom Transport
Laurent Gerbet

laurent.gerbet@transport.alstom.com
Tel: +33 (0)1 41 66 92 83 / +33 (0)6 88 06 61 85

Pauline Rey (Alstom Le Creusot)

pauline.rey@transport.alstom.com
Tel: +33 (0)4 72 81 58 65 / +33 (0)6 82 75 40 34

Pôle Nucléaire Bourgogne

Gérard Chrysostome

gerard.chrysostome@areva.com
Tel: +33 (0)3 85 98 23 49