Greenbrier’s evolution into the global manufacturing and transportation services company that we are today began in the early 20th century at our flagship location in Portland, Oregon.
1919
Wire Wheel Sales and Service, owned by the Gunderson brothers, is formed as a leading steel fabricator in Portland, Oregon.
1947
Peace-time barge building begins at Gunderson Brothers.
1958
Gunderson receives its first order for railcar underframes.
1981
James-Furman & Company acquires Greenbrier Leasing Corporation.
1985
The Company acquires the former Gunderson site from FMC Corporation and changes the name back to Gunderson, Inc.
Greenbrier introduces the Twin-Stack®, an innovative and wildly successful intermodal railcar designed to carry containers stacked two-high. This important railcar type paved the way for Greenbrier’s success in the railcar manufacturing business.
1991
The rail services division is established, adding repair and refurbishment capabilities to Greenbrier’s portfolio of offerings.
1994
The Company completes its initial public offering (IPO) and becomes The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
1998
Greenbrier expands its railcar production footprint into Mexico through a 50/50 joint venture with Bombardier in Sahagún. The new company is named Gunderson-Concarril and is Greenbrier’s flagship manufacturing facility in Mexico.
The Company acquires Wagony Świdnica SA, a railcar manufacturing facility located in Świdnica, Poland.
1999
The Company introduces the Auto-Max®, a two-unit articulated car carrier with adjustable decks, including a tri-level configuration option.
2004
The Company acquires Bombardier’s interest in the Gunderson-Concarril manufacturing facility. Today, the plant is known as Greenbrier Sahagún.
2006
Greenbrier acquires Meridian Rail Services, a leading supplier of wheel maintenance services to the North American freight railcar industry, with over 25 years of experience.
The Company forms Gunderson-GIMSA S de RL de CV, a joint venture with Grupo Industrial Monclova, to manufacture new railcars in Frontera, Mexico.
2008
The Company enters the North American tank car market, expanding its product offerings to nearly every type of railcar.
2013
Greenbrier introduces Multi-Max™, a railcar that significantly advances the options for transporting autos by rail. Multi-Max™ features a patented adjustable deck to allow railroads to shift between bi- and tri-level service.
2014
Greenbrier enters an alliance with Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (MUL), where MUL plans to acquire a leased railcar portfolio of $1 billion from Greenbrier over a multi-year period. Greenbrier will provide management services for these rail assets in support of MUL.
Responding to growing safety concerns surrounding increasing levels of hazardous tank car shipments, Greenbrier introduces The Tank Car of The Future, featuring safety enhancements that were ultimately adopted by PHMSA as part of a new industry standard, the DOT-117 tank car.
On July 14th, Greenbrier executives visit the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of listing. To mark the occasion, Director Victoria McManus rings the closing bell.
2015
Greenbrier opens Plant 3, a wholly-owned state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tlaxcala Mexico. The first railcars to roll off the lines were gondolas and Greenbrier’s Tank Car of The Future. Today, the plant is known as Greenbrier Tlaxcala.
Greenbrier launches articulated tug barge (ATB) Kirby 185-01 at Gunderson facility in Portland, Oregon, the largest barge ever manufactured in Gunderson’s storied history.
Greenbrier acquires a 19.5% stake in Amsted-Maxion Hortolândia, the leading railcar manufacturer in South America, for approximately $15 million. The acquisition positions Greenbrier to capitalize on growing demand in Brazil, where Greenbrier Maxion has a 70% share of the new freight railcar market.
Greenbrier reports record fiscal year net earnings of $192.8 million on revenue of $2.61 billion. Greenbrier also achieves record adjusted EBITDA of $433.8 million, or 16.7% of revenue. (Read more)
2016
In 2016, Greenbrier and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas formed a 50/50 joint venture to establish a leading axle machining facility on West Coast to support growing intermodal rail activity and create value for customers and partners.
2017
Greenbrier exercises options to increase strategic investments in Brazil, increasing ownership position in Amsted-Maxion Equipamentos E Serviços Ferroviários S.A. (“Greenbrier Maxion”) from 19.5% to 60%.
The combination of Greenbrier and AstraRail creates Europe’s largest end-to-end freight railcar manufacturing, engineering and repair business to reach markets throughout Europe, Eurasia and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like Saudi Arabia. Greenbrier controls Greenbrier AstraRail with an equity interest equal to approximately 75%. (Read more)
Greenbrier and Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance (MUL) Sign Agreement for more than $1.0 Billion in Railcar Business in North America.
MUL intends to grow its portfolio from 5,000 railcars to a total of 25,000 railcars over the next four years. The MOU includes a multi-year purchase commitment by MUL for 6,000 newly-manufactured railcars from Greenbrier through 2020. (Read more)
Greenbrier completed production on its 50,000th covered hopper railcar. This milestone follows Greenbrier’s announcement of the production of its 100,000th intermodal double stack railcar. These achievements demonstrate Greenbrier’s leadership in innovative engineering and manufacturing excellence within North America’s competitive freight railcar markets. (Read more)
Greenbrier Management Services grows managed fleet to 355,000 railcars and now serves over 20% of all North American railcars.
2018
Greenbrier acquires a majority interest in Turkish railcar builder Rayvag. Greenbrier Rayvag is uniquely positioned to deliver to European and Middle Eastern markets. The Ravag operations were sold in 2023.
2019
Greenbrier acquires the manufacturing business of American Railcar Industries (ARI) from ITE Management LP. This addition provides Greenbrier a more complete product offering in tank cars and covered hoppers through Greenbrier’s integrated business model.
2021
Greenbrier forms GBX Leasing, a new joint venture with The Longwood Group, to develop an owned portfolio of leased railcars primarily built by Greenbrier. (Read more)
Greenbrier joins RailPulse™, a coalition of forward-thinking railcar owners, builders and operators which together will facilitate and accelerate the adoption of GPS and other telematics technology across the North American freight rail network.
2022
Lorie Tekorius appointed to the role of CEO & President, effective March 1 (Read more)
2023
Acquired 100% interest in GBX Leasing joint venture (Read more)
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