On the 8th September, a ceremony was held to celebrate the production of the 2000th On Train Monitoring Recorder (OTMR) by Arrowvale Electronics for Siemens Desiro UK trains. The OTMR was presented to Siemens Transportation by Managing Director, Mr Mike Thompson.

Lothar Müller, Siemens Director Commuter Trains welcomed the representatives of Arrowvale and all attending guests, and emphasised the successful cooperation with Arrowvale, that started with the Siemens orders in England in 2001. "With Arrowvale we have a reliable and competent supplier for the train data recorder of the Desiro UK. The power of innovation of both partners promises a future collaboration", said Lothar Müller. Nowadays, Siemens has 270 trains of the type Desiro UK on order, 180 of it are already used in passenger services. In the near future, the first Desiro UK DMUs for the British intercity traffic will be put into operation and with view to the London Olympics in 2012, further demand is conceivable

Mike Thompson, Managing Director of Arrowvale Electronics, responded to Lothar Müllers statement: "It is a great privilege to be associated with Siemens Transportation on this major Desiro project." An appraisal of Arrowvale was given by Mike Thompson, highlighting its history of the company, which was established in 1985 in Redditch, Worcestershire, as a three man company and which has since grown considerably to a company with around 300 employees -- including its sister company AVE Rail Products. 80 percent of the turnover of Arrowvale Electronics is made in the railway industry. One of the most important products is the data recorder, explained Engineering Director Roy Amos who added: "The OTMR is a quality product as a result of a successful collaboration between both engineering departments, and its quality and durability has been proven over the past years." Besides the data recorder for the Desiro UK trains South West Trains, West Coast Main Line, First Great Eastern and the Transpennine Express, Arrowvale also supply NRN-Radios and DSD (Drivers Safety Device) Vigilance Units to Siemens. Mike Thompson was very pleased to announce that the Arrowvale OTMR had been selected by Heritage Steam Locomotives to fit this equipment to all mainline steam locomotives. The presentation concluded with Mike Thompson, handing over the 2000th OTMR to Lothar Müller, in the presence of the Desiro UK General Manager, Konrad Bayer.