# Interview answers: product launch

Tarnby Freight Systems is a fictional company. Any resemblance to a real company is coincidence.

1. **Who:** Tarnby Freight Systems
2. **Type:** Product launch
3. **What happened:** Launching the Tarnby R4, a replacement gearbox for rail freight car doors, made at its Erie, Pennsylvania plant. Until now, rail operators in North America bought this part from one supplier in Germany, with a 9-to-14-week lead time. The R4 ships in 5 business days. Price is $2,850 per unit, about 10% less than the imported part. It fits the doors on the four most common North American covered hopper car models. Orders open Oct. 13, 2026, through tarnby.example/r4 or a Tarnby sales rep. (The user did not have the four car model names to hand.) The plant added 22 jobs to build it.
4. **Why it matters:** A hopper car with a broken door can't be loaded, so it sits in the yard until the part arrives. Operators keep spare gearboxes on shelves to cover the long wait, which ties up cash. A five-day part means fewer idle cars and smaller spare inventories.
5. **Fit:** Tarnby has repaired rail car components for 31 years. This is the first part it designs and builds itself instead of repairing someone else's.
6. **Quotes:**
   - Jane Ortiz, chief operating officer. Her view: "We've been rebuilding these gearboxes for years and watching customers wait three months for new ones. At some point we said, we know this part better than anyone, let's just make it. Five days instead of three months is the whole story."
   - No second speaker.
7. **Dateline:** Erie, Pa. For immediate release, Oct. 6, 2026.
8. **Supporting links:** product page at tarnby.example/r4.
9. **Boilerplate:** "Tarnby Freight Systems repairs and manufactures components for North American rail freight cars. Founded in 1995 and based in Erie, Pennsylvania, the company serves Class I railroads, short lines and private car owners. Learn more at tarnby.example."
10. **Media contact:** Sam Whitfield, media@tarnby.example, +1 814-555-0177