A robusta network

A shared focus, a force to be reckoned with.

The Federation of railway and tramway manufacturers, subsequently the Federation of railway industries, can pride themselves on having spearheaded the creation of the union of railway industry professionals. For over one hundred years now, equipment manufacturers, integrators, signaling & track equipment and rolling-stock manufacturers have stood side-by-side to promote progress and ensure a better future for the sector, so vindicating the old adage “unity is strength”.

An expanding network

This was a far-from-isolated association: indeed, with the emergence of other stakeholders at national and European level in the Nineties, the association necessarily had to broaden its membership base. Until then, its action was conditioned by the presence of a relatively monolithic railway environment dominated by the verticality of relations, plus the existence of a small nucleus of “strategic” stakeholders (Transport Ministry, SNCF and RATP).

These « traditional » stakeholders have since been joined at national level by RFF, the Regions, Local Communities plus a Transport Directorate adequately-structured and vested with real powers, CERTIFER (1st third-party notified body to be set-up in Europe), the BNF and ESPF (Safety issues). At European level, the FIF has successfully developed strong and close cooperation links with its German counterpart VBD, not forgetting the partnership forged with the Union of European Railway Industries (UNIFE).