UNIFE
Encyclopedia
UNIFEthe Association of the European Rail Industry – represents Europe’s
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 leading rail supply companies active in the design, manufacturing, maintenance and refurbishment of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

 systems, subsystems and related equipment. Membership also extends to associated members, mostly composed of national railway industry associations. The association is headed-up by Director-General Michael Clausecker and the chairman is Hans-Jörg Grundmann, CEO of Siemens Mobility
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

.

Secretariat

UNIFE's permanent secretariat, based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, maintains close contacts with European and international institutions and has become a major partner in consultations on transport-related developments.

The secretariat co-ordinates the work of more than 500 experts, grouped in Committees and Expert Groups around the following themes:
  • Public Affairs
  • EU Research
  • EU Standardisation & Harmonisation
  • IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard)
    IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard)
    IRIS - International Railway Industry Standard is promoted by UNIFE and supported by operators, system integrators and equipment manufacturers, IRIS complements the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality standard introducing rail specific requirements.IRIS is modeled on similar quality...


Mission

The mission of UNIFE is to pro-actively develop an environment in which members can provide competitive railway systems for increased rail traffic.

The years 2007 and 2008 were years of change and restructuring at UNIFE especially in the fields of Communications and Public Affairs. Introduced in July 2008, a new corporate identity was rolled-out - in order to better support the visibility and regenerated activities of the association.

UNIFE Worldwide Rail Market Study

On 29 January 2007 UNIFE launched the annual Worldwide Rail Market Study, conducted by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants is a global strategy consulting firm headquartered in Munich, with 43 offices in 31 countries. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants was founded in 1967 by Prof. Roland Berger...

 on behalf of UNIFE. The study forecasts continued growth for the rail supply industry to 2015, with an average annual growth rate of between 1.5% and 2%.

UNIFE at InnoTrans

UNIFE took part at the biennial InnoTrans
InnoTrans
InnoTrans is the world's largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry. It is held every two years at the Messe Berlin exhibition centre, which has outdoor standard gauge railway sidings which can be used to exhibit railway vehicles...

 fair in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 from 23-26 September 2008. The UNIFE corporate exhibition stand was in Hall 2.2, opposite Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

. A joint UNIFE-UIC
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...

Research stand was located in Hall 18, as was a specially dedicated InteGRail exhibition stand.

External links

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