"The railway industry in Germany is a complex ecosystem of large system houses, globally successful, medium-sized companies and young start-ups. We are proud that the membership landscape of the VDB reflects this multifaceted value chain. Modern mobility in and from Europe is dependent on an innovative domestic industry with powerful German bases," said VDB Managing Director Sarah Stark.

Last week the VDB Presidium accepted the following five membership applications:

• ENRAIL GmbH: Founded in Lüneburg in 2022, this company develops projects in the field of renewable energies such as photovoltaics and wind.
• SCONRAIL GmbH: This certification centre for the railway sector has been recognised as a Notified Body (NoBo) and Designated Body (DeBo) by the Federal Railway Authority in Germany since 2020.
• Traco Electronic GmbH: This family-run manufacturer of DC/DC converters and AC/DC switching power supplies has been in business for over 30 years.
• trechnology GmbH: Founded in 2018, this company combines years of experience and expertise in the areas of procurement and commissioning as well as the operation and maintenance of rail vehicles.
• Waygate Technologies: This company has been manufacturing equipment, systems and software for the non-destructive material testing of critical components for over 125 years.

"With the new member companies we are gaining even more technical and industrial expertise, together with international market experience. This diversely specialised network, with the value of cooperation inherent in its DNA, is a source of strength for the railway industry in Germany and defines the success of our association," underlined VDB Managing Director Axel Schuppe.

In 2022 and during the first quarter of 2023, the VDB increased its membership as follows:

• August Storm GmbH & Co. KG: This medium-sized, owner-managed company provides services in Europe for all common makes of internal combustion engine, in the 100kW to 7,000kW power range.
• Axalta Coating Systems Germany GmbH & Co. KG: This company develops, produces and markets throughout the world a wide variety of coatings in the Performance and Transportation segments.
• Bertrandt Services GmbH: This company specialises in customised solutions in the field of industrial digitalisation and networking.
• CAF Deutschland GmbH: Founded in 2012, this company develops, manufactures and implements mobility solutions and rail vehicles for passenger transport, ranging from the high-speed sector through local and regional transport with electric and battery-electric multiple units all the way down to urban transport.
• CERTIFER Deutschland GmbH: This independent inspection, certification, testing centre and academy offers all NoBo, DeBo, AsBo and related testing centre services from a single source.
• Diehl Aviation Gilching GmbH: In addition to state-of-the-art fire detection and extinguishing technology in aviation, for the past 25 years the complete system integration of these technologies into rail vehicles has also been part of the product portfolio.
• EUCO Rail Services GmbH: This independent European service provider for rail vehicle maintenance and modernisation provides technical and industrial consulting services.
• Hutchinson Stop-Choc-GmbH & Co. KG: This suspension systems manufacturer produces and implements all-metal cushions and dampers, spring isolators, elastomer dampers and the Stractive system worldwide.
• KANSAI HELIOS Wefa GmbH: This company produces paints and is a specialist in water-thinnable paints for the rail vehicle industry in Europe and China.
• NaKorid GmbH: This company, based in the German state of Hesse, provides an EBA-approved repair procedure for insulated rail joints incorporating process reliability.
• Škoda Transportation Deutschland GmbH: This manufacturer of public transport vehicles offers low-floor trams, metros and e-buses, among others. Solutions for rail transport include locomotives and (electric) multiple units, maintenance and warranty services as well as the installation of electronic systems.
• Staufen.AG: This consultancy offers educational courses, training, practice-oriented seminars and management workshops in the transport and logistics sector.
• stimio GmbH: Since its establishment in 2016, this company has been dedicated to the development of networked IoT solutions for industry.
• Track Forward GmbH: This digitisation specialist conceives, designs and develops innovative software for rail transport, which also includes intelligent maintenance.