Organised in the centre of the European Railway region, SIFER confirmed again its pivotal position for the railway industry.
The organisers of the 13th
edition of SIFER, the trade fair dedicated to the European railway industry, have announced that the event held at the Lille Grand Palais has witnessed over 7,000 visitors and hosted a total of 378 exhibitors – 24% of whom were new participants – coming from over twenty countries. The record attendance underlines the dynamism of the sector, which is revolving around the major topics of innovation, competitivity and climate issues.
“For more than twenty years, SIFER has acted as an emulator on behalf of the actors of the sector by offering an ideal platform to debate and discuss the future of the sector. It is the most attractive exhibition in which we participate because its size allows quality interactions and we appreciate the diversity of the visitors that we meet: customers, partners and prospects,” has declared Stéphane Celle, the sales manager of Sferis.
During the trade fair were also organised 43 sessions and 20 other associated events such as conferences, round tables, workshops and presentations focused on recovery plans to decarbonisation, innovation and the attractiveness of the sector with the support of partners and exhibitors. FIF (French Railway Industries Association) also launched the 2nd part of CORIFER: the Steering Committee for Research and Innovation in the Railway Sector.
“CORIFER 2 is meant to accelerate industrialisation and encompasses four major themes: Smart Industry, Smart Train, Green Train and Inclusive Mobility. These topics were at the heart of the discussions of the show because without research and innovation, you die. Inflation, supply disruptions, the attractiveness of the sector: it is necessary to fight on all these subjects,” have also commented Carole Desnot and Louis Nègre, respectively the vice-president and president of FIF.
The Innovation Hub at SIFER 2023
In addition, SIFER 2023 welcomed for the first time innovative start-ups in the Innovation Hub, a common dedicated space in which eight companies were able to show projects with a high potential to enhance the skills competitivity in the sector. The innovative Light Rail was also put in the spotlight during a conference hosted by IRT Railenium at the Railway Innovation Awards Ceremony organised by i-Trans.
“SIFER is a great networking platform. This year is our first participation as an exhibitor, in the Innovation Hub. We came to show our project and prospect within the sector in order to make our new tool well known,” has stated Florent Busson, the director of travauxferroviaires.com.
“SIFER allows us to meet many clients in a short amount of time, whereas normally we would have to travel all across France to meet them. We also appreciate the exhibition for the new contacts that we create. This year, the environment was the major topic with many questions about the recyclability of our products,” has concluded Pierre Lecomble, Commercial Strail France.
The next edition of SIFER will take place from 24th to 26th June 2025.