On this 12th edition of SIFER, France’s only B2B exhibition dedicated to the rail sector, 308 exhibitors have signed up to take part and showcase their latest innovations and expertise. 15% of them are international exhibiting companies. SIFER will also provide a rich programme of associated events, including conferences, round tables, workshops and seminars. Around twenty events are scheduled to take place throughout the 3 day event.

TUESDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2021

• 10:30 – Opening Ceremony with Matthieu Chabanel (Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Projects, Maintenance & Industrial Performance, SNCF Réseau), Philippe Citroën (Director General, UNIFE), Franck Dhersin (Vice-President of the Hauts-de-France region, in charge of mobility, transport infrastructure and ports), Louis Nègre (President, FIF & GART), Marc Papinutti (Director General for Infrastructure, Transport and the Sea).
• 13:35 – SNCF Réseau will hold the conference “Rail maintenance 4.0: knowing and analysing your installations by creating and enhancing a digital heritage”. Accurate knowledge of the condition of installations is key to evaluate the need for maintenance. The conference will also explore how digital, 3D and AI are revolutionising decision-making processes to improve performance and reduce costs.
• 14:40 – Business France will present “The world rail market and the example of the British market”. The rail sector is booming around the world, driven by demands to reduce CO2 emissions, increasing urbanisation and national stimulus programs to deal with the economic consequences of the pandemic. French companies have a role to play in this international development. The presentation will be followed by a focus on the railway sector in the United Kingdom. 
• 16:00 – The Innovation Awards organised by ERCI and i-Trans: The Awards will showcase innovative projects from European railway companies. The ERCI Innovation Awards are organised by the European rail clusters and attributed to European companies that provide products, systems, technologies, processes or services with proven innovative characteristics. The winners are selected by a jury made up of independent European rail experts, as well as research and public authorities.

Additionally, a conference will be held by IGDoc at 11:20 am: “The contribution of the technical writer to produce maintenance documentation for SNCF Réseau”; and at 12:30 pm, UNIFE will present “Competitiveness of the European Railway Industry: How to maintain world leadership?”.

WEDNESDAY 27th OCTOBER 2021 

• 10h00 – 1st day of the SIFER B2B Meetings 2021, an International Railway Brokerage Event organised by the Enterprise Europe Network of the Hauts-de-France Region and the i-Trans competitiveness cluster. A unique platform for SMEs, start-ups, larger companies and research centers to discover market trends and innovations, develop and strengthen business relationships, find new business partners and initiate cross-border co-operations.

Also in the programme: conferences organised by Railenium at 10:20 am, Uretek at 11:30 am with “Filling of a box culvert and treatment of a sump under tracks in La Souterraine”, Nevomo at 12:35 pm, CARL at 1:40 pm, and the FIF at 2:45 pm.

THURSDAY 28th OCTOBER 2021

• 10h00 – the second day of the B2B Meetings, an International Railway Brokerage Event organised by the Enterprise Europe Network of the Hauts-de-France Region and the i-Trans competitiveness cluster. 

Additionally: conferences organised by Railcoop at 10:30 am – “How does Railcoop’s cooperative innovation lead to new rail innovations?”, The FIF at 11:30 am, TELT at 12:35 pm, and Akiem at 2:40 pm.