DEUTSCHE BAHN AND UNIFE SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON IRIS (INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY INDUSTRY STANDARD)

This morning at Deutsche Bahn (DB) AG Headquarters in Berlin, UNIFE, the European Rail Industry Association, represented by UNIFE Chairman Lutz Bertling and UNIFE Director-General Philippe Citroën, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Cooperation with DB, represented by Dr Volker Kefer, Member of the DB Management Board for Infrastructure, Services and Technology on the advancement of the International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS).

The objective of this MoU is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the signatories on quality standards in the rail sector. Such cooperation is expected to focus on increasing the exchange of knowledge and experience in a bilateral context on product quality, which is defined as product-related fulfilment of customer requirements. The activities outlined in this MoU endeavour to create a favourable context for the development of the rail sector worldwide and, especially, in Germany.

Dr Lutz Bertling, Chairman of UNIFE, upon signing the MoU commented: “Deutsche Bahn is one of the largest and most influential railway undertakings in Europe and the world—to see their commitment to the further development of the IRIS standard and, thus, towards the continued improvement of quality in the rail equipment supply chain is commendable and a major endorsement for IRIS. IRIS looks forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Deutsche Bahn on quality.”

Also during the signing ceremony, Dr Volker Kefer, Member of the DB Management Board for Infrastructure, Services and Technology, stated: “The cooperation with UNIFE as our trusted partner will strengthen the rail sector and increase quality. The focus on product-related fulfilment of customer requirements within IRIS is an opportunity for business in a global economy. DB expects significant long-term improvements as a result of both parties’ expertise and cooperativeness.”

Mark Manley, Chairman of the IRIS Steering Committee, also attended the MoU signing ceremony and added, “This is an excellent step towards a rail industry standard which fully meets our customers' expectations. We look forward to signing IRIS MoUs with additional key stakeholders in the very near future."

IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) complements the internationally recognised ISO 9001 quality standard introducing rail specific requirements and is modelled on similar quality standards already in place in the aerospace and automotive industries. IRIS aims to improve the quality and the reliability of the rail products, to implement and further develop a global system for the evaluation of companies supplying the rail sector, and to instil a culture of quality throughout the sector.

With almost 1200 companies IRIS-certified worldwide, the standard is now an international seal of quality, increasingly recognised by rail operators and manufacturers alike. The IRIS scheme was developed by UNIFE members and the IRIS Management Centre is managed by UNIFE. For more information on IRIS, please visit www.iris-rail.org.