Seminar on business opportunities in the rail freight sector and logistics

The Spanish Railway Association, Mafex, organized in Valencia during November 16th and 20th the seminar on “Business Opportunities in rail Freight Transport and Logistics” which had the participation of two of the countries with further development on freight railway transport in the world.

Participating Spanish companies had the opportunity to hear in first-hand the investment plans and projects of major corporations and freight operators that Brazil and Turkey currently have in their portfolio. The seminar was attended by the team responsible for purchasing rolling stock and fixed material of MRS Logistics and the Director of the Brazilian Association of Operators Rail Freight (ANTF), as well as the head of R & D Tulomsas, one of the most important manufacturers of locomotives and wagons in Turkey, among others. In addition, participating companies were able to maintain individual meetings with foreign guests and meet them on their facilities.

This way, the delegation of foreign guests visited the Railroad Terminal of the Port of Valencia, the largest of Spain as far as number of containers handled concerns and Vossloh Spain’s factory in Albuixech and the BCN Rail fair held in Barcelona.

OTHER SEMINARS ON INTRAPRENEURSHIP, SUSTAINABILITY AND MULTILATERAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The month of november was full of conferences on various topics of interest to the railway sector. Mafex, in collaboration with the public company in charge of environmental management (Ihobe) and the cluster of environmental industries (Aclima), both entities of the Basque Country, held in Bilbao on November 12 the “1st Conference on Sustainability in the railway sector: The environment as a factor of competitiveness”.

Throughout the conference and with the participation of agencies and companies like UNIFE, Tecnalia, IK Engineering, Alstom Spain, Bombardier, CAF or Talgo, topics such as the environment and competitiveness in the railway sector were addressed; The life cycle and eco-design in the rail sector; the end of life and recyclability; and sustainability as the key factor in the supply chain were addressed through the presentation of the initiative Railsponsible.

Also, in collaboration with the University of Deusto, Mafex organized on November 16th a conference about the “Intrapreneurship as a strategic solution to the expansive policy of emerging countries in the rail sector”, which was attended by thirty participants.

The conference, whose purpose was to discuss the corporate entrepreneurship as a lever for business and economic development of the railway companies, had the intervention of the MEP and member of the Transportation Committee of the European Parliament, Izaskun Bilbao, who presented European policies regarding innovation affecting the railway sector. A professor from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Deusto and business representatives from CAF Ventures and Aernnova also participated.

Finally, on November 24th, as part of the seminar INTERGUNE+ on globalization organized every year in Bilbao by the Basque Business Development Agency, SPRI, MAFEX collaborated in the conference “Opportunities in multilateral markets for companies in the rail sector”, which also had the participation of a representative of the International Directorate of the Basque Government, who announced the Interlehian program to support public participation in international competitions and tenders; the Director General of the consulting Development Finance International, who explained how to win tenders and contracts financed by Multilateral Banks; and the responsible for trams from the engineering IDOM, who presented a case of best practices in contracting with Multilateral Agencies.

Thanks to these three presentations, the railway companies that attended the seminar could learn in detail the business opportunities that the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development offer, having already spent more than 6.5 billion dollars to finance projects in the railway sector.