Brussels, 23 September 2010 – INNOTRANS 2010 witnessed with many IRIS certified exhibitors a double celebration as the Portuguese rail equipment producer SUNVIAUTOwas awarded the 500th IRIS certificate. With the launch of the new IRIS portal, IRIS has taken another important step in its standing as the world’s most recognised rail specific quality certificate.
 

“The new IRIS portal is an excellent tool for all certified companies and an exhaustive information source for companies that are seeking to be certified in the future”, stated Bernard Kaufmann, IRIS General Manager.
 

“IRIS continues to be a success story, and we are continuing to improve the quality in the rail sector” said Hubert de Blay, IRIS Chairman. “With the new improved portal, we are certain that this success story will be continued.”
 

After just four years of implementation, 500 companies completed the IRIS certification process worldwide, making IRIS an international seal of quality.
 

Under www.iris-rail.org you will find an interactive world application showing all certificates and the details of the certified companies. With the new, more user friendly layout you can access key information on the spot. It also contains a new and re-designed shop area for improved usability where you can find the IRIS booklet and the IRIS Audit tool.
 
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About IRIS

Promoted by UNIFE and supported by operators, system integrators and equipment manufacturers, IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) complements the internationally recognized ISO 9001 quality standard introducing rail specific requirements.
 

IRIS is modelled on similar quality standards already in place in the aerospace, and automotive industries and it aims at the avoidance of multiple business management system auditing and therefore increased cost efficiency.
 

Objectivity and transparency are guaranteed by only using approved and independent certification bodies, known and recognized in the industry.

The IRIS certificate will replace individual management system evaluations by at least the four founders of this initiative (Alstom Transport, AnsaldoBreda, Siemens Transportation Systems and Bombardier Transportation).
 
 
About UNIFE

UNIFE represents the European Rail Industry in Brussels since 1992. The Association gathers 66 of Europe’s leading large and medium-sized rail supply companies active in the design, manufacture, maintenance and refurbishment of rail transport systems, subsystems and related equipment. A further one thousand suppliers of railway equipment partake in UNIFE activities through 15 national rail industry associations.
 

UNIFE members have an 80% market share in Europe and supply more than 50% of the worldwide production of rail equipment and services. UNIFE represents its members’ interests at the level of both European and international institutions. On the technical side, UNIFE works on the setting of interoperability standards and coordinates EU-funded research projects that aim at the technical harmonisation of railway systems. The association is one of the supporting bodies of the European Railway Agency.
 

UNIFE. Competitive rail solutions for sustainable mobility.
 
www.unife.org