New key account position for the railway sector

Oberhaching, February 2024

smart-TEC has developed into a strong and reliable partner for secure and modern labeling solutions for railroad operators and their suppliers in recent years. Some of its long-standing customers include Deutsche Bahn (DB), the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the National Company of French Railways (SNCF) and the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Demand is constantly increasing and smart-TEC not only supplies high-quality RFID and NFC solutions for the railway sector, but also invests in the new development of pioneering products.

At the beginning of the year, Sebastian Grüttner takes over the key account for the railway sector.

We take this opportunity to congratulate him and ask a few questions:

Sebastian, you will be taking over the railway key account from February 2024. What changes can smart-TEC customers and partners expect?

I will continue to meet the justifiably high expectations and the smart-TEC service concept, which we all live by, will remain 100% the same. But of course I will be coordinating and supervising a wide range of rail projects in the future. This offers the opportunity to identify synergies and share new ideas and solutions with our rail customers.

Which RFID and NFC transponders from smart-TEC do you consider to be among the top in the rail industry?

The requirements of the entire industry have changed dynamically in recent years. Above all, the standardization of identification solutions has become increasingly important. In addition to classic RFID technology, NFC technology has also found its way into the railway sector. This means that we have developed our products accordingly.
With our dual frequency solutions (UHF and NFC in one transponder), we cover almost all requirements in terms of durability and flexibility. As examples, I would like to mention our dual frequency wheel tag, our dual frequency wagon tag and the smart-DOME Industrial.

In recent years, we have also developed and launched a comprehensive range of RFID and NFC products for railroad infrastructure, e.g. track construction and building management. In particular, our rail and switch clamps and the railblock for the track bed should be mentioned here.

Of course, there are numerous new marking products and solutions in our development pipeline. We are working very closely with rail operators, their suppliers and the standardization committees.

What goals have you set yourself for the next two years?

In the next two years, I expect major changes in the rail industry Digitalization is progressing in leaps and bounds. My goal is to actively support rail operators and their suppliers on the path to digitalization and to develop new and innovative products for them.

I want smart-TEC to remain the central point of contact when it comes to Auto-ID technology in the rail sector. We already have a great deal of expertise today and my aim is to intensify this and share it with our partners.

But of course I also want to learn more about the railway sector personally. I feel like I did when my parents gave me my first model train set. The railway industry has an incredible attraction for me and I want to understand the connections and work processes even better.