A historical partner in steel processing, FORLAM group continues to innovate to handle significant industry, societal and environmental changes. At the heart of the Group’s strategy, innovation has three main purposes: to offer ever more effective steel, to reduce work strain in the factories, and to limit the ecological impact by better managing energy consumption and by using recycled steel.
What are the main areas of activity of the company?
The FORLAM GROUP French and independent group with a turnover of 200M€ and 600 employees, composed of 4 branches:
- ROLLING: 3 plats producing Hot and Cold rolled steel profile
- FORGING: 3 plants producing Engine diesel parts and Aeronautics components
- FENCING: 8 plants producing and distributing fencing for residential and industrial application
- RAIL: Components for rail track infrastructure
FORLAM RAIL includes:
- Internal industrial plant to produce railways components: ACIERIES ET LAMINOIRS DE RIVES (France) for Fishplates, ALMAR (Austria) for Insulated joint products, MARTINSHIENEN TECHNIK (Austria) for welded construction components and distribution of components (Buffer stop, Ballast resin, switch heaters)
- External industrial plant collaborating as partners for products such as: Lubrication station, Embedded rails, Specials fastenings.
- Warehouse for fastenings components of the track.
What are the ranges of products/services?
The development of the activity in Romania for rail track components has been made by a partnership with VFM INTERCOM company.
ALMAR and VFM have jointly set up a range of Insulated Joint products to be certified by AFER and offered to CFR.
The technical concept of ALMAR using coated insulating products with a very high resistance in track have been developed to the type of rails (60E1, 49E1, P65, 54E1) used on the national rail track network of Romania.
The local position of VFM offer a service of delivery and assistance for maintenance operations in track.
What can you tell us about market trends?
The position of ALMAR / VFM on the Romanian market is to supply and to support the request for rehabilitation of track or works operation for maintenance using Insulated joint products.
The technical and service offer from ALMAR/VFM is unique on the market trends.
ALMAR is a manufacturer and adapt the products to the request of final customer and VFM has the capacities to support the local demand in terms of technics and availability of products.
What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
The ALMAR technology use a coated fishplates with insulating component prepared in our plant.
The operators have a short process to respect in order to assembly the joint.
The innovative have the consequences:
- Simplify training of operators;
- Secure the same thickness of insulating to ensure high resistance life time;
- Fast assembly time of the joint to reduce closing of track;
- Different type of glue to be used in site or directly in track.
ALMAR and VFM have organized and achieved the training of personal from CFR.
The technical responsible and main operators from CFR have participated to the training in order to get the process of assembly, control and inspection of the joint.
What estimations do you have for the beginning of 2025?
ALMAR and VFM are certified to participate to the next tender in 2025 of CFR and will propose the HIGH RESISTANCE joint of ALMAR concept.
The reduction of maintenance cost due to a better life time will be reached in the next years.