As Switzerland’s largest rail company, we know what is needed to dispose of permanent way materials and track components. That means our rail technology centre in Hägendorf is not just a producer of rail technology products but also a certified disposal company. Our disposal processes function without problems and we have the capacity required to also offer disposal for other rail companies. BLS has also occasionally used our disposal services previously. This tender gave us the opportunity to carry out the entire process systematically for BLS.

As I said, we know track construction inside out and are fully on top of removal by rail and the disposal process. But for the tender that was not sufficient. We in sales had to develop knowledge about the disposal market within a very short space of time. To provide BLS with a wide-ranging offer, we teamed up with a partner who is already familiar with BLS and provides the perfect complement to our portfolio of services. 

We decided to cooperate with Reinhard Recycling AG from Bigenthal in the Emmental valley. Reinhard Recycling is a local company with a long-standing waste disposal partnership with BLS which operates similar processes, shares our view of sustainability and is a specialist in removal by lorry. This cooperation has allowed us to develop a wide-ranging and ecologically sustainable plan which convinced BLS to offer us the contract.

We demonstrated to BLS that we can offer them reliable and simple disposal pathways without the need to work with more than two partners. Whether the materials are removed by rail or lorry, our disposal processes are identical, certified and transparent. Both Reinhard and SBB try to recycle as much valuable material as possible and put it to use again in an appropriate way. For sustainability reasons, we also want to transport as much as possible by rail. But by working together with Reinhard, we are more flexible. For example, we can carry out additional transport by lorry at short notice.

Yes, of course. Internal cooperation with hierarchical superiors and the finance department was challenging because we had to entirely rethink and agree on our figures and processes. But the insights we have gained into the processes and the new knowledge of the market will help us enormously – with our own contracts, and also for the next tender.

Yes, because thanks to our rail technology centre, we have everything it takes to help all Swiss railways dispose of their rail technology products and vehicles. We could see ourselves carrying out disposal for the entire sector. But we also know that tenders are always a competition. And we need to prepare for the next tender now to provide a winning proposal.