Smiths Interconnect announced today the endorsement from the European Rail Industry of the IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) certification to its German manufacturing site.
Based in Deggendorf, the site has been registered under ISO/TS 22163:2017, IRIS v3 certification, according to the rules defined by the European Rail Industry, also known as UNIFE, and proudly joins the other Smiths Interconnect sites in France and Tunisia, who have both also achieved this certification.
Rainer Daum, VP Sales EMEA at Smiths Interconnect, said, “Being IRIS registered allows Smiths Interconnect to provide more capabilities for the products used in the European rail industry, and improves our service level. This new certification truly cements Smiths Interconnect's position as a partner of choice for our railway customers.”
IRIS certification is a globally recognized standard unique to the railway sector for the evaluation of management systems. Promoted by UNIFE, IRIS complements the internationally recognised ISO 9001 quality standard introducing rail specific requirements.
Registration involves a thorough review of the organisation’s operating policies and procedures to ensure they meet the minimum requirements of UNIFE. Compliance is monitored through periodic audits of the manufacturing site. IRIS is the most stringent of the ISO standards in place at Smiths Interconnect sites.
This important recognition has been achieved after a deep evaluation of the production process of the REP connectors, a quick-mating rectangular multipole plastic series designed for a wide range of rail applications (such as sensors, brakes, lighting, air conditioning, and communications) that specifically meets the main European railway standards complying for instance with fire and smoke standards, including NF F 61-032, EN 45545-2, and EN ISO 11925-2, as well as French National Railway Company (SNCF) standards.