Apave Group accelerates development in rail sector with acquisition of DEKRA Rail by subsidiary CERTIFER
06/07/2026
Apave, a leading international group specialising in technical, human, environmental and digital risk management, has announced the acquisition of DEKRA’s rail activities, covering testing, laboratory services and certification. This acquisition, carried out via its subsidiary CERTIFER, marks a major milestone in Apave Group’s growth strategy within the sustainable mobility sector. The scope of this transaction includes DEKRA Rail, the entity dedicated to the rail sector in the Netherlands, and the rail business based in Taiwan.
Based in the Netherlands, DEKRA Rail is primarily dedicated to the rail sector and boasts recognised expertise in the activities of Notified Bodies (NoBos), Designated Bodies (DeBos) and Assessment Bodies (AsBos). In addition to these regulatory services, DEKRA Rail operates specialist laboratories and provides tribology, calibration and materials testing services. Leveraging the expertise of its 70 employees, DEKRA Rail supports operators, manufacturers, maintenance providers and railway infrastructure managers in optimising their assets. Due to in-depth expertise in these activities and test results accumulated over several decades, its experts are able to predict the remaining service life of components and optimise maintenance strategies.
In Taiwan, the rail teams have developed recognised expertise in independent verification and validation (IV&V) for major rail and metro projects.
This acquisition is fully in line with Amplify 2030, the new five-year strategic plan launched by Apave Group in early 2026. This plan reaffirms Apave’s ambition to accelerate development in high-tech markets, identifying the transport and sustainable mobility sector as a priority growth area. By consolidating its expertise in this field, the Group is equipping itself to meet the challenges of interoperability, digitalisation and decarbonisation in order to provide long-term support to global mobility stakeholders.
The integration of DEKRA Rail’s cutting-edge testing capabilities, notably its laboratories, materials and tribology services, as well as field testing, enables the Apave Group, through its specialist subsidiary CERTIFER, to expand its service portfolio and strengthen its position across the entire railway testing, inspection and certification (TIC) value chain, from design to maintenance.
For CERTIFER, this acquisition represents a major step in its development strategy in the field of testing and enables it to extend its expertise to all railway subsystems (infrastructure, control-command and signalling, rolling stock), particularly in the Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux) and Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) regions. It is in the Netherlands that CERTIFER will have one of its largest operational hubs, with over 100 employees spread across two sites in Noord-Scharwoude (Alkmaar) and Utrecht.
“With the launch of Amplify 2030, our new strategic plan for 2030, Apave Group reaffirms the transport sector as a priority area for development. The arrival of the DEKRA Rail teams within our rail division led by CERTIFER consolidates our role as a trusted third party across the entire value chain. This acquisition will enable the Group to strengthen its ability to support rail industry players in addressing the growing challenges of regulation, interoperability, digitalisation and sustainability. I am delighted to welcome the DEKRA Rail teams to the Group,” said Philippe Maillard, CEO of Apave Group.
“This transaction marks a major milestone for CERTIFER, perfectly in line with our ambition to become a global leader in TIC services for the rail sector. The integration of DEKRA Rail significantly strengthens our technical expertise in testing, inspection and certification. With our recognised expertise in rail transport, we are consolidating our position as a trusted and independent partner for railway operators, manufacturers and infrastructure managers, in Europe and beyond,” said
Nicolas Castres Saint Martin, Chairman of CERTIFER.
“Joining CERTIFER represents a tremendous opportunity for DEKRA Rail. Becoming part of this leader in the mobility sector allows us to accelerate our development whilst continuing to offer the high level of technical excellence, independence and safety that our customers expect. This is excellent news, both for our employees and for our customers,” added Jean-Paul van Hengstum, Managing Director of DEKRA Rail.
Apave is an independent international group with over 150 years’ experience, specialising in the management of technical, human, environmental and digital risks. The Group recorded a turnover of nearly €1.9 billion (approximately £1.64 billion) in 2025 and now employs 18,500 people in nearly 60 countries.
www.apave.com
