Apave Group has announced the acquisition of DEKRA’s rail activities through its specialised subsidiary CERTIFER, strengthening its position in the railway Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC) sector and expanding its technical capabilities in rail safety, materials testing, and asset integrity services.
The acquisition includes DEKRA Rail’s operations in the Netherlands and its rail business activities in Taiwan. The move aligns with Apave Group’s AMPLIFY 2030 strategic plan, which identifies transport and sustainable mobility as key growth sectors for the company’s future expansion.
Based in the Netherlands, DEKRA Rail is recognised for its expertise in railway safety and regulatory services, including activities as a Notified Body (NoBo), Designated Body (DeBo), and Assessment Body (AsBo). The company also operates specialised laboratories and provides tribology, calibration, materials testing, and field inspection services for railway infrastructure, operators, manufacturers, and maintenance providers.
The acquisition significantly enhances CERTIFER’s testing and inspection capabilities across railway subsystems such as infrastructure, rolling stock, signalling, and control-command systems. Through the integration of DEKRA Rail’s laboratories and testing expertise, CERTIFER aims to strengthen its presence across the Benelux and DACH regions while expanding its service portfolio across the entire rail asset lifecycle.
The Netherlands is expected to become one of CERTIFER’s largest operational hubs, with more than 100 employees across facilities in Noord-Scharwoude and Utrecht.
In Taiwan, DEKRA Rail’s teams have established expertise in Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services for large-scale rail and metro infrastructure projects, further broadening CERTIFER’s international technical capabilities.
“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.
The integration also supports the growing demand for advanced inspection, maintenance optimisation, and lifecycle management solutions in rail infrastructure, where materials testing and predictive maintenance are becoming increasingly critical for operational safety and asset reliability.
“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.
The acquisition further strengthens Apave Group’s global footprint in technical risk management, testing, inspection, and certification services for the rail and mobility sectors.
