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Dr. Gerd Grütze
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Ballastless tracks by edilon)(sedra.
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Ballastless tracks by edilon)(sedra.

Discover the world of ballastless tracks

Dr. Gerd Grütze: 

born 23.12.1960 in Großenhain 
married, 2 children, 3 grandchildren
lives in Moritzburg

 

edilon)(sedra is an international supplier of ballastless track systems, insulating rail systems and noise and vibration reducing systems for high-speed trains, heavy rail, trams and light-rail systems, metros, industrial and crane tracks.

As a supplier of value-added integrated solutions, the global player supports its customers with planning and application of tunnels, bridges, level crossings, railway and stop stations as well as urban embedded block systems. Depots, washing plants, harbours and industrial areas are also part of our daily business.

edilon)(sedra provides valuable project added value with:

•    Design and development of sustainable rail-fastening solutions
•    Application and engineering support services 
•    Consulting on technical and practical questions
•    Training workshops, monitoring or installation of edilon)(sedra systems

edilon)(sedra rail-fastening systems for ballastless tracks have been a recognized standard on the international rail market since the early 1970s. edilon)(sedra is part of the James Walker Group.

 

tram.news: How long have you been working at edilon)(sedra and what is your remit and area of responsibility?

Dr. Gerd Grütze: After 13 years with Sika Germany GmbH, I switched to edilon)(sedra GmbH in 2005. As Managing Director, I am responsible for the German locations in Wiesbaden and Munich, and I am also a board member of the edilon)(sedra group (Haarlem, Netherlands). Apart from typical Managing Director tasks like strategic planning, finance and personnel management, process optimisation and representative duties towards stakeholders, I am also heavily involved in sales. As a GmbH, we are responsible for Eastern Europe – from the Baltic to the Balkans – as well as for customers in Italy, Israel and Japan alongside Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

tram.news: What are edilon)(sedra‘s core competences and how are the key business fields distributed among the subsidiaries in Haarlem (NL), Wiesbaden and Munich?

Dr. Gerd Grütze: The core competences of e)(s are slab track systems with particular focus on structure-borne sound and stray current insulation. We are convinced that the project support for the installation of our track systems is best provided in close partnership with our customers and business partners whether it be  e)(s Corkelast® ERS (Embedded Rail System), e)(s EBS (Embedded Block System), e)(s SDS (Sound Damping System), e)(s DFS (Direct Fastening System) e)(s Trackelast® (series of high-quality elastic mats, rail strips and rail pads) or Dex® (grouting resin / anchor adhesive). We think and work holistically and across teams e.g. our internal competence centres can use our own R+D department with test laboratory in Haarlem (NL). Regular exchange between all e)(s locations – from the Netherlands to Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, UK, North America and our offices in India and Australia – is part of our strategy and our success.

Our subsidiaries have divided the track-systems with main focus as follows:

•     Haarlem – Corkelast® ERS – fully cast-in rail with polyurethane
•     Wiesbaden – SDS and EBS
•     Munich – Corkelast® ERS for Germany, Switzerland, Austria (GSA)

tram.news: What can you tell us about your customer base – do you cooperate with other companies?

Dr. Gerd Grütze: We have diverse customers who are active all over the globe, from public transport operators, to DB, investors, construction firms and engineering companies. Strategic partnerships are vital in our sector. We also therefore greatly appreciate our long-year, trusting working relationship with HANNING & KAHL in Japan. We can well imagine transferring our joint expertise and our product ranges to other countries and markets in the future, too. We also work closely together with RAILONE and the Fehlings Gruppe, for example. This partnership-based cooperation is very important to us at edilon)(sedra and moves us forward as a company in the market. Apart from business partnerships, we also focus on exchange with scientific institutes, attaching great importance to partnerships with universities and other higher education institutions like TU Munich, TU Darmstadt and HTW Dresden.

tram.news: Work-life balance and mindfulness are buzzwords today: Which private activities do you undertake to restore your personal balance?

Dr. Gerd Grütze: The job of Managing Director does not end for me on Friday at 5 pm. Strategic decisions and considerations take time and need air to unfold. On my free days I head off with great passion to the nearby golf course. I can relax and sort my thoughts in the fresh air with a lot of movement on the green. I can switch off for longer on journeys to distant countries; discovering other worlds and cultures is always an experience. Closer to home, I like to go to concerts – from Classic to Pop – but unfortunately, I still have not been able to get tickets for the Elphie yet.

Jens Meinecke, Head of the HANNING & KAHL Infrastructure Division, asked the questions for TramNews.