GCF Convention: profile of a Group in expansion

Attilio Rossi (in the centre), GCF founder, with his sons Alessandro and Edoardo

A future of investments and new markets for GCF.

A project portfolio worth 1,352 million euros from 2018 to 2024 - one billion in the next three years alone; investments worth 100 million euros in trains and high efficiency machinery; number of employees increased by 60% in two years and currently standing at 1,059. A promising start in new markets, fibre optics for example. This is the profile of the Gruppo Rossi that emerged at the end-of-year convention attended by approximately 250 GCF and Gefer executives and managers..

These are important figures which have been consolidated over the years thanks to a policy of taking one small step at a time. This has enabled the Gruppo Rossi to acquire large companies in the railway sector and strengthen its presence not only in the railway infrastructures sector - the company's core business - but also in the Electric Traction and Signalling sectors, securing itself a leading role over the years in the supply of integrated track-overhead line projects and establishing itself as the leading Italian group specialising in railway construction.

This is confirmed by figures for the last 10 years. Over 850 kilometres of High Speed/Capacity lines built; over 10,000 kilometres of maintenance on the railway network; 6,500 kilometres of line renewal and ballast cleaning and on the Electrification and Signalling side, 60 ACEI (Electrical Inter-Locking Apparatus with Itinerary button) systems and 25 substations and approximately 1,100 kilometres of electric traction renewal.

Consolidation abroad

“It is with these figures," Edoardo Rossi, GCF President explained, "that we entered the foreign market a few years ago and gradually acquired important orders. Today, we are seen as a beacon of excellence outside Italy too and the overseas share represents over 40% of the Group's turnover. This is a very significant percentage and one that is bound to increase over the next few years.”

Several prestigious sites are currently at work beyond the Alps: track work in the Ceneri Base Tunnel in Switzerland, a fundamental part of the New Transalpine Railway, which will make the Rhine-Alps corridor the main axis of communication between Genoa and Rotterdam - that is to say, between Southern and Northern Europe. There are also two Suite Rapide 2018-2024 lots: a maxi renewal contract won by Transalp Renouvellement - the consortium created in France by GCF to construct Lot 2 on the Suite Rapide tender 2013-2017 - which will deliver 400 kilometres of renewed railway line to the French network every year. In Denmark, there are also two major projects in the underground railway sector: the building of a light-duty railway system in Aarhus, which is almost finished, and in Copenhagen, track work on the new “Cityringen” line, a “made in Italy” city circle line that involves the biggest and best Italian construction companies.
“The large orders acquired in Italy and abroad covering the next few years" - Alessandro Rossi, Chairman of Transalp stressed - "pay tribute to the quality of the work as well as our ability to adapt to very complex situations with suitable organizational and operational measures that are capable of meeting expectations. They are also the result of a policy of investment in machinery and equipment which makes us a leading player in Europe.”

Investments and new markets

The Gruppo Rossi fleet of over 600 machines will continue to increase: over 100 million euros of investment are planned as from last year to buy 2 more Matisa P95 track renewal trains, a ballast cleaner, 7 tamping machines, 4 profiling machines, 6 locomotives, 9 Blend gantries as well as overhead wiring wagons, APVs, road-rail loaders, concrete mixers and electric welding machines.

“A mobile lathe - the first of its kind in Italy - will arrive shortly and will enable us to expand the range of services offered by our Gefer workshop which is something our company is very proud of,” Edoardo Rossi said.

Finally, other new developments will arrive soon in R&D - with important patents on their way - and in new markets: “We are also getting type-approvals abroad," Alessandro Rossi explained, "for the Omnia cantilever which will gradually be used throughout Italy, both in the 3 kV and 25 kV versions and, with a view to diversification, we have entered the fibre optics market this year by forming a strategic alliance with Sirti.”

A promising start: the Gruppo Rossi's share this year amounts to approximately ten million which corresponds to five worksites for the development of fibre optic network infrastructures. Salerno, Ancora, Modena, Varese and Busto Arsizio will soon be the first cities to have GCF developed ultra-wideband.