Manufacturer of rail vehicles, zero-emission buses, as well as signalling, component and digitalization solutions for mobility.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A.
Beasain (ES) · Madrid (ES) · San Fernando de Henares (ES) · Owińska (PL) · Munich (DE) · Berlin (DE) · Elmira, NY (US)New on Amplifa
About CAF
CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A.) is an internationally active manufacturer of rail vehicles headquartered in Beasain, Spain. The portfolio comprises trams, metro vehicles, regional and commuter trains, high-speed trains, locomotives and variable-gauge wheelsets (Brava); through its subsidiary Solaris Bus & Coach, electric and hydrogen-powered buses are also produced. Manufacturing includes sheet metal working, forming, machining, welding, cable assembly, painting and final assembly, complemented by engineering, testing and quality assurance. In addition, CAF offers fleet maintenance and modernization, component overhauls, spare parts supply, signalling, turnkey projects and digital services via the LeadMind platform. With around 18,000 employees, the company operates in more than 60 countries and runs production sites including in Spain (Beasain, capacity of up to 3,000 rail vehicles/year), Poland, France, the United Kingdom, the USA (Elmira, NY plant), Mexico and Brazil.
- Site
- Beasain
- Processes
- Railcar manufacturing (light rail vehicles, streetcars, coaches), Sheet metalwork, Machining, Welding, Stamping, Cabling / propulsion wiring, Painting, Adhesives application
- Materials
- Steel plates, Sheet metal
- Certificates
- Engineering, testing & quality integrated in the plant, Digital inspection and monitoring platform (LeadMind)
- Founded
- 1917
- Employees
- 18000
- Industries
- Rail vehicle construction, Zero-emission buses (electric/hydrogen), Public transport / transport authorities, Signalling, Mobility digitalization,
- 01
Engineering
- 02
Sheet metal working
- 03
Forming/Stamping
- 04
Machining
- 05
Welding
- 06
Cable assembly
- 07
Painting
- 08
Assembly
- 09
Testing & Quality Assurance
- 10
Maintenance & Services
Materials & Processes
Steel plates
Used for car body structures and load-bearing components in rail vehicle construction.
Sheet metal
Used for sheet metal formed parts, cladding and side panels in vehicle construction.
Sites
Beasain
ESHeadquarters / rolling stock plant
- Materials
- Steel plates, Sheet metal
- Railcar factory (capacity up to 3,000 rail vehicles/year)
Elmira, NY
USPlant for light rail, streetcars and coaches
- Materials
- Steel plates, Sheet metal
- Railcar manufacturing plant with engineering, testing, quality, safety and purchasing
Munich
DEOffice CAF Deutschland
Berlin
DEOffice
Owińska (Bolechowo-Osiedle)
PLBus business (Solaris)
San Fernando de Henares
ESBus business
Zamudio
ESConcessions & Turnkey / Components
Ibarra
ESRail Services / Energy
San Sebastián
ESSignalling / Components / Digital Services
Solna
SERail Services
Components & Vehicles
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railcar manufacturing (light rail vehicles, streetcars, coaches)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Steel plates, Sheet metal |
| Sheet metalworkForming | – | – | – | – | Sheet metal, Steel plates |
| MachiningMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| WeldingJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel plates |
| StampingForming | – | – | – | – | Steel plates |
| Cabling / propulsion wiringJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| PaintingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Adhesives applicationJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Insulation installation / floor covering / interior liningAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Railcar engineeringEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing / QualityInspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Fleet maintenance (light & heavy, overhaul, predictive/preventive/corrective)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Component maintenance / overhaul of bogies, axles, gearboxes, brake systems, couplingsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Electronic equipment maintenance and obsolescence managementAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spare parts supply and managementAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rolling stock modernizationAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of variable gauge wheelsets (Brava), wheel discs and wheelsetsForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bus manufacturing (electric and hydrogen buses via Solaris)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | CAF | 1 | – | – | Elmira, NY, USA |
| Railcar factory (capacity up to 3,000 railcars/year) | CAF | 1 | – | – | Beasain, Gipuzkoa, Spain |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
CAF operates its own engineering, testing and quality assurance departments at its manufacturing and service sites. Digital inspection and monitoring solutions such as the LeadMind platform (easing inspection, traceability) support diagnostics and quality tracking throughout the vehicle life cycle.
| Evidence | Beasain | Elmira, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering, testing & quality integrated in the plant | ||
| Digital inspection and monitoring platform (LeadMind) |
History
- 1860
Founding of the predecessor Fábrica de Hierros San Martín in Beasain
- 1905
Renamed Fábrica de Vagones de Beasain (FVB)
- 1917
Founding of Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) on 4 March
- 1971
Merger with Material Móvil y Construcciones (MMC); today's name Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
- 2004
Delivery of the first variable-gauge and dual-voltage high-speed train
- 2018
Acquisition of the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach
- 2022
Acquisition of the Talent 3 platform (Bombardier) as well as the Coradia Polyvalent platform and the Reichshoffen plant from Alstom as of 1 August