“We beat the Chinese language in competing for the tender in Jerusalem, and we proved that it may be finished with out politics,” Spanish public transport programs producer CAF Israel president Mickey Raviv informed Globes Deputy Editor Dror Marmor on the Globes Infrastructure for the Future Convention. Speaking about worldwide elements of infrastructure funding, he expressed cautious optimism about the opportunity of constructing main transportation initiatives within the nation.
When requested about the opportunity of connecting Israel’s transport system to Saudi Arabia, Raviv mentioned, “We’re in an period of unimaginable transformations. Nobody anticipated that in President Trump’s earlier time period, Israel’s 25-year-old relations with the Persian Gulf would ‘come out into the open.’ I hope that the plan (for normalization) with Saudi Arabia will get underway now. What is required is 200 kilometers to attach the Saudi railway community to the Israeli one – by way of Jordan.”
Because the consultant of a world firm are you additionally this horizon?
“Completely. For us that is simple. CAF may be very energetic in Saudi Arabia. A lot of the Saudi railway fleet is CAF’s. I do know the planning and deployment of trains there, it is rather simple to implement and it should not be underestimated.”
Right now, the Israeli railway market contains European rivals from France, Germany and Spain. After a tough 18 months, are your Spanish bosses nonetheless right here?
“Sure, after all. Since I based CAF Israel in 2020, there has by no means been a second when there was no overseas employees within the nation. We’re speaking concerning the Covid interval, the times of the Gaza operation in 2021, and now in the course of the warfare. There has by no means been a scenario the place there have been no overseas employees right here. After the warfare broke out, we evacuated the ladies and kids (10% of CAF Israel staff are foreigners). After the ladies and households returned to Spain to enroll their kids in colleges, the overseas employees returned right here.”
For the reason that warfare broke out, CAF’s world CEO has visited Israel twice. CAF’s franchise undertaking supervisor has visited right here 10 occasions. The corporate is alive and kicking, and acknowledges the significance of the Israeli market. It’s a small nation however an enormous marketplace for us.”
How did you put together for conditions just like the warfare? Have been you impacted by political pressures?
“We’ve got lengthy expertise working on the route between Europe and Israel. One of many first issues we did was put together a contingency plan that gave the headquarters and the overseas employees certainty in case one thing occurred in Israel. How do you maintain their security and safety? When it comes to political pressures, I introduced in a acknowledged impartial worldwide ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) skilled. He visited our initiatives, within the Arab neighborhoods that border the road (in Jerusalem) close to the Kalandia crossing. He consulted with the native populations and understood that these kind of initiatives are important for the inhabitants it doesn’t matter what politics says.”
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Was there a dialogue about safety? Was it political? Was competitors affected?
“I do not suppose competitors was affected. A distinct group (of corporations) is chosen for every undertaking. Israel is recognized as a goal, maybe geographically small, however due to its backlog of initiatives it is rather engaging.”
How afraid are you of Chinese language competitors?
“We beat the Chinese language within the tender for the undertaking in Jerusalem. In different city initiatives, PPP initiatives (authorities concession to function by a concessionaire), we additionally proved in Jerusalem that it’s potential to defeat the Chinese language participant no matter politics, even on the matter of pricing.”
What expectations are there for upcoming initiatives?
“Whether or not it is the Tel Aviv Metro undertaking or the one in Jerusalem, whether or not it is Israel Railways commuter trains. In each railway undertaking in Israel, CAF will probably be there. In recent times, there have been mergers between producers within the railway world (corresponding to between Alstrom and Bombardier). We see consolidation that hurts competitors. It is necessary for us to acknowledge the significance of this market and to be right here. We’ll be right here for each tender that will probably be revealed.”
Is there a scarcity of engineers? Those that graduate in engineering want to work for a chip producer like Nvidia. “We see this. Engineers primarily want the low-voltage electrical energy sector as we speak, that means they go to work within the chip trade. We’re in search of individuals who got here from different industries, prepare them and introduce them to our trade. After I first arrived on the worldwide railway exhibition (InnoTrans), which meets each two years in Berlin, there have been 5 Israelis. On the final convention, there have been already 500 Israelis. This exhibits how the initiatives that the market right here gives are attracting extra industries to enter the railways.”
Raviv shares a narrative about how his actions helped a neighborhood producer from the north. “On certainly one of my journeys to the north, I noticed a car with handrails manufactured by an organization referred to as Tal and Hadas. We searched and located an organization positioned in an industrial space within the north of the nation. We drove as much as them and informed them that we needed them to provide all of the handrails for the trains within the nation. They internalized the requirements, after which Tal and Hadas from the north produced a variety of inner elements for the trains of Bombardier after which for CAF. If there’s a chance of taking up initiatives for the success of small and medium-sized companies within the nation, we made a distinction.”
Are there sufficient corporations like Tal and Hadas and CAF right here for the Metro undertaking and the railway to Eilat?
“It is possible. However let’s put issues so as. Within the Israel Railways intercity community, it is necessary that there be a chance for worldwide suppliers to enter there. Israel Railways depends on two worldwide suppliers, there may be room for extra gamers. It is necessary that in Israel Railways tenders, on issues of high quality and worth, extra critical emphasis is positioned on high quality. We do not wish to get caught right here with getting older trains that do not do the job even in thirty years.”
“It is necessary that there be a authorities firm that may construct metropolitan trains. Data has amassed in Israel, however not in a single place. In NTA, data has amassed about executing a undertaking, whereas in Jerusalem, data has amassed about tenders. What’s wanted is to unify the enterprise. Jerusalem’s insights into tenders needs to be built-in with NTA’s insights into execution.”
Are there financing capabilities for future initiatives?
“There’s sufficient cash. We closed financing on time (in our initiatives). Right now, there isn’t any drawback financing initiatives in Israel.”
Full disclosure: The convention was sponsored by Ackerstein, CAF, Israel Railways, Netivei Israel, and Egged and with the participation of Ashdod Port and Mekorot.
Revealed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on February 3, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
