AGS Holland: the new partner for certified window replacements in trains

PARTNER – A new player enters the rail market – but one with a great deal of experience. AGS Holland – which has been the trusted partner for buses, coaches and light rail for years – is now the first and, for the time being, the only glass company in the Benelux region to be certified to install glass train components. The company has thus become a serious alternative for the Dutch and Belgian rail sector.

If a window of a bus, tram or metro in the Benelux is damaged, there is a good chance that AGS Holland will step in to repair it. “In public transport, we are known as the regular and trusted party for everything to do with glass,” director and founder Gerard Vader characterises his company. “This is because we are ready 24/7, work all over the country and are appreciated for our service.”

Indeed, AGS Holland is active for almost all major city and regional transporters in the Netherlands, for which the company not only installs new windows, but also thinks about technical issues where necessary. An established name in public transport, then, but still a new player in the heavy rail sector. The company recently obtained all certifications (DIN6701/EN17460) to also bond critical safety parts in trains.

AGS Holland has thus become an attractive alternative to the foreign suppliers and service providers on which the Dutch/Belgian sector currently relies: “We leave it to clients to judge what our added value is. But because we are based in the Netherlands, we can imagine that we are attractive to them in terms of price, response time and service. We are happy to discuss details with them.”

Shorter lead time

Focusing only on the benefits of being a glass repairer in the Benelux would, however, sell AGS short. This is because the company also provides added value in other ways, for example by reducing vehicle repair times. “The working regulations for gluing train parts are laid down, we are not allowed to change anything,” says Vader. “But these are often entirely focused on lead times for new construction.”

According to the director, these regulations sometimes put transporters in a tight spot: ‘In new construction, you have time to let the glue dry,” he says. “Because the train set is stationary anyway. But in the repair market this is obviously not the case, there you want as little downtime as possible. Therefore, you actually want to use other materials that glue faster, but for that a procedure has to be written and authorised first.”

And this is exactly where AGS Holland can provide support. In fact, the company has gained extensive experience in having alternative work instructions approved under DIN6701 and EN17460 in the other sectors in which it operates, including light rail. Vader: “This way, we ensure a fully certified reduction in lead time and our clients can get their vehicles back on track sooner.”

As easy as a mouse click

The ease with which employees of a train operator or maintenance company can report a case of damage also sets AGS Holland apart, according to the founder. “In the customer portal, we have housed all the client’s vehicles,” he says. “In this user-friendly environment, you click on the window we have drawn in that particular vehicle, and that generates an order with us. We then call within an hour to make an appointment.”

It is clear what the company wants to convey: we are there to take the burden off our clients. “We are long-term partners,” the director sums up this message. “Not only do we deliver from our DC in Hoogvliet and assemble throughout the Benelux through our franchisees, but we also collect data in our platforms and advise on reducing the damage burden. Just until we have made ourselves virtually redundant. That is our goal, and we continue to work hard at that.”