Moderated by Claude Baudry(GS1 France), this roundtable brings together Charles-François Vermeesch (SNCF Voyageurs, rolling stock division) and François Lanci (Alstom Transport) to discuss the rollout of GS1 standards — identification, capture, and data sharing — across the French rail industry.
The two speakers trace the origins of their approach (a European working group formed in 2015, a contractual requirement on a TGVM tender at Alstom), and how an initial use case — tracking parts and trainsets via RFID and data matrix — grew into a company-wide project. Concrete figures illustrate the scale: more than 3,000 passenger trainsets equipped on the SNCF side, up to 150,000 GS1-marked parts per year, and full integration into Alstom's MES (Manufacturing Execution System) to ensure the correct parts are installed.
The discussion also covers the impact on frontline operators, the international dimension of the effort (cooperation with Swiss, German, and Swedish railways), and closes on the outlook opened up by the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and the EU's ESPR regulation, which takes effect next year for the battery sector.
