Service partner for maintenance, servicing and retrofit of rail vehicles and railway technology in Switzerland
Windhoff Schweiz GmbH
Biel/Bienne (SBB Werkstätte 25, Ohmweg 10) · Spiez (place of founding, location until 2011)New on Amplifa
About Windhoff Schweiz GmbH
Windhoff Schweiz GmbH was founded in 2008 in Spiez and has been based in Biel since 2011. It is a subsidiary of WINDHOFF Bahn- und Anlagentechnik GmbH in Rheine (Germany) and supports the latter's products in the Swiss market. Its core business comprises maintenance, servicing and repair of rail vehicles and railway technology – both the parent company's own products and third-party products from the same product segment. The service portfolio ranges from on-site servicing and repair or work in the Biel workshop to complete overhauls (ReFit), accident repairs and retrofit/conversion including ETCS retrofitting, as well as work on electrical and electronic systems and software adaptations. The offering is complemented by maintenance contracts (Basis and WINtegral), a 24/7 service hotline with remote diagnostics, training courses, SUVA crane expertise, wheelset inspections, ETCS inspections and a spare parts supply that delivers the next day in over 90% of cases. Since 2025, jacking systems, including 25-tonne jacks, have also been available for rent. Customers include SBB and BLS AG; the sales portfolio also covers shunting technology, track construction technology and workshop equipment.
- Site
- Biel 6
- Processes
- Servicing, maintenance and repair of rail vehicles and railway technology, Repair and overhaul (also on site or in the Biel workshops), Complete overhauls / ReFit, corrective maintenance, accident repairs, Retrofit / conversion / upgrade of rail vehicles and systems (incl. new vehicle and, Work on electrical and electronic systems; software creation, supplementation and, Crane inspection (SUVA crane expertise, from planning to report), Wheelset inspection, ETCS inspections
- Materials
- Rail vehicles, Shunting technology, Track construction technology, Workshop equipment, ETCS retrofitting
- Certificates
- ECM quality assurance (digital), Quality policy on request, ISO 9001 (verified)
- Founded
- 2008
- Industries
- Railway and local transport operators, Railway construction, Freight transport, Workshop equipment for railway operations, Railway and local transport operators (Swiss market)
- 01
Product sales (rail vehicles, shunting technology, track construction
- 02
Servicing and maintenance (planned or on demand)
- 03
Repair on site or in the Biel workshop
- 04
Retrofit, conversion, ETCS retrofitting
- 05
Testing (crane expertise, wheelset inspection, ETCS inspections)
- 06
Spare parts supply and warehousing
- 07
Training and 24/7 support
Products and Processes
Rail vehicles
Modular rail vehicles for construction, maintenance, freight transport as well as firefighting and rescue operations.
Shunting technology
Complete programme ranging from shunting winches to rail-bound and road-rail shunting vehicles.
Track construction technology
Attachment equipment for track work on road-rail excavators and track construction machines.
Workshop equipment
Underfloor lifting systems, slide/turntables and jacking systems for rail vehicle depots.
ETCS retrofitting
Conversion and retrofitting of vehicles and systems including new control units.
Locations
Biel/Bienne
CHHeadquarters and workshop (SBB Werkstätte 25, Ohmweg 10)
- Part weight / size
- Jacking system up to 25 t
- Lot size
- Single vehicles to fleet management
- Materials
- Rail vehicles, railway technology, shunting technology
- Jacking systems (incl. 25 t)
- Underfloor lifting system
- Slide/turntable
- Service vehicles
Spiez
CHPlace of founding (location until 2011)
Components and Product Areas
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servicing, maintenance and repair of rail vehicles and railway technologyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Repair and overhaul (also on site or in the Biel workshops)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Complete overhauls / ReFit, corrective maintenance, accident repairsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Retrofit / conversion / upgrade of rail vehicles and systems (incl. new vehicle andEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Work on electrical and electronic systems; software creation, supplementation andEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Crane inspection (SUVA crane expertise, from planning to report)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wheelset inspectionTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| ETCS inspectionsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maintenance contracts (Basis and WINtegral, incl. preventive maintenance P3+P4, 6- and 12-yearAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| 24/7 service hotline / support / remote diagnosticsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Training courses (driver training, maintenance training)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spare parts supply (warehousing within the scope of maintenance contracts)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rental of jacking systems (new and used equipment, delivery, installation, dismantling)Assembly | – | – | 25 t (jacking system) | – | – |
| Servicing/maintenance services also for third-party products from the same product segmentAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maintenance of a Palfinger craneAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacking system | Windhoff | – | – | – | Biel |
| 25-tonne jacking system | Windhoff | – | – | – | Biel |
| Underfloor lifting system | Windhoff | – | – | – | Biel |
| Slide/turntable | Windhoff | – | – | – | Biel |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and ECM Certification
All data, documents, processes and reports are processed and archived digitally; the quality policy is available on request. Since June 2022, statutory ECM certification has been mandatory for all rail vehicles in the European railway sector, which the company accompanies as an ECM.
| Evidence | Biel/Bienne |
|---|---|
| ECM quality assurance (digital) | |
| Quality policy on request | |
| ISO 9001 (verified) |
History
- 2008
Foundation of Windhoff Schweiz GmbH in Spiez
- 2011
Relocation to Biel
- 2022
From June, statutory ECM certification requirement for all rail vehicles in the European railway sector
- 2025
New: rental offer for jacking systems; 7th WINDHOFF NEWS with expansion step towards Italy