Founded in July 2025, setec ferrom is the first company in the setec group dedicated to railway maintenance engineering. Officially operational since September and a subsidiary of setec ferroviaire, this new company embodies an innovative solution to the current challenges facing the rail sector: ageing infrastructure, an increase in the number of operators following the opening up of the market to competition, a shortage of skills combining expertise and knowledge of the field, and the need to adapt to current climate issues. We met with Kévin Uba, Managing Director of setec ferrom, to understand the origins, mission and ambitions of this new addition to setec‘s railway ecosystem.
A career in the service of rail
A qualified engineer and a graduate of the National Engineering School of Tarbes in France, Kévin Uba began his career in the Paris region at an independent design office. He quickly specialised in railways, first with the Provence Railways, then by joining the CNM (Nîmes-Montpellier Bypass) project, in which setec ferroviaire provided project management services in 2014. For ten years, he held technical management positions in project management and then as an infrastructure manager, developing in-depth expertise in the entire life cycle of a railway project, from design to operation.
The origins of setec Ferrom: from intuition to creation
With a decade of experience behind him, Kévin Uba identified a need in the services offered by French railway engineering firms: “At the time, there was no organisation truly dedicated to maintenance and operations engineering, even though the need was clearly there. “After a period of entrepreneurial reflection and discussions with senior management at setec ferroviaire, the idea of a specialised subsidiary took shape. In January 2024, the project came to life: setec ferrom would be a company dedicated to supporting maintenance and operations teams throughout all phases of the railway life cycle, with a comprehensive and flexible approach.
A rapidly changing market
The French rail sector faces three major challenges:
- An ageing network: “There is a lot of talk about investment in new projects, but decades of underinvestment in maintenance are weighing heavily on the 30,000 km of existing rail lines.”
- A loss of skills: Retirement and the shortage of maintenance specialists with genuine ‘field’ experience and a comprehensive understanding of the railway system are making the transfer of knowledge and the maintenance of assets in operational condition uncertain
- A market in transition: Opening to competition has increased the number of stakeholders and interfaces between different networks, creating new maintenance engineering needs where previously the historic operator SNCF Réseau managed everything internally.
setec ferrom is thus positioning itself as a key partner for railway operators (SNCF Réseau, private infrastructure managers), transport authorities, investment funds and construction and maintenance companies, but also for more atypical stakeholders such as port or secondary line managers seeking innovative and cost-effective solutions.
A comprehensive, distinctive offering for more sustainable projects
setec Ferrom‘s ambition is to be involved in the entire V-cycle of railway projects:
- Early-stage support: assistance from the project inception phase, during tendering, design and construction.
- During operations: diagnostics, development of improvement plans, support for maintenance strategy, implementation of new methods and efficiency monitoring
setec FERRO&M offers support to its clients throughout the entire V-cycle of a railway project or infrastructure asset
Maintenance engineering aims to optimise the lifespan of assets and offer competitive global costs (CAPEX + OPEX), while integrating the challenges of decarbonisation and corporate social responsibility (CSR): “This means lower energy consumption, less carbon, fewer resources, and therefore more sustainable operations”, emphasises Kévin Uba. In this respect, the creation and offering proposed by setec ferrom are an appropriate and consistent solution to setec’s commitments in the face of current climate challenges.
The team and first achievements
As a wholly owned subsidiary of setec ferroviaire, the new company can rely on internal resources. From early January 2026, a new setec ferrom employee will join Kevin Uba. The work agenda is already complete and the outlook for 2026 is positive. “The advantage is that we are starting off at “full speed”, which is quite rare for a young subsidiary,” explains Kevin.
The main challenge? Balancing business growth with the recruitment of experienced profiles with solid operational experience. “Maintenance engineering requires a particular sensitivity: you need to have experience in operations and maintenance to be precise and pertinent in the diagnostics and technical analysis carried out on behalf of our clients.”
The second challenge? To raise awareness within the setec group beyond the natural synergies that have already emerged with setec its, diades and setec organisation on the subjects of asset management, technical diagnostics and the management of projects.
In terms of scope, setec ferrom is involved in projects in France and also abroad, supporting setec ferroviaire (authorised representative). Since its creation, the new subsidiary has been able to take on some iconic projects:
In France:
- Marcheprime SMR: analysis of the site’s maintainability and operability, preparation of the consultation for the future maintenance provider.
- TELT: implementation of the maintenance engineering strategy and approach, structuring of the performance approach
- Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolis: global support during the takeover of two railway lines, diagnosis of railway assets, evaluation of operator performance and development of a maintenance and renewal strategy.
Abroad:
- SETRAG: drafting of the reference document for the Gabonese railway network, analysis of the organisation’s maturity.
- SIMANDOU: technical advice to the Guinean government on specific issues relating to performance and maintenance and operating protocols, preparation for entry into the maintenance scope
We would also like to eventually position ourselves in the heavy rolling stock (passenger and freight) vertical, for which maintenance engineering needs are very significant, adds Kévin Uba.
The creation of setec ferrom confirms setec’s commitment to addressing the major challenges facing the rail industry: extending the life of assets, supporting the ecological transition and structuring a rapidly changing market. With a comprehensive offering, an agile organisation, global support from setec ferroviaire and clear ambitions, the company has everything it needs to quickly establish itself as a key player in railway maintenance engineering.