MATISA

MATISA Matériel Industriel S.A.

Company type	OTM Manufacturer
Industry	Rail
Founded	1945 (1945)
Founder	Constantin Sfezzo and August Ritz
Headquarters	Crissier , Switzerland
Products	Renewal trains, ballast cleaners, tamping machines, ballast regulators
Production output	~800 Machines in operation globally.
Number of employees	~450
Website	http://www.matisa.ch/en

MATISA Matériel Industriel S.A. is a Swiss company that manufactures rail maintenance machines and provides associated services. It was founded in 1945 and is based in the canton of Vaud, in Switzerland.

History

The origins of MATISA can be traced back to the working practices of early twentieth century railways; traditionally many of the reoccurring maintenance tasks involved in keeping lines in a safe operating condition had been almost exclusively performed by hand and involved strenuous effort, and thus necessitated considerable continuous labour costs being incurred. During the 1940s, the future founders of MATISA had recognised that mechanisation could improve not only the speed but ease and affordability of track maintenance tasks and had developed their own prototype tamping machine that would act to stabilise track beds while reducing human labour. During 1945, MATISA was established with the purpose of setting up industrial production of this tamper; the company quickly established itself as a competent manufacturer of track maintenance machinery.

Having achieved quantity production of its initial tamper vehicle; MATISA set about its gradual improvement. In comparison to its original tamper design, which weighed less than ten tonnes in weight, its counterparts being produced 70 years later have weighed in excess of 100 tonnes, for which various advancements have been made in terms of track quality, accuracy, reliability, safety, and cost effectiveness. During the late 2010s, research into the more advanced use of electronics, particularly to achieve greater levels of automation, was being pursued by the company.

Over time, MATISA's product range was expanded to encompass a wide variety of machines, including ballast regulators, track renewal trains, track laying machines, ballast cleaners, and track measuring vehicles. To extend the company's reach and pursue international sales, numerous subsidiaries have been established in other nations, such as France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom, to provide sales and after-sales support for MATISA's products while various local agents also engage in these activities around the globe. Products produced by MATISA have been supplied to various customers around the world, including the London Underground, VolkerRail, South Australian Railways, Colas Rail, Network Rail, and the Korean State Railway. MATISA has also acted as a subcontractor to various other companies.

Starting around the turn of the century, MATISA has maintained a strategic partnership with Speno International, the latter having initially procured a new generation of rail grinding machines, designed to fulfil future requirements along with compliance to the latest certification requirements active in the European rail sector built by MATISA. Since then, technical cooperation between Speno and MATISA has been pursued to the extent that both company's vehicles frequently share many components that are sourced from the same suppliers; furthermore, the manufacture and development of new generation machines has also been carried out jointly, with work being divided between the two companies.

Into the twenty-first century, despite a general trend of deindustrialisation and a shortage of skilled labour, MATISA has opted to retain its main manufacturing base in Switzerland to date. By June 2025, the company employed around 450 people at the Crissier works, its principal production facility.

Innovation in Switzerland

Switzerland is internationally recognized as one of the world's most innovative countries, consistently ranking at the top of the Global Innovation Index thanks to its strong collaboration between industry, research institutions, and public authorities. The Swiss innovation ecosystem is characterized by a high density of specialized engineering firms, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and a culture that values precision, reliability, and long-term quality. This environment has nurtured companies such as MATISA, whose development philosophy reflects core Swiss values of performance, reliability, simplicity, human-centric design, and sustainability. Benefiting from the country's innovation support mechanisms — including programs such as Innosuisse, which fosters partnerships between companies and universities — MATISA continues to advance railway maintenance technology through modular design, automation, and environmentally responsible solutions. Switzerland's tradition of innovation thus provides a fertile cradle for the continuous improvement and technological leadership of its industrial champions.

Vision and products

P95T Renewal train equipped with excavation chain (COLAS Rail).

C75 Ballast Cleaner (SALCEF).

MATISA's product vision reflects the company's commitment to combining Swiss engineering excellence with a pragmatic approach to innovation. Rooted in the country's culture of precision, reliability, and long-term quality, MATISA designs and manufactures machines dedicated to railway maintenance and renewal that are both technically advanced and easy to operate. The company believes that true innovation begins with design optimization — making machines more efficient, durable, and sustainable — before moving toward electrification or hybrid power solutions. This philosophy drives the development of modular and standardized platforms across MATISA's product lines, enabling a high degree of component sharing and flexibility while reducing development costs, homologation complexity, and time to market.

A central aspect of MATISA's strategy is to create compact and lightweight machines that maintain top-level performance with lower energy consumption, reflecting the company's environmental and economic awareness. Its engineering approach is guided by five core product values: performance, reliability, simplicity, human centricity, and sustainability. Through these principles, MATISA strives to deliver equipment that enhances safety, optimizes the total cost of ownership (TCO), and simplifies maintenance operations for clients worldwide. The firm is also expanding its innovation scope beyond products, exploring new business models such as leasing, retrofit programs, and digital service platforms to strengthen long-term partnerships with infrastructure managers and private operators.

B66 UCD, MATISA's double-head tamper flagship (DESTIA).

Digitalization and automation represent key pillars of MATISA's forward-looking roadmap, with ongoing projects involving predictive maintenance systems, advanced embedded technologies, and semi-autonomous operational features. These developments align with MATISA's long-term goal of combining industrial robustness with digital intelligence to support sustainable rail infrastructure. In this vision, innovation, sustainability, and user-friendliness are not separate ambitions but interconnected priorities that guide every product decision — ensuring that MATISA remains a technological reference in the global railway maintenance sector while staying true to its Swiss heritage of excellence.

WTM-M Tilting Wagon used for switch transportation (SNCF).

The company has produced various product lines, including:

• Continuous track renewal trains
• Continuous track construction trains
• Ballast cleaners
• Plain line and universal tamping machines
• Ballast regulators
• Track inspection vehicles
• Switch transport wagons

See also

• Plasser & Theurer