Hòa Phát signs cooperation with TÜV SÜD to advise and certify the quality of railway rails to international standards

On April 2, 2026, Hoa Phat Group officially signed a contract with TÜV SÜD Rail GmbH (Germany), an international organization specializing in testing, inspection and certification for rail systems. The agreement is intended to support Hoa Phat’s strategy to develop high-quality steel rail products that meet the technical requirements of modern railways.

Cooperation scope and certification standards

Under the cooperation agreement, Hoa Phat and TÜV SÜD (Germany) will provide technical consulting, evaluate production systems, supervise testing, and certify conformity for Hoa Phat’s rail steel products. The work will be carried out in line with widely accepted international standards to help ensure product independence and reliability in the market.

TÜV SÜD will conduct certification assessments for a product portfolio covering rail profiles with steel grades from R260 for general applications to R350HT and R400HT for high-load and high-wear applications. The certified range is designed to serve different operating conditions, including urban and regional rail as well as high-speed rail.

The evaluation and certification will apply international standards including European EN, Chinese GB/T, and Japanese JIS.

Industry context and TÜV SÜD role

François-Xavier Bauzet, Deputy CEO for Southeast Asia at TÜV SÜD, said: “Through evaluation and certification under these standards, Hoa Phat's rail products will meet the highest international standards and satisfy the technical requirements of many markets, opening opportunities to participate in large-scale rail projects in the region and around the world.”

TÜV SÜD is headquartered in Germany and has more than 160 years of development, with a presence in over 50 countries. In the rail sector, TÜV SÜD Rail GmbH is the global unit for safety assessment and certification and has participated in many high-speed rail and metro projects across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Project details and production timeline

Hoa Phat’s Dung Quat Rail and Special Steel Plant in Quang Ngai has a design capacity of 700,000 tons per year and uses SMS group technology from Germany. The plant’s product range includes high-speed rail rails, urban rail rails, crane rails, and U, I, H and V shaped sections, along with other special steels.

Three months after construction began, the plant had completed 35% of the progress, and equipment installation is set to begin in June. The first high-speed rail rail product is expected to be released in 2027, positioning Hoa Phat as the first and only company in Southeast Asia to produce this steel.