Thales has been active in Romania for 40 years and has developed its industrial operations in the country since 2007. Initially the company was a supplier to the Romanian armed forces. Over the last ten years or so, the Group has also become a major player in the Romanian rail transport industry and now operates a mainline rail Competence Centre employing 200 software engineers. Today, Thales is continuing to address the country’s transport needs while expanding its areas of focus to include defence and security, science and technology, as well as aviation and space.
Thales has a long-standing involvement in the Romanian rail sector. The Group supplies signalling, track control and supervision systems for the country’s mainline railways
Key Figures
For more than
40
years we've been operating in Romania
Over
250
Employees including R&D engineers
Local cooperation
Thales's international growth strategy hinges on developing world-class expertise as close as possible to its customers. In Romania, Thales set up Thales Systems Romania (SRL), initially to meet the needs of the local rail sector. Today the company specialises in software development for rail transport and is contributing to Thales’s activities in international markets including Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, South Africa and Spain.
The Thales laser system for Romania will be used in a particle accelerator for fundamental research and new medical applications (Photo credit: Thales)
In the field of science and technology, Thales is involved in Romania’s contribution to the European laser research project ELI-NP (Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics). The company is providing its Romanian partners with a high-power laser system and developing a special technical and scientific training programme through Thales University. Thales’s laser will deliver 2x10 petawatts (i.e. 20 million billion watts) of power. On the ELI-NP project, Thales is not only responsible for the turnkey development and supply of a complex scientific instrument delivering unprecedented levels of power, but will train Romanian engineers and technicians to install and operate the system for European research programmes.
The laser will be installed at Romania’s nuclear physics institute (IFN-HH) in Magurele, near Bucharest, in 2018.
Defence and security
Building on its strong ties with Romania in civil markets, Thales is seeking to expand its defence and security activities to support the modernisation of the Romanian armed forces and security services.
The Group is also a major player in cybersecurity and a leading supplier of Hardware Security Modules to protect data transfers.
The IAR Brasov Puma helicopter in service with the Romanian Navy deploys a Thales submarine detection system
Activities
Transport
Thales is a key player in the rail sector and has signed numerous contracts with the Romanian railways operator Compania Naţională de Căi Ferate (CFR).
Thales has commissioned 28 rail interconnect systems across Romania and is providing the latest-generation ETCS signalling standard.
The company's transportation experts in Romania are helping to drive the company’s international expansion.
Science and industry
For the European laser research project ELI-NP (Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics), Thales is supplying one of the world’s most powerful lasers to Romania’s nuclear physics institute (IFN-HH).
The company is also developing special training programmes that will enable Romanian engineers and technicians to operate the laser system.
Defence
Thales is a world leader in defence markets and a trusted partner of the Romanian armed forces, in particular as a supplier of tactical radio systems and a secure military tele-communications network.
In 2013, the Romanian Navy selected Thales to supply an airborne anti-submarine warfare system (sonobuoys and signal processing system).
