One Technology Partner for Railway Engineering for Displays, Embedded & Power Solutions
Engineering Technology for Railway OEMs and Integrators
FORTEC United Kingdom is the UK division of the FORTEC Group, an international technology group specialising in display technology, embedded computing and power solutions.
Our position within the Group gives UK railway customers access to a broader portfolio of technologies and specialist expertise, supported by a local team that understands their application and project requirements.
How We Work
We work alongside railway OEMs and system integrators from the early stages of component selection.
Understanding the application comes first: the operating environment, interfaces, performance requirements, relevant standards and expected lifecycle. From there, we can help engineering teams identify technologies suited to the project rather than simply supplying a component against a part number.
Our capabilities span three core technology areas:
Display Technology
From compact TFT displays through to high-brightness, stretched and large-format solutions, we support applications including passenger information, driver interfaces, ticketing and onboard systems.
Our capabilities also include PCAP touch integration, optical bonding and display controller technology, allowing the display solution to be configured around the requirements of the application.
Embedded Computing
Our embedded portfolio includes fanless embedded computers, Panel PCs and edge computing platforms for onboard and trackside applications.
We help engineers evaluate processing performance, connectivity, I/O, thermal requirements and environmental suitability to identify a computing platform appropriate for the application.
Railway Power Solutions
Through AUTRONIC, part of FORTEC Power within the FORTEC Group, we provide access to specialist DC/DC power conversion developed specifically for demanding railway applications.
AUTRONIC converters are designed around the electrical and environmental challenges encountered onboard rolling stock, including wide input voltage ranges, transient conditions and railway-specific requirements.
Built for Railway Requirements
Railway component selection involves more than electrical or computing performance.
Shock, vibration, temperature, EMC, continuous operation and long service lives all influence the technologies that can be successfully deployed.
We help customers consider these requirements during product selection, including applicable railway standards and the environmental conditions in which the equipment will operate.
Supporting the Project Lifecycle
Our support continues as projects move from initial evaluation and sampling into production and ongoing supply.
With railway equipment often expected to remain operational for many years, product availability and lifecycle planning can be just as important as the initial specification.
By working with FORTEC UK, engineering teams have a UK technology partner able to support display, embedded computing and power requirements from initial selection through to long-term supply.
Technology Across the Railway Passenger Journey
Our technology can be found across a wide range of railway applications, from the station entrance and platform through to onboard passenger information.
Many of the programmes we support are protected by customer confidentiality and NDAs. While we cannot identify individual projects, they demonstrate our experience supplying technology for real-world railway deployments.
Ticket Gate Displays
FORTEC UK supplies compact display technology for integration into ticket gateway equipment.
These applications require more than simply finding a screen of the correct size. Display brightness, interface, mechanical integration and long-term availability all need to be considered within the equipment architecture.
For systems deployed across transport networks and maintained over many years, product continuity is particularly important.
Interactive Information Totems
We also supply display technology used within interactive station information totems, providing passengers with access to journey information, wayfinding and service updates.
Depending on the installation, requirements can include high brightness, wide viewing angles, PCAP touch, protective cover glass and optical bonding.
These are public-facing systems where display performance, durability and ease of interaction need to work together.
On-Platform Passenger Information
FORTEC UK supports a number of passenger information applications using industrial TFT displays and monitors in different sizes and formats.
High-brightness technology helps maintain readability under changing ambient light conditions, while stretched and specialist display formats give integrators greater flexibility where conventional 16:9 screens are not suitable for the available space.
For outdoor and semi-outdoor installations, technologies can also be selected around temperature, sunlight exposure and continuous operation.
Onboard Passenger Information
Onboard applications introduce another set of requirements, where space, vibration, temperature, connectivity and power all influence system architecture.
A key part of our portfolio for these applications is the Litemax ITRP range of EN 50155 transportation Panel PCs.
Rather than being limited to a conventional display format, the ITRP family includes specialist sizes designed around transportation and passenger information applications.
The ITRP-4805-APL8, for example, provides a 48-inch ultra-wide format suited to applications where information needs to be presented across a long, shallow display area.
The ITRP-2765-APL9 provides a more compact 27.6-inch ultra-wide platform, while the ITRP-1045-EHL2 offers a 10.4-inch solution for applications where installation space is restricted.
Combining the display and embedded computing platform can simplify integration for applications such as route information, next-stop information and other real-time passenger communications.
Where a separate computing architecture is preferred, monitor-only and display configurations can also be supported.
Embedded Computing Behind the Passenger Interface
Not every part of a passenger information system is visible.
Embedded computing provides the processing, connectivity and interfaces required to manage information and communicate with other onboard systems.
Our embedded portfolio includes SBCs, COM Express modules and fanless Box PCs, enabling the processing platform to be selected around CPU performance, I/O, communications, thermal requirements and available installation space.
For onboard railway applications, platforms such as the Axiomtek tBOX210 provide another route where greater processing and connectivity are required. This type of edge computing platform can support applications including PIS, onboard communications, surveillance, diagnostics and data processing.
This allows an OEM or integrator to choose between an integrated Panel PC architecture or separate display and embedded computing elements according to the requirements of the system.
Railway Power
Power conversion is another important part of the onboard architecture.
Through AUTRONIC, part of FORTEC Power within the FORTEC Group, we provide specialist DC/DC converter technology developed for demanding railway applications.
The HFC150-W/G demonstrates how the power architecture can be simplified across different rolling-stock platforms. Its ultra-wide 14.4–154 VDC input range covers common 24 V, 36 V, 72 V and 110 V railway supply systems, reducing the need to specify different converter variants for different nominal input voltages.
With EN 50155 and EN 50121-3-2 compliance and integrated hold-up capability, it provides a railway-focused power platform for engineers developing equipment for onboard environments.
Proven in Railway Applications
Our experience is not limited to product specification. FORTEC technology has already been used across a variety of railway programmes.
Onboard CCTV Display Programme
FORTEC UK secured a major railway programme supplying high-brightness Litemax TFT displays for integration into onboard CCTV equipment.
The project demonstrates not only the importance of selecting display technology for the operating environment, but also the ability to support volume requirements and continued supply over the lifetime of a programme.
London Underground Passenger Displays
Working with rail-environment specialist AJ Wells, FORTEC UK supplied 55-inch displays for installation within London Underground stations.
The application required a solution capable of meeting stringent fire-performance requirements, alongside integrated computing and touchscreen functionality.
Railway Black Box Power Conversion
AUTRONIC technology has also been used within a railway black-box application requiring power conversion capable of operating under particularly demanding environmental conditions.
A customised DC/DC converter solution incorporated galvanic isolation, wide input capability, protection against voltage surges and extended-temperature operation.
The project demonstrates how an established converter platform can be adapted where an OEM’s railway application introduces requirements beyond a standard product specification.
Supporting the Project Lifecycle
Railway programmes can remain in production and service for many years, making lifecycle planning an important part of component selection.
Our support can continue from initial evaluation and sampling through production and ongoing supply, with alternative technologies considered where requirements or product generations change.
For railway OEMs and integrators, the result is access to display, embedded computing and specialist railway power technologies through one UK engineering partner, backed by the wider capabilities of the FORTEC Group.
