Materfer

Materfer

Company type	Private
Industry	Railway and road vehicle manufacturing
Predecessor	Fiat Concord (subsidiary until 1980)
Founded	1958 (1958)
Founder	Fiat Ferroviaria (through Fiat Concord)
Defunct	February 1998 (first closure)
Fate	Restarted operations in 2002 under Sergio Taselli
Headquarters	Ferreyra, Córdoba Province , Argentina
Area served	Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile
Key people	Sergio Taselli (owner since 2002)
Products	Diesel locomotives, passenger coaches, trams, urban buses, agricultural machinery (combine harvesters), trolleybuses
Number of employees	~400 (2015)

Materfer (Material Ferroviario S.A.) is an Argentine company specializing in the manufacture of railway and road vehicles, headquartered in Ferreyra, Córdoba Province. Originally established by Fiat Concord during the late 1950s, it operated as a subsidiary until 1980, when control of Fiat vehicles was transferred to Sevel Argentina.

The firm has delivered a range of rolling stock including diesel locomotives, passenger coaches, and trams, mainly serving the state-run Ferrocarriles Argentinos between 1948 and 1991. Materfer's products have also reached international markets such as Cuba, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Chile.

Its production facility spans 66,000 m² and is equipped with approximately 200 machines, including electrofusion equipment and sheet metal cutters. In the 1980s, the workforce numbered around 2,500 employees, manufacturing roughly one coach daily for both domestic demand and export. The company also diversified into agricultural machinery by producing combine harvesters under the Maraní Agrinar brand. As of July 2015, the Ferreyra plant employed close to 400 workers.

Initial phase and expansion

Materfer was founded by Fiat Ferroviaria through Fiat Concord, a group of FIAT subsidiaries operating within Argentina. The enterprise established a local production plant aimed at supplying rolling stock to the state-owned operator Ferrocarriles Argentinos.

Manufacturing commenced in 1958 with the introduction of Materfer’s inaugural diesel multiple unit, the 7131, by 1962. Between 1956 and 1968, the "Gruppo Aziende Italo Argentine" (GAIA) consortium was created to produce spare parts and components for GAIA locomotives.

In 1958, an agreement was signed between Argentina’s Ministry of Transport and Fiat Ferroviaria for the acquisition of 210 new railcars. These two-car diesel units offered 660 HP and could reach speeds up to 115 km/h. Their lightweight design allowed operation across multiple lines, while dual driver cabins facilitated quicker turnarounds at terminal stations, enhancing urban service efficiency.

Production of these railcars took place at FIAT facilities located in Turin, Decauville, and Córdoba. Although initial units were assembled in Italy and France, the majority were manufactured domestically at the Ferreyra factory in Córdoba Province—known as "Materfer."

The design of the 7131 was influenced by the 1934 Pioneer Zephyr, a diesel-powered train composed of permanently articulated cars mounted on Jacobs bogies, constructed by Budd Company for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The Zephyr was distinguished by its stainless steel construction and its role as a promotional symbol for American passenger rail service.

The FIAT Concord-produced 7131 entered service in 1962 on the Villa Ballester–Zárate and Victoria–Capilla del Señor routes of the General Mitre Railway under Ferrocarriles Argentinos, replacing older Ganz Works railcars dating back to 1938.

By 1964, an additional 27 coaches manufactured by Aerfer—a subsidiary of FIAT Ferroviaria—were incorporated into the Belgrano Norte line. The fleet further expanded in 1968 with the delivery of 20 more coaches that replaced aging units from Tafí Viejo. In 1975, Materfer supplied additional "FIAT III" coaches for this route.

Subsequent period and insolvency

In the 1980s Materfer expanded its export activities and introduced a series of diesel locomotives called "Transfer." During this decade, it also produced Fiat-Materfer subway cars for the Buenos Aires Underground aimed at standardizing the fleet to reduce maintenance expenses. However, production quantities were sufficient only to outfit Line E. These vehicles remained operational for many years and are currently utilized as temporary substitutes on other lines during fleet modernization efforts.

Due to inadequate upkeep, some FIAT 7131 coaches were withdrawn from service. Consequently, in 1987 Ferrocarriles Argentinos procured eight lightweight railcars from Materfer for use on the Zárate and Capilla del Señor branches. Nicknamed Pitufos (Spanish for "Smurfs") because of their compact size, these units had limited passenger capacity and subpar suspension performance; thus many original 7131 coaches continued in operation.

In the late 1980s through early 1990s, Materfer produced its final vehicles under the FIAT Ferroviaria brand—trams designed for Buenos Aires' Premetro line E2. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in February 1998.

Second era

Following the privatisation of Argentina's railways, eight FIAT 7131 units operated on the Merlo-Lobos branch of the Sarmiento Line, while additional units ran along the Retiro–Victoria sections of the Mitre Line. These railcars underwent upgrades with Cummins engines; those assigned to the Mitre Line were enhanced with air conditioning, seats upholstered in corduroy fabric, and carpeted flooring.

In March 2002, Argentine businessman Sergio Taselli acquired Materfer and restarted operations with a workforce of five employees. By 2007, a presidential decree signed by Néstor Kirchner authorized Materfer to function as an automotive manufacturer, enabling the company to both import spare parts and export completed vehicles. Following this authorization, Materfer commenced production of urban buses at its facility in Ferreyra.

After the government assumed control of freight operator Belgrano Cargas, Materfer proposed supplying rolling stock for its extensive 7,040 km rail network, aiming to manufacture six locomotives each year.

Materfer provided railcars for the railway lines in Entre Ríos Province, primarily serving the Basavilbaso–Concordia and Paraná–Concepción del Uruguay routes, currently managed by Trenes Argentinos S.E. In 2008, some FIAT 7131 railcars were refurbished and utilized by private company Trenes Especiales Argentinos (TEA) for passenger services running from Buenos Aires to Posadas in Misiones Province.

Between 2012 and 2013, Materfer designed a prototype trolleybus tailored for Mendoza’s trolleybus network, based on specifications from operator Empresa Provincial de Transportes de Mendoza (EPTM). Delivered in March 2013 as Argentina’s first domestically produced trolleybus in 24 years, it commenced service in June. Subsequently, EPTM placed an order for 12 production units which began delivery in 2014.

In 2014, Materfer introduced the MTF-3300 diesel locomotive equipped with six engines each producing 500 HP. Developed through collaboration with American firm National Railway Equipment and inspired by General Motors’ GT-26 model, this AR$100 million initiative targeted freight transport with potential exports to Brazil.

In April 2015, Materfer manufactured CMM 400-2 railcars for the Tren del Valle line connecting Neuquén and Cipolletti in Río Negro Province. The company also committed to delivering 20 railcars intended for service restarts planned in Chaco and Salta provinces; these vehicles arrived in Chaco by June.

That same year, CMM 400-2 trainsets were introduced into the diesel fleet of the Mitre Line, operating between Victoria and Capilla del Señor within Greater Buenos Aires.

Current models

• CMM 400-2 – Diesel Multiple Unit
• MTF-3300 – Diesel-electric freight locomotive
• CT 72 – Freight wagons
• MD 128 – Bus

See also

• Fiat Materfer 7131 – Urban railcars from the 1960s
• Fiat-Materfer cars – Buenos Aires Underground vehicles
• Emepa Group – Argentine DMU manufacturer