Services | Rail Programme
New Initiative on track to
support the West Midlands rail industry
Rail companies in the region will shortly benefit from a
similar initiative to those that have assisted West Midlands automotive
and aerospace sectors, and secured more than 1000 jobs in the region.
The
Rail Business Improvement Programme, funded by Advantage West Midlands,
is worth almost £500,000 to SME's within the region and will be delivered
by the manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS-WM). The funding will
be used to offer business development grants and improvement projects for
SME's involved in the rail industry.
The new programme will also feature
a pilot Supply Chain Improvement initiative with the aim of improving
the effectiveness of one host-company and up to six SME suppliers within
the supply chain. Companies will also benefit from a series of half-day,
'Best Practice' workshops, specifically designed to meet the changing needs
of rail companies. Currently free of charge, the workshops will be delivered
by experienced practitioners and introduce best practice and the
very latest operational thinking.
Further information about the programme can be obtained by calling
the manufacturing helpdesk on 0845 245 0845.
MAS - WM Rail Programme Launch
Presentations PDF's
- Agenda
- David Wright Welcome
- Alstom
- Tec IRIS
- Rail Business Improvement
- Tufnol Case Study
- Trail
- Network Rail
- CCS Case Study
- ACME Whistles
As part of our Rail Improvement Programme we are currently looking to invite tenders for a Supply Chain Improvement Project, for more information contact Ron Adams
on 07823 538 996. To view the Invitation to Tender and guidance notes.
Rail Alliance Launch
New ‘Rail Alliance’ targets the ‘billion pound’ opportunity for the West Midlands
A new rail ‘super group’ has been announced today with the promise of helping the region make the most of a billion pound pool of opportunities over the next decade.
The West Midlands Rail Alliance, which is being funded by Advantage West Midlands and hosted by the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands, is aiming to become a hub of activity for a sector that employs 35,000 people and has a turnover in excess of £1.6 billion .
Its initial aim will be to enlist members from all parts of the industry to add their expertise and commitment, with the longer term ambition to raise the region’s profile, create ambassadors, lobby central Government and make business support programmes easily accessible by companies in the West Midlands.
“This is a great opportunity for the rail sector and one that I hope companies in the West Midlands will get firmly behind,” explained Colin Flack, recently recruited Executive Director of the West Midlands ‘Rail Alliance’
“When people talk about ‘rail’ they immediately think of the East Midlands, but the reality is that we have perhaps the widest cross section of expertise of any of the regions in the UK, including manufacturers, component suppliers, design agencies and even operators.”
He continued: “The challenge for us is to bring all of these businesses together so that we can tackle joint issues, influence key decisions and make the most of the global opportunities that are undoubtedly out there.
“We are currently looking at creating a steering group, which will guide our development and then it will be a case of recruiting members. Ideally, we’d like to get about 150 companies involved in the first year and then who knows after that.”
Backed by over £300k of funding from AWM, The West Midlands Rail Alliance will signpost rail companies to appropriate support and guidance, encouraging its members to achieve world class manufacturing status, strive for innovation and boost skills through participation in regional and national initiatives.
It has already signalled its intentions with the development of a new website, which will provide links to other support organisations, on-line advice and tools and a weekly bulletin on the latest news and industry opportunities.
Colin, who also has his own logistics business , picked up the story:
“Developing the current and future skills base is going to be vitally important for the industry and we are looking at ways of putting on breakfast-based networking opportunities and also a number of educational and development events.”
He added: “This will involve keeping companies aware of new legislation and training opportunities, with a real focus on making sure the sector attracts the next generation of engineers and professionals. For example, we may need to look at mentoring programmes with schools, attendance at career events or just simply making sure we portray a positive image of the sector.”
Colin, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, brings a wealth of experience to the position having been in charge of all operational railways for the military for more than five years, a position that involved co-ordination of activities of 25 countries across five continents.
He is also a board member of the Rail Freight Group and has advised senior officials and Ministers on a wide range of topics, including transport, security and counter terrorism issues.
David Wright, Chief Executive of MAS-WM, added his support for the new group:
“We are delighted to see a specialist organisation set up to represent and boost the region’s expanding rail sector so that it can reach its full potential and create strong job opportunities going forward.”
Colin, who lists keeping the Kosovo railways running during the w inter of 200 as one of his greatest achievements, concluded: “For the first time ever, the rail industry will have a single voice and organisation it can go to for companies looking to access the MAS-WM Rail Improvement project, the LSC’s Train to Gain initiative and Birmingham University Technology Transfer in Rail programme. This has got to be good news.”
If you are a rail manufacturer or you would like to investigate opportunities in the Rail industry becoming involved in the Rail Alliance could help in providing industry networking opportunities to make useful contacts.
For more information on the Rail Business Improvement Programme or the Rail Alliance contact 0845 245 0845 or visit the Rail Alliance web site