Network Rail’s new storage facility will save £1.6 million in costs
Posted: 16 August 2018 | Global Railway Review | No comments yet
The strategic new High Output warehouse will save Network Rail millions and improve the efficiency of the warehouse workers.
Left to right: Phil Bevan, Strategic Spares Co-ordinator, Amanda Pike, Material Support Manager, Simon McColgan, Business Support Manager, Rob Morton, Supply Chain Operations Director
Network Rail’s High Output strategic rail fleet spares are moving to a central storage facility to improve asset reliability and operational logistics.
It has been estimated that this move will save approximately £1.6 million through improved efficiency.
The spare parts for the High Output ballast cleaning and track renewal system trains, and the factories, are in the process of moving to the newly opened warehouse at Network Rail’s High Output Operations Base near Sandiacre, Nottingham.
High Output strategic spares were previously stored on the High Output fleet of specialist track maintenance machines and travelled with them around Britain.
Moving the spares to a central facility makes it easier for teams to locate the parts required at the right time. Better storage conditions will also prevent spares being scrapped or overhauled for use.
Simon McColgan, High Output Plant Business Support Manager in Network Rail’s Route Services function, said: “Each ballast cleaning system held its own set of strategic spares, so they were on sites across the country, sometimes for up to 10 years. This made it difficult to track down spares when they were needed and meant many of the spares deteriorated over time and needed an overhaul. Many were no longer in a fit condition to be used on the plant.
“Looking after our assets by housing them in this specially built facility reduces costs and means we can find what we need much more quickly.”
Rob Morton, Director of Supply Chain Operations at Network Rail, said: “Our supply chain operations are transforming to become more reliable, predictable and higher performing. We’re breaking away from a ‘make do and mend’ ethos to push the boundaries of the industry, being more innovative and cost-effective in our service delivery to offer greater customer choice and deliver perfect performance on time, every time.”
