Siemens Expands Leeds Drives Team as New Rail Contracts Bring Success
Siemens Process Industries and Drives is expanding rail servicing contract work at its facility in Leeds, as part of long-term development plans for its rail transportation support network.
A total of five specialised rail personnel have been taken on at Leeds in the last few months, with another rail specialist due to join in January. The Leeds site, which assembles and services gear units, is now working closely with Siemens Mobility, servicing train components such as gearboxes, motors and couplings for many of the UK’s biggest names in rail transport rolling stock. Some of the service contracts won recently have 30-year lifespans, so the development will not be short-term.
Craig Beech has been project managing the Leeds rail expansion: “The early work has gone better than anticipated and we’ve also delivered 100 per cent of our contract commitments to our rail motor business customers so far. Productivity is also up with the efficiency improvements we’ve made in the factory and we have almost halved the time it originally took to rebuild a rail motor to specification.”
The new team comprises team leader Richard Birkbeck, who joined Siemens as an apprentice in 2008, deputy team leader technician Roger Parkinson and electrical testing engineer Stephen Corbett. Also new to the team are assembly technicians Patrick Clegg and Gaz Townend, plus industrial cleaner Mateus Francisco.
The increase in productivity and project turnaround at the Siemens Leeds site has in turn instilled confidence from a growing number of rail customers. Matthew Rumbold is category manager at Siemens Mobility, which is now working more closely with Siemens Leeds. He commented: “We are nearing completion of the first Mobility traction motor overhaul programme going through Leeds. I am delighted to say, the arrangement has been a huge success! Siemens have a strong, enthusiastic team at Leeds, who not only meet but exceed our high performance and delivery requirements. The most exciting part for me is that we are just getting started! Mobility will see the size of its UK fleet double over the next few years and so I look forward to continued collaboration with Siemens Process Industries and Drives, as we expand the volume and range of services they provide. A fantastic experience to see first-hand: two divisions of Siemens creating closer ties and strengthening together.”
See more about the range of Siemens solutions for industry at www.siemens.co.uk/rail
ENDS
PHOTO-CAPTION: Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn inspecting the expanded rolling stock service work recently at Siemens' Stourton site
Contact for journalists
Paul Addison
Tel: +44 (0)7808 823011; email: paul.addison@siemens.com
For further information, please see: www.siemens.co.uk/press
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemensuknews
Press pictures/further material is available from Bridget Summers, tel: +44 (0)1723 447424, email: bridget@footprintpr.org.uk
About Siemens
Siemens is a global technology powerhouse that stands for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalisation. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a leading provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions and automation and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading supplier of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2013, which ended on September 30, 2013, revenue from continuing operations totalled €75.9 billion and income from continuing operations €4.2 billion. Siemens has around 362,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.co.uk.
