18.07.19
Supply chain gets offer it cannot refuse from West Midlands Trains
Jane Fisher, Transition and projects Director of West Midlands Trains, appealed for third party suppliers to “Approach us and we’ll try and make it happen” at the packed networking event at The Vox Conference Centre.
She praised the event and said she had used her platform as a keynote speaker to reinforce a collaborative message that West Midlands Trains had money to spend and were particularly willing to back good ideas.
After her speech, which earned an enthusiastic round of applause from conference visitors, she said: “TransCityRail has been a really good event which has brought together both those who are bringing investment to the West Midlands, but also the supply chain that will have to deliver the projects.
“There is an enormous investment programme going on across the Midlands both by West Midlands Trains, the West Midlands Combined Authority, West Midlands Rail Executive and HS2.
“Right across the region we are bringing exciting projects which are also bringing investment to the area.
“We want to get over the fact that we are open for business. We want companies to come and help us deliver these projects, and we are investing a lot of money into the region - but we can’t do it on our own.
“We need the supply chain to help us all the way through from the manufacture of the trains to the construction of the depots. It has the technology and kit that we are going to need both during construction and after construction.”
Full support for innovation
The key Midlands executive stressed her full support for innovation and new thinking and vowed to support companies which stepped forward with new ideas and products.
She added: “My message to the supply chain would be that we are not doing this alone. West Midlands train are owned by Abellio, East and Mitsui. We have a good span not just across the UK with the Abellio operations, but furthermore across the Netherlands and across Japan as well.
“What could start off as quite a small investment in trains could easily grow internationally for us and enhance the portfolio.
“I think we are the start of a really exciting portfolio of projects and huge investment, and although we have started to deliver so that passengers will the benefits soon, over the next seven years we’ve got money to spend and rail projects and benefits to bring.
“If the supply chain has got something new and innovative and want to try it, then all they have to do is to approach us and we’ll try and make it happen.”