Occasionally things go wrong and not all the correct materials are ordered – and a single missing item can stop an entire possession.
This was exactly the case with Siemen’s Weaver to Wavertree project in the run-up to Christmas 2018 when it was found that a design error meant that an extra 3 state Banner Repeat Signal was required with just a three day window to supply.
Usually, such an item requires and 6-8 week build process. But, after all the Unipart Rail and Unipart Dorman routes of finding an existing unit in the supply chain were unsuccessful, Unipart Dorman took the step of a highly accelerated manufacturing process.
It was fortunate that the appropriate circuitry had already been built and heat-tested (normally a 48 hour process) and by developing a new process to ensure full QA testing was complete, the module could be supplied before the business shut down for the holidays. In addition, many of the team extended their working hours to ensure that all critical processes we correctly completed.
Manufacturing signals on a short lead-time is a relatively common occurrence at Unipart Dorman – due to the criticality of signalling commissionings. It is of crucial importance that we always find a solution to supply on time.
Stephen Crossley, (Materials Interface Engineer) at Siemens said “Unipart Dorman understood the severity of our predicament and the critical timescales. The Dorman Team manufactured the signal within days, effectively enabling the commissioning’s works to continue unaffected.”
As highlighted by Steve, there would have been significant costs for Siemens if they had failed to deliver the project commissioning as planned – not only would there be significant financial penalties, there would also be reputational damage that would negatively impact their position for future projects.
Our relationship with Siemens is underpinned by our close collaborative relationship. The article in Friday’s Rail Business Daily will show how collaboration means both parties can be better than if they worked alone.
Pictured is the Unipart Rail team receiving their Mark In Action award for outstanding customer service.
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