For want of a nail the horse was lost, etc . . . we all know the story. A critical component or material in short supply upends an entire enterprise.
Materials shortages or late delivery remain frustratingly common causes of project delays across the construction sector. This becomes an acute risk for emergency rail responses where lost days or even hours can be critical while everyone’s waiting for a section of track to be restored to full operation.
Emergency responses are, by nature, unpredictable. Who knows where they will occur and what range of materials and methods will be needed to urgently restore a failed embankment or landslip?
Technical expertise and project management capabilities are clearly vital attributes for dealing with rail emergencies efficiently, and maybe the first requirements you’d think about. But we’d argue that stock planning, logistics and supply chain management matter just as much. Something as simple as late delivery of track ballast, for example, will delay reopening the line. How do you prevent that from happening?
Ready to Go
Through experience, we know the types of materials that are likely to be needed to deal with emergency call-outs such as embankment failures and landslips. We ensure we have detailed inventories of available stocks and a rapid procurement plan that identifies how we will quickly secure additional quantities if needed.
Self-delivery capabilities include our own transport fleet and a hotline to sister companies Suttle Quarries and Suttle Piling. We don’t have to negotiate with third parties who may have competing priorities for materials, plant and transport.
The emergency response to the Colhayne embankment failure featured rail ballast sourced from our contingency reserves, supplemented by additional supplies shipped to the site over the weekend using our own transport fleet. The gabion stone and Type 1 material came from Suttle Stone Quarries in a carefully controlled schedule.
The net result of detailed contingency planning and secure supply chains is that material supplies never dictate the speed of response, and that project delivery is simpler.
Head over to our information and insights section below to find out more.
