HomeAdvertisementDeploy and deliver

Deploy and deliver

Listen to this article

The term ‘infrastructure’ has a wide definition when talking about the railway.

The track itself is actually one of the final components – a finishing touch. Railway systems require electrical infrastructure, signalling, power and all of the associated commercial and civil infrastructure that brings the case for building it in the first place.

Deploy UK Rail, part of the DE Group, is sponsoring this year’s Rail Infrastructure/Possessions Team of the Year Award at the RailStaff Awards in October. The category reflects the wide-ranging definition of infrastructure services within the group, which also covers asbestos and hazardous material disposal, construction recruitment, demolition, health and safety consultancy and subcontracting.

Regional bases

Deploy UK Rail was established in 2013 to serve a burgeoning rail sector. Recruitment agencies are finding they need to offer something to be noticed by clients. Deploy now sees itself as a delivery partner, says Paul. The company is primarily a provider of construction and rail resource but has widened its offering to include planning and delivery of works. Not surprisingly, possession planning also represents a significant portion of Deploy UK Rail’s output.

Starting with just three employees, the company has now grown to a team of 14, with more than 300+ sponsored staff on its books. Although originally focussed around London and South East, in 2016 Deploy Rail now has offices in Plymouth and Manchester – part of a strategy to create regional offices to service large rail schemes with knowledge of the routes they’re working on.

‘The biggest problem we’ve got industry wide is the shipping of staff around the country,’ said Paul Smith, Deploy’s technical sales director. Deploy aims to replicate the model it has successfully created in London – to supply a well-equipped, local workforce to projects within the regions they operate in.

Recruitment agencies operating in the rail industry in 2016 should know better than anyone the importance of keeping their workers happy. ‘The key things that we are coming across is the compliance, H&S, PPE and making sure that the guys are paid properly… Small things but make massive differences.’

As a team

‘What we like about the RailStaff Awards is it’s very much about the actual individual rather than the company they work for,’ said Paul.
The 2015 Rail Infrastructure/Possessions Team of the Year Award was won by PPS Rail. The award nomination had focussed on the company’s impressive contribution on the Anglia route for the Crossrail surface works programme.

‘It’s more of them as a team rather than what their business is about,’ Paul added. ‘It’s about the people involved that deliver to the industry… The awards give a fantastic opportunity to include everyone that delivers for their company rather than just the individual directors.’

Nominations are still open for all 20 categories at the RailStaff Awards 2016. Visit www.railstaffawards.com/ nominate to put someone forward for an award.

Recommended