William Cook Q&A with Rail Professional

The three-page editorial, written in a Q&A format, outlined Mr Cook’s role within the company and detailed how William Cook Rail has evolved over the past 20 years to become a key supplier to the world’s railways.

 

“Over the years we have developed significant in-house design engineering expertise,” Mr Cook said. “These days we have some degree of design input in everything we make. This ranges from design for manufacture – optimising the customer’s design to suit our production processes – to clean-sheet design of new components and systems in response to specific challenges.”

 

Over the last few years William Cook Rail has invested massively in its manufacturing and overhaul facilities, installing millions of pounds worth of new CNC machining centres, high-efficiency heat treatment facilities, a dedicated bogie overhaul workshop and most recently a brand new paint facility.

 

“These investments have made us independent of any subcontractors and allows us to offer our customers a ‘one-stop shop’ with very quick turnaround times,” Mr Cook said.

 

The piece also explored some of the wider issues facing the rail industry, as well as potential solutions.

 

“By far the biggest challenge to the UK rail sector is the lack of a real domestic rolling stock builder…. This is hollowing out the UK rail supply chain and rendering us wholly reliant on overseas technology,” said Mr Cook.

 

He added: “The most obvious solution is mandatory minimum UK content obligations for rolling stock procured with public money. Government procurement decisions sometimes seem to ignore the fact that a pound spent at home is worth more in tax receipts and economic added-value than a pound spent abroad.”

 

You can read the full Rail Professional Q&A on pages 18-20 via the link below.

https://issuu.com/railpro/docs/julyrailprofessional