Maintenance equipment specialist Mechan, is proud to be sponsoring this year’s Depot Staff of the Year award.
Sheffield-based manufacturer Mechan is renowned for the quality, safety and reliability of its lifting products and works tirelessly to improve depot working conditions and speed up the railcar maintenance process.
Says Richard Carr, Mechan’s managing director, ‘We are very pleased to be associated with the RailStaff Awards, as we work so closely with the engineers and maintenance crews who keep our rail industry on the right tracks.
‘We understand that depots are under increasing pressure to service longer trains in ever shortening timeframes. We are making rapid technological advancements to enhance the capacity of our equipment so depot staff can meet quick turnaround times without compromising safety standards.’
Technological development remains the key to Mechan’s success and ensures its wide range of equipment can be adapted to the needs of any rail vehicle.
Says Tom O’Connor of the Rail Media Group, ‘We are very pleased to welcome Mechan to the RailStaff Awards 2012. Depot staff work at the very heart of the industry and this is an important and popular award.’
Revolutionised
Mechan’s innovative Microlink controller has revolutionised the way multiple carriages are lifted, making servicing easier and quicker. The patented system allows a network of jacks to be raised simultaneously by just one operator from anywhere in the chain.
Recent updates to the Microlink system have enabled the firm to install the largest set of jacks in the UK at the Alstom Transport Traincare Centre in Longsight near Manchester. By combining bespoke software with off-the-shelf hardware, Mechan has increased the system’s capacity to 44 jacks and has added a colour touch screen panel to provide constant feedback on the lift. It also stores data on usage and faults to indicate when maintenance is required and what action needs to be taken.
Global expansion
With more than 40 years experience in the heavy lifting and rail industries, the firm’s impressive range of handling equipment now enjoys success at home and overseas.
In this highly specialised field, export business is becoming increasingly important and is forecast to account for 25% of turnover in 2012, compared to just 2% in 2005. Mechan has continued its global expansion, opening up new markets in Taiwan, New Zealand and Belgium this year.
Mechan is a familiar face at the bi-annual InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin. As part of the delegation led by Railway Industry Association and UK Trade and Investment, the firm will be showcasing its new Microlink system, alongside its wide range of depot maintenance products, at Innotrans: Hall 2.2, Stand 215m from September 18-21.
For more information telephone (0114) 257 0563 or visit www.mechan.co.uk
