CAF Celebrates double success at Made in Wales Awards 2022

Rolling stock manufacturer CAF is celebrating a double success at this year’s prestigious Made in Wales awards after winning both the ‘Manufacturer of the Year (over £25m)’ and the ‘Automotive, Aerospace and Rail’ Awards.

The event, held in Cardiff on 6^th October, recognised the very best of the country’s manufacturing sector and CAF was delighted to be recognised against some very strong competition from leading manufacturers from the automotive and aerospace sectors.

Winning also means CAF goes forward to the national Made in UK Awards which will be held in Liverpool in June 2023.

CAF’s rolling stock manufacturing facility, located at Celtic Business Park in Newport, was formally opened by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, now King Charles III, in February 2020. It is now a key employer in the region with approximately 300 people, many of them recruited locally, working at the site. This year it is completing an order of 26 trains for West Midlands Trains, the first of which is due to enter service imminently, and is part way through the construction of 180 vehicles, to make up 77 trains for Transport for Wales Rail. Once the first of these enter service later in 2022 passengers will be carried in trains ‘Made in Wales for the people of Wales’. Next the Newport facility will make a major step forward as work starts on the first order of light rail vehicles for an overseas client; CAF looks forward to this being the start of an exciting period for its business in Wales.

For CAF the evening was extra special as it saw the company retaining the ‘Automotive, Aerospace and Rail’ Award which it had received in 2021; CAF head of production Kane Jellyman commented: “It’s remarkable how many milestones have been achieved since we opened the factory and accomplishing this significant accolade against some of the finest businesses in Wales is a CAF UK highlight. It’s an accomplishment for every individual within the business and we are honoured to represent Wales at the UK finals next year”.

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