One of RBDCommunity’s Eagle Lab partners has said it is excited to be going to Railtex/Infrarail – after a record year of business bucked the global trend caused by COVID-19.
Jet Aire Services; a commercial, industrial and drainage expert that has bases in Leeds and Middlesbrough; managed its best turnover in 2020 – in no small part due to building strong new links with rail operators and other infrastructure giants.
Rather than cutting back on staffing and overheads because of the pandemic, it invested over £1million in new team members and cutting-edge technology. As its capability expanded, it came to the attention of businesses like PBH Rail, which asked Jet Aire to carry out a connectivity survey at one of their depots in Norfolk.
The work – likened to keyhole surgery by Jet Aire’s Marketing Manager, Ian Willis – had to be done using a non-disruptive “no-dig” philosophy, so trains continued to run on time.
As part of its newly acquired technology, Jet Aire sent a robotic CCTV unit into the network of drains to see what could cause obstructions. If any were detected, this then meant the Jet Aire team could deploy remote-controlled tools to cut or move obstructions.
It was their disruption-free approach that helped Jet Aire turn the tables on what could have been a daunting time for the company. It won them increased work in rail, as well as other major infrastructure projects – including one on the runways of Manchester Airport.
“I can’t emphasise how important it is to operate in a non-disruptive way,” Ian said. “It’s crucial to our partners in rail and in other sectors – and it built really important word of mouth for the business.”
Ian said that – as for many others – 2020 was not without its fair share of testing times. But he added it was also a time when staff were able to see some of the best things about their business come to the fore.
“Looking back, we’re very proud to have played a part as key workers, and invested in new technology and staff,” he said. “It was important to stand by our people and what we do as a business. And it meant the world to us when this investment began to make an almost instant difference to our new business partners in rail.”
Jet Aire joined RBDCommunity’s Eagle Lab to build on their spectacular success. Eagle Lab helps small to medium businesses showcase their products and services at this year’s upcoming Railtex/Infrarail exhibition. The event takes place from September 7-9 at the Birmingham NEC.
“It’s time to look ahead,” Ian said. “For us, this was a golden opportunity to team up with RBDCommunity’s Eagle Lab, combining their expertise with ours to drive our business even further forward.
“With Railtex/Infrarail around the corner, we’re really looking to hit the ground running and to continue to build up new connections in the sector.
“You can use online technology to keep things afloat during the pandemic, but there’s nothing like looking someone in the eye and – rules permitting of course – shaking their hand.
“We can’t wait.”
If you are a small to medium business and want to join Eagle Lab – exhibiting at Railtex/Infrarail and getting RBDCommunity’s support to showcase your products and services at your own stand – click here.
Photo credit: Jet Aire Services
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