Scottish Engineering is celebrating having successfully secured Phase 2 of the Rail Cluster Builder project, awarded by Scottish Enterprise and supported by Transport Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.
As such, it is organising a face-to-face event with member company Progress Rail – showcasing its operation and the next steps for the Rail Cluster Builder.
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Phase 2 is a three-year project running until 2025, and Scottish Engineering says it provides the opportunity to build on the momentum of Phase 1, connecting more Scottish businesses with rail sector organisations, strengthening and deepening relationships with key stakeholders across the sector and helping to create innovative, green solutions that will support the net zero targets set out in the Scottish Government’s Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.
Scottish Engineering says giving opportunities to Scottish SMEs to bring new ideas, new thinking and learning from other industries across Scotland into the railway sector will be key to delivering the decarbonisation of Scotland’s rail services by 2035 as well as supporting local employment and economic growth across the country.
A key element of Phase 2 will be ensuring businesses have access to support to address the skills-related challenges faced by businesses in the rail sector. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will also provide support to companies to identify their skills needs, and how to develop their existing workforce in order to build capacity, grasp opportunities and increase competitiveness.
Scottish Engineering chief executive Paul Sheerin said: “We are excited to be given the opportunity to step up our ambition for the Rail Cluster in this new phase, renewing our focus on finding ways to connect Scotland’s Engineering SME’s to opportunity in the rail sector. Our continued involvement allows us to help companies seeking to diversify their business into rail, matching their interest in sustainable business streams which will flow from the clearly defined targets for rail de-carbonisation in Scotland and the UK.”
Shona Clive, project lead, added: “We have strengthened the Scottish Engineering Rail Cluster team to ensure that this new phase of the Rail Cluster is well resourced to deliver at the pace and the quality that we have set our sights on.
“And while we will retain the elements that have delivered a successful cluster to date, we look forward to bringing new ideas and innovation to the way we deliver, including an outward view to the rail opportunities across the UK, Europe and beyond.”
To celebrate the award of Phase 2, Scottish Engineering is holding a launch event with Progress Rail at their site in South Queensferry on Wednesday 17 August. The Progress Rail UK manufacturing site in South Queensferry is one of the most modern steel foundries in the UK with the capacity to produce Austenitic Manganese ‘special’ rail crossings from castings up to five tonnes in weight, for customers in the UK and around the world.
It is expected the event will run from 09:30-13:30hrs with an update on the plans for this new phase of the rail cluster as well as an overview and tour of the Progress Rail operation. Further details will be shared shortly.
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