Alstom recently held a Supplier Day and Corporate Social Responsibility Awards ceremony in Derby, which was attended by over 200 industry stakeholders.
The event reaffirmed Alstom’s commitment to continuing to maintain a strong, collaborative and sustainable supply chain across the UK railway industry. Among the highlights of the day, Alstom shared its outlook on market dynamics, its expectations for a closer and more strategic collaboration with its suppliers, and the scale and impact of its UK supply chain.
Last year, Alstom spent over £720 million among almost 1,300 British businesses, with one-third of these being with UK-based SMEs, and about 90% with British suppliers.
During the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards ceremony, nine awards were handed out to both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies that supply Alstom. They had the common theme of recognising the companies’ drive to improve health and well-being, and economic growth. The award winners were also recognised for their part in fighting climate change and promoting equal opportunities.
Over 100 nominations for awards were received from across Alstom’s UK and Ireland supply chain, and those recognised demonstrated their impact across a wide range of social value priorities. These included forward-thinking apprenticeship programmes, helping to improve colleagues’ health, equalising the gender pay gap, and science-based solutions for fighting climate change.
One winner was Kadel Engineering from Keighley in West Yorkshire, which was awarded the Fight Climate Change (SME) accolade for reducing carbon across its operations, including by replacing all fluorescent lights with LEDs, and installing a more energy-efficient air compressor.
“What a great honour for such a small company like Kadel Engineering to be recognised with an award. It was an extremely proud moment for us, and lovely to feel appreciated. The changes we made to fight climate change may seem small, but if everyone made little changes towards this goal, it would make a big difference to the future of our planet. We are proud to be an Alstom supplier and look forward to continuing our CSR journey with them.”
Paul Rollins, Managing Director, Kadel Engineering
Among new trains being built at Derby by Alstom are new trains for London’s Elizabeth Line and Class 730 trains for London Northwestern Railway.
“We are proud that the vast majority of our spend for our UK operations is with British businesses, supporting thousands of jobs and driving economic value across the regions. As we look ahead, our focus is on deepening these relationships – working more strategically with our suppliers to improve competitiveness, reduce time to market and deliver greater certainty through models such as long-term agreements,”
“Ultimately, delivering the next generation of sustainable mobility in the UK and beyond depends on a strong, innovative and aligned supply chain. By working together, we can unlock shared growth, create lasting social value, and ensure the rail sector continues to play a vital role in supporting communities and economic development across the country.”
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK, Alstom
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