Five-year crane maintenance contract signed

UK-based crane maintenance and repair service provider, Street CraneXpress, has signed a new five-year maintenance contract to service and repair overhead cranes and handling equipment at Hitachi’s rail vehicle manufacturing facility near Darlington, in the north east of England.

Hitachi Rail has invested more than £80m in its new plant at Newton Aycliffe, creating hundreds of new skilled engineering and operations jobs. The plant is building the next generation of intercity express trains, a project led by the UK's Department for Transport.

Hitachi Rail maintenance and facilities manager, Chris Evans, said: “After reviewing our options for lifting facilities, we agreed that the best choice was to outsource to Street CraneXpress. Its expertise in delivering preventative maintenance services, combined with in-depth knowledge of the crane hardware, created a compelling business case. It also fits with our ethos to encourage British engineering, not only in employing local talent, but also in how we build our business partnerships.”

The deal with Hitachi Rail Europe follows similar contracts being signed with JCB and Toyota.  Street CraneXpress Sales Manager, Duncan Randall said: “We’re very proud to have been awarded this contract. The new facility in Newton Aycliffe is simply outstanding, and it’s been a genuine pleasure to see it develop over the past year. This agreement will give Hitachi Rail the dual benefit of lower repair bills and significantly reduced production downtime. We look forward to a productive and co-operative relationship and to contribute to their success.”

Street CraneXpress supplies a range of precision lifting equipment, installation services, planned maintenance contracts, spare parts and training to businesses across the UK. It is part of the SCX Group, a specialist engineering company with particular expertise in lifting solutions and moving structures.