Acquisition of LH Group

Wabtec Rail Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of Keelex 351 Limited, which includes LH Group Holdings Limited, LH Group Services Limited, LH Group Wheelsets Limited, J & D Gears Limited, Coleman UK Group Limited, Coleman Hydraulics Limited, LH Plant (Burton) Limited, LH Access Technology Limited, Envirotech Research Limited, TP (Powder Coating) Limited, Coleman Manufacturing Limited, Hunslet Engine Company Limited and Parts Supply Limited.

The LH Group companies will now become part of Wabtec Rail Group which includes Wabtec Rail Limited, Wabtec Rail Scotland and Brush Traction.

Based at Barton under Needwood in Staffordshire LH Group is a leading supplier of Diesel Multiple Unit passenger rail products and services. The company undertakes the overhaul of rail vehicles, engines and transmission systems. The group offers a gear cutting and machining facility which provides component manufacture, all types of gears, spiral bevels, casting, machining and reverse engineering, as well as a general fabrication facility offering a broad range of engineering capabilities.

Hunslet Engine Company is renowned throughout the world as a designer and manufacturer of quality industrial shunting, tunnelling and specialised locomotives. New locomotive manufacture forms only part of the services provided by Hunslet. Many operators find the cost of new equipment is prohibitive, and that it is more cost effective to refurbish existing vehicles and equipment.

The acquisition of LH Group is complimentary to Wabtec Rail Group’s activities as one of the UK’s leading rail vehicle engineering companies. Through the Wabtec Rail Limited works at Doncaster, the Brush Traction facilities at Loughborough and Wabtec Rail Scotland’s works at Kilmarnock in Scotland the Group undertakes the refurbishment and maintenance of railway rolling stock, locomotives, passenger trains and freight wagons. In addition the Group also undertakes the overhaul of components such as wheels, bogies, braking systems, air conditioning modules, door systems, traction motors and electrical systems. These services are further supported through the range of electrical components available through Mors Smitt, following its recent acquisition by Wabtec Corporation. As such the combined resources of both Wabtec Rail Group and LH Group will result in an ability to provide an all-encompassing range of services to the UK rail industry.

We will advise further on any changes to the LH Group organisation that will be introduced as part of its integration into the Wabtec Rail Group of companies. Until advised otherwise your points of contact within each company will remain unchanged.

Yours sincerely
C J Weatherall Managing Director

LH Group Leads The Way Once Again With Industry Supplier Accreditation

Following the creation of a new raft overhaul facility at its Barton under Needwood site, LH Group’s target for this year was to achieve the high quality standards it has set in other areas of its business. Once again, LH Group has become an industry leader in being the first company to be RISAS accredited for the overhaul of power rafts. It was achieved through all employees involved in the overhaul of rafts working to the high standards required by the RISAS Assessment Body from the early months of 2012. An assessment was undertaken in May with LH Group being awarded the qualification in June.

International Recognition For Group After-Sales and Service

LH Group has won international acclaim for its after sales and service to one of the world’s leading rolling stock operators.

The company gained the accolade at the prestigious “Our Stars for Rail Systems” 2012 ceremony in Berlin, staged by Siemens.

LH Group was awarded global supplier recognition for after sales and service. LH Group and the winners in the other five categories were selected from over 4,000 suppliers globally. The recognition came for its Class 185 refurbishment work. It is the second year that the ceremony has taken place but the first at which UK companies have been involved.

LH Group chairman, Graham Lee Snr, hailed the recognition as ‘simply fantastic’ and added: ‘This again is an illustration of just how hard we work with our customers and is a reflection of the dedication of our workforce and our company ethos.’

Modernising Trojan Locos

Modernising Trojans
Four locomotives were built by Corus, Northern Engineering Services between 2008 and 2011. The first “Trojan” locomotive, No.920, was supplied in October 2009, followed by No.921 in February and No.922 in May 2010. The fourth locomotive No. 923 remained at Scunthorpe under construction.

Inherent problems
From new, it was reported that these locomotives were found to have numerous inherent design issues which made them unsuitable for the original planned duties due to unreliability, poor accessibility, maintainability and poor cab ergonomics.   Following a number of discussions between Tata Steel & Hunslet, No.923 was delivered to Hunslet’s manufacturing works in April 2011 and Hunslet were tasked by Tata Steel Port Talbot to carry out a fault evaluation of the locomotive and propose recommendations for improvement.

Cab and controls
A new, ergonomically designed cab/driving arrangement was installed with a fore-and-aft driving position that improves the drivers visibility, comfort and accessibility. New heating and insulation was installed, and the whole cab refinished to a higher standard.

The electrical control system was completely replaced with a Hunslet-proven IQAN-based electronic system to provide a locomotive that is safe, reliable and easy to operate. The IQAN controls all functions allowing programming to suit site conditions

Finishing touches
The whole locomotive was then repainted in Tata Steel livery, giving it a much smarter appearance.

On completion, the locomotive was static tested in Hunslet’s works at Barton under Needwood, prior to undergoing dynamic testing at Chasewater Railway. It then began commissioning and field trials on 16 April 2012 at its designated site of Port Talbot.
Hunslet are now hard at work on two more Trojan locomotives, No’s 921 and 922, which should be completed in June and July 2012. The fourth locomotive is expected to arrive at Barton under Needwood in July and should be ready for service by September.  All four of Tata Steel’s smart new Trojan locos will then be fit to do what was originally intended, be the backbone of the locomotive fleet at Tata Steel Port Talbot.

Appointment of Group Chief Operating Officer

LH Group is pleased to confirm that Dave Waller will be joining the Company during March 2012, in the new role of Group Chief Operating Officer. The position will strengthen the existing management team and assist in driving the business forward across all sectors.
Dave has 8 years of experience as an Independent Consultant working with ROSCO’s, rolling stock refurbishment / maintenance companies and other key suppliers. This experience covers project management as well as Reliability and performance improvement activities. Prior to moving to the rail industry Dave has managed manufacturing businesses within the automotive sector.
LH Group and Dave have already worked closely together on high level projects over the last two years and as such, Dave will be a great asset to the board.
Dave’s two key responsibilities’ will be business development and project implementation across all Group companies. The later responsibility will ensure that new products and services are fully integrated into the LH Group ensuring customer requirements are fully achieved.

LH Group Gains RISAS

It is with great pleasure we can announce LH Group has been awarded the prestigious RISAS (Railway Industry Supplier Approval Scheme) certification for the overhaul and supply of wheelsets, bogies, engines and transmissions to the rail industry.

As part of our continuing endeavour to achieve quality excellence and supplier perfection representatives from numerous departments within the Group undertook the huge task of ensuring all of our working procedures would meet with RISAS exacting standards.

RIQC a RISAB (Rail Industry Supplier Approval Scheme Accreditation Body) visited LH Group Wheelsets and LH Group Services to assess the companies ability to reach the high standards required to achieve supplier approval. Over a two week period subject matter experts from RIQC assessed processes and documentation connected with the overhaul of wheelsets and bogies then moving onto engines and transmissions.

RISAS qualification was achieved in early July 2010 which brings with it the responsibility of being the first in the industry to be RISAS accredited for engines and transmissions.

We are extremely proud that LH Group has yet again led the way in an ever developing industry, this award further demonstrates our strong commitment to delivering only the very highest quality products and services to its customers.

For further information, please contact: Sarah Millington – Marketing Manager
LH Group Services Ltd.
Phone: 01283 722600
Email: Sarah Millington

Update on Hunslet DH60C Locomotive

After the initial launch of the next generation of Hunslet locomotives designated the DH60C series, the prototype locomotive is now under going extensive field trials at the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal, courtesy of Malcolm Rail, as pictured above.The locomotive is in regular use six days a week, 12 hours per day, hauling and shunting up sixty container trains, each weighing up to 1,500 tonnes.This initial period has shown that the locomotive is fulfilling all the design expectations and is carrying out its designated work load, easily and competently, with significant fuel savings compared to existing locomotive types. For further information about the DH60C locomotive please contact Derek Webb as below.

DH60C series locomotives A multi-purpose diesel-hydraulic locomotive developed for heavy shunting and short trip operations. It offers a cost effective, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly solution for managing your rolling stock. Hunslet Engine Company’s new DH60C series of locomotives’ features include:

• Fuel efficient clean burn diesel engine technology
  
• Fully integrated PLC system incorporating fault diagnosis capabilities
  
• Hydrodynamic transmission with turbo reversing
  
• Ergonomic cab layout with improved driver visibility
  
• Easy, low cost maintenance
  
• Maximum tractive effort of 194 kN
  
• Capable of hauling up to 2,000 tonnes
  
• Available for sale or hire