October 2020
Sheffield-based rail industry specialist, Zonegreen, is marking a major milestone in its 12-year history – the 2,000th order of its depot safety equipment.
The firm has secured a contract with Volker Fitzpatrick to install its flagship Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS*) at Metro operator, Nexus’, facility in Newcastle.
Design has begun on the project which will see DPPS protect a new four-road shed at the Gosforth depot, along with the wheel lathe road and UFC. This latest order follows hot on the heels of Zonegreen’s first project for Nexus, at its new skills centre in South Shields and continues a longstanding relationship with contractors, Volker Fitzpatrick.
Zonegreen is known as the leading expert in rail depot safety, combining the latest technology with engineering expertise to produce automated systems that protect staff by reducing the margin for human error. DPPS is installed in some of the most advanced maintenance facilities worldwide, including Dubai, Australia and Qatar.
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen’s technical director, said: “Reaching 2,000 orders is a significant achievement. It reflects our increasing popularity globally and the excellent professional relationships we have developed with key customers, such as Network Rail, Siemens, Hitachi, Alstom and Bombardier, to name but a few. Thankfully, the safety of personnel is now fundamental to the construction and refurbishment of rail maintenance facilities and our state-of-the-art systems are considered best in class.”
It is just four and a half years since Zonegreen reached 1,000 orders and since then, the popularity of its technology has grown exponentially, thanks to the launch of its New Generation DPPS in 2015. Improvements continue to be made to the high-tech system, to keep abreast of the evolving industry and taking into account customer feedback, a recent example of this is the introduction of radio frequency identification cards to operate the system.
For more information about Zonegreen’s suite of rail depot safety equipment, telephone (0114) 230 0822, visit www.zonegreen.co.uk or follow the firm on Twitter, @zonegreen.