A local second generation company, Sabre Rail, who have been established on Aycliffe Business Park for over 30 years are expanding their premises to accommodate the work load and help fulfil the order books with some of their bigger clients, such as Network Rail.
The initial groundwork on the site was complete last week and the steel structure is now being put into place. The single storey building will cover a 20m x 20m area and will be used for existing machinery to give the existing plant area more space.
Sabre Rail has been maintaining the UK’s train braking and suspension systems for over 30 years from its Headquarters in Newton Aycliffe. After growing into its new facilities in Australia over the past 5 years it is now set to continue its UK growth, and it has commenced construction of a new factory behind its existing site on Heighington Lane Business Park.
Sabre Rail has continually invested in design improvements and developing a customer service model that keeps rail vehicles in traffic. It’s clients demand braking products that work, and continue to work for as long as they are fitted to the train.
Sabre Rail Engineering Manager, Rob Oxley stated: “To supply into such a safety critical industry requires significant investment in engineers and product development. We have to ensure our products are perfectly engineered to survive and perform in the harshest of environments – being struck by all sorts at 125mph for 500,000 miles is as harsh as it gets”
To ensure Sabre Rail can continue to deliver the products the rail industry needs, it is investing £250,000 in a new 4000 sq ft facility which is currently under construction.
Neil Hodgson, Sabre Rail Production Manager said: “We have to deliver on time or trains don’t run. We pride ourselves on customer service and ensuring trains are running, but we also need space to develop service capabilities for new products on new trains.  This new facility will allow us to introduce new production lines, so we can broaden our portfolio of products and support even more of the UK’s rolling stock.”
“It is just this kind of investment that has ensured Sabre Rail was recently awarded a new contract, by Network Rail, for braking products it hasn’t previously supported. With the recent and ongoing introduction of new trains to the UK Network the new factory will give us considerable scope to expand our business”.
Sabre Rail hopes the new facility will be commissioned and opened in June 2019 and expects to create around 10 new jobs. Sabre Rail currently employs around 90 people at its Aycliffe factory and 25 in Sydney, Australia.