IoRW Welding Lines interviews Babcock Rail's John H Oates, Professional Head of Civil Engineering and Permanent Way and Babcock Rail's representative on the IoRW Management Committee

   
   
   

Welding Lines:

Babcock is a massive world-wide company. How does the rail business fit in alongside the Defence Services, Marine, Networks, Infrastructure Services, Airports and Nuclear businesses?

John Oates:

John Oates

The Babcock International Group PLC employs over 17,000 people across nine operating divisions in the UK, Africa and the USA. It is a leading support services company and ranks us amongst the top 200 quoted companies in the UK. Our customer base is largely composed of government departments and organisations whose activities are heavily regulated by government, including Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy, National Grid, Network Rail, Scottish Executive, BNFL, British Energy, UKAEA and BAA. Our people are organised into customer focused divisions which build, manage, operate and maintain an extensive range of assets for our customers. In most cases these assets - both fixed and mobile - are vital to our customers' ability to deliver critical services. The rail business represents approximately one eighth of the group's turnover. The rail business complements the other operating divisions and remains an important part of the group.

Welding Lines:

Can you tell us about Babcock Rail?

John Oates:

Babcock Rail is the new name for First Engineering, who formed in February 1996, following a successful Management buy out of the Scottish Infrastructure Maintenance Company, created after rail privatisation in April 1994. First Engineering grew and developed the business and in July 2008, rebranded to become Babcock Rail. Babcock Rail is a leading UK rail business with a reputation for delivering high quality, safe rail engineering solutions for its customers. Its approach is based on openness and honesty, adding value to its customers by using specialist engineering skills to guide and advise them. Babcock Rail manages the complete range of engineering services from feasibility, through design, installation, and construction to testing, commissioning and on-going maintenance. Babcock Rail's services are supported by excellence in project management, commercial and planning expertise in the following areas:

  • Track
  • Signalling
  • Telecommunications and control systems
  • Power systems, including overhead line electrification
  • Mechanical and electrical engineering
  • Property management
  • Consultancy services
  • Civil and structural engineering
  • Track Safety Training
  • Plant Training
  • Rail Welding (AT, MMA, FB)
  • Rail Welding Training

The business continually challenges itself to design new and innovative ways of improving performance and delivery, investing in the latest plant, equipment and technology as well as sourcing the most experienced and skilled employees to supply the best possible service. Its 2,000 employees operate from regional offices in London, York, Birmingham, Swindon, Manchester and Hamilton, supported by depots throughout the UK.

Welding Lines:

Can you describe your role within the group?

John Oates:

My role within Babcock Rail is to direct the company on the technical and technical procedural aspects of civil engineering and permanent way to provide assurance that all parts of the company comply with the relevant legislation, Railway Group Standards, Network Rail Standards, Company Procedures and that catastrophic risk is controlled, in matters of civil engineering and permanent way. It is to provide technical support to the company's departments, carry out technical audits, lead in cross-industry forums and represent the company at professional institutions. The role is also an important one to lead in the development and training of staff knowledge and competencies.

Welding Lines:

Can you tell us about some of the changes the industry has gone through and what your views are on the current and constant changes in the rail sector?

John Oates:

I joined British Rail in 1981 as a Graduate Trainee and have seen many changes. The pre-privatised railway was run by each of the functional departments and controlled in a pyramid style management organisation. There were far more people than we have now, everyone worked five days plus a weekend, the railway had vast resources of people for every activity; bridge design, P-Way design, M&EE, Plant, Electrification, an army of typists, tracers, storemen, plan room attendants, workshop staff, joiners, painters, bricklayers, etc. Every region and area had its own version of the organisation, each had the autonomous capability to maintain and renew the railway, budget permitting. When we privatised, the whole organisation was slimmed down; some people left for private companies, some went to the new infrastructure companies and many staff took the 'Golden Handshake' thus allowing years of valuable railway experience to leave the industry. Now we have a situation where many skills are bought in as and when required with a strict control over arrangements. It has been very noticeable how standards have become more important over the years and how compliance with procedures, legislation, safety, risk and audits have become an everyday part of all our work. Standards have become more and more prescriptive today than ever, taking the thinking part out of many activities in an attempt to gain results. Track welding has improved over the years in terms of process, training, control of work and competence. There has been a huge decline recently in the amount of electric welding however, which is something I see as detrimental to maintenance efforts. The constant changes in the rail sector are to be expected and result from the drive for more and more for less and less and for a better end product. I see this as a challenge which has to be taken and then solutions found for. People need to be innovative to meet some of the new challenges we face today.

Welding Lines:

What do you regard as your personal key achievements over the last few years?

John Oates:

I have been in my current job for the last three years. I regard the improvement in the technical understanding of standards within the company as an achievement. We had lost a great deal when the maintenance work went back to Network Rail, including some of our welding experts. We now have a strong welding group, which I lead, which meets regularly to deal with all welding issues. There have been so many changes to the process suppliers manuals and to our organisations that this very important work could have become disorganised and efforts fragmented. Strong management of the welding staff is key to delivering a reliable and consistent end product. Competence in technical skills has been a huge issue over the last three years and I am constantly involved with this issue to improve our management and our staff understanding of competence.

Welding Lines:

You have served as a member of the IoRW Management Committee since 2005. What do you see as the future for the organisation?

John Oates:

Going forward, I see the IoRW Technical Seminars as a fantastic opportunity to expose rail welding and developments to the wider rail industry, both at home and abroad.

There is also a role which I think the IoRW should play in the auditing of companies who provide welding services to the rail industry. Main contractors do get audited by BSI, Link-Up and Network Rail but sub-contractors have to be audited by the main contractors because their internal Procedures say we will. This can lead to a sub-contractor having several audits where one would suffice. The IoRW could co-ordinate an auditing programme, using its own members to spread the workload for both the auditors and the auditees. A structured audit paper should also be formulated from within the IoRW to help achieve this.