Alstom has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to building a strong, collaborative and sustainable rail supply chain during its Supplier Day and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards event in Derby.
The day also enabled Alstom to share its broader outlook on market dynamics, as well as set out expectations for closer and more strategic collaboration with its suppliers.
During the event; Alstom highlighted a number of key milestones showcasing the scale and impact of its UK supply chain, including the spending of upwards of 270 million GBP over the last year amongst almost 2,300 British businesses; allocating 33% of its total yearly spend with UK-based SMEs; spending almost 90% of its output with British suppliers; retaining around 80% of its suppliers in the UK; and supporting nearly 11,000 jobs across the country.
Meanwhile; during the last 12 months, roughly 100 million GBP has been exported by UK suppliers to separate Alstom entities in 37 countries including Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Mexico and the USA.
To celebrate, Alstom welcomed more than 120 British and Irish suppliers and customers to participate in its Supplier Day event at Pride Park Stadium in Derby alongside government representatives and industry bodies.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK at Alstom welcomed delegates and gave an overview of the company’s portfolio and global position as the world’s only pure rail leader, and was followed by Peter Broadley, Commercial Director UK and Ireland at Alstom, who offered an outline of potential supplier opportunities with the organisation over the next 12 months across its 37 sites in the UK and Ireland.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK at Alstom, said:We are proud that the vast majority of our spend for our UK operations is with British businesses, supporting thousands of jobs and driving economic value across the regions. As we look ahead, our focus is on deepening these relationships – working more strategically with our suppliers to improve competitiveness, reduce time to market and deliver greater certainty through models such as long-term agreements.
Ultimately, delivering the next generation of sustainable mobility in the UK and beyond depends on a strong, innovative and aligned supply chain. By working together, we can unlock shared growth, create lasting social value, and ensure the rail sector continues to play a vital role in supporting communities and economic development across the country.
Those in attendance were able to experience panels led by Elaine Clark OBE, Chief Executive Officer at the Rail Forum, and Noel Travers, Chairman at the Railway Industry Association respectively, with topics including the challenges and opportunities of working in the rail sector and insights of social value, and what they expect from Alstom – and its supply chain – as a customer.
The day concluded with a full ‘meet the buyer’ session, which offered business networking opportunities within a structured environment and connected Alstom’s supply chain with the company’s procurement decision-makers.
The event also saw the return of the company’s annual UK and Ireland Supplier Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards ceremony, which saw nine awards handed out to recognise both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as large companies delivering products and services to Alstom while also improving health and wellbeing, kickstarting economic growth, helping fight climate change and driving equal opportunity.
Winners included Turbo Power Systems, Quest Electrical, Telent, Dellner Glass Solutions, Rullion, Olympus Global, OCS Group, Kadel Engineering, and HUBER+SUHNER
