Close Refurbishment Project Cooperation Ensures Speedy Service Re-Entry
Craig and Derricott were contracted to refurbish a number of the MRA type draw switch un-couplers utilised on South West trains. The original unit was a Parker Hannifin supplied electro pneumatic system that had been in reliable service for over 10 years. Established in 1944, Craig and Derricott is a British manufacturer with a reputation for engineering expertise. With this particular refurbishment Craig and Derricott had the in depth electrical expertise that was needed. But as the original supplier of the pneumatics they turned to Parker Hannifin for joint project collaboration.
Parker Hannifin has been working with Craig and Derricott for over 20 years within the rail industry and together have completed numerous successful projects. The scope of work for this particular refurbishment was to bring the un-couplers back to a new condition, Along with the fact that Parker were the original pneumatics supplier, it was important to Craig and Derricott that they worked with a partner that offered market technically compliant products, strip down, investigation and reporting and subassembly capabilities.
The units had been in service for over ten years and the overall aim of this refurbishment project was to ensure that the operating life is extended by another ten years, thus reducing ‘new’ vehicle purchase costs. It was also critically important that schedules and timetables were maintained, therefore the refurbishment and re fitting had to be done in a timely manner to ensure revenue-earning service.
Following on from the removal of all units from the vehicles the items were given a thorough inspection. Its imperative at this stage that every component part of the system was looked at and where damaged or degraded was replaced as a matter of course. All working parts including pneumatic components are automatically replaced. Following on from this all units were fully tested and resupplied for re mounting to the vehicles. As the original unit supplier Parker was able to use all of its project knowledge gained first time around thus in turn ensuring rapid completion.
The rail experience at Parker extends over many decades. The supply of systems and solutions for this industry is based on sound specification and market specific knowledge. It’s imperative that suppliers are completely aware of challenges such as shock/ vibration, voltage variation tolerance and extreme of temperatures.
“We value the expertise and cooperation we have with Parker Hannifin” stated Jonathon Beaumont , Business Development Manager at Craig and Derricott. “This project was demanding in terms of ensuring that the vehicles re entered service quickly and Parker, as the original equipment suppliers, used of all of its engineering knowledge to efficiently and professionally deliver refurbished devices”.
