WAREHOUSING and logistics services for seven train maintenance depots across southern England are to be delivered from Siemens Mobility’s new Distribution and Logistics Centre for Rail in Kettering.
It will support the work being done at Siemens’ depots in Northampton, Bedford and elsewhere in the south. The centre is expected to create 20 jobs immediately, including apprenticeships and internships, with potential for future growth.
The 100,000 sq ft Kettering warehouse is a new materials and logistics hub for the south of England, storing materials for train-owning companies and operators for train fleets in the Midlands to the South Coast.
Components will include bogies, wheelsets, traction motors, brake systems down to nuts and bolts. The centre will operate alongside its northern counterpart currently under construction in Goole on Humberside.
The Kettering site was officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony pictured above attended by Kettering Mayor Cllr Emily Fedorowycz. She was joined by Siemens Mobility’s joint UK chief executive Sambit Banerjee, head of components Gregg MacDonald, customer services director Matt Colclough and Lena Voorbach, finance director for rolling stock.
Mr Banerjee said: “Bringing together our distribution and logistics capabilities allows us to focus on delivering the best service for our train maintenance activities and keep availability and reliability for passengers at the forefront of what we do, all while driving down our logistics carbon footprint by 30%.
“Our continued investment is a testament to our long-term commitment to the UK, leveraging the imagination and ambition of our 5,500 UK employees to transform rail travel and transport.”
Siemens Mobility UK train fleets make up almost a quarter of UK passenger trains. The Kettering warehouse has installed intelligent storage and transport planning systems, enabling it to provide same-day and next-day critical train spares and materials to its depots.
Cllr Fedorowycz said: “It was a great pleasure to open the new Siemens Mobility warehouse in Kettering and meet some of the new employees keeping the UK trains moving. It is fantastic that Siemens are bringing new jobs to Kettering, while driving sustainable solutions for train maintenance facilities local to the Midlands.”