Manco Rail wired for success

And since inception, the company has partnered with one of the most reputable manufacturers of hi-rail machinery, Manco.

Rail Express speaks to WIRED general superintendent Matthew Eglinton and general manager Jason Priest about the work the company does and why it partnered with Manco from the start.

“WIRED is a provider of inspection, construction and maintenance services to the overhead wiring (OHW) railway industry in Australia,” Eglinton said.

“As leaders in our industry, we pride ourselves on our expert knowledge, experience and quality outcomes.

“By providing a complete overhead wiring solution, we have specialised in the field of traction power, allowing us to excel at what we do through innovation and expertise.

“The unique know-how and experience
in our team enables us to adequately assess and determine maintenance and construction requirements, develop a comprehensive plan of action and implement this plan, while ensuring that compliance with industry standards and the safety of those working on the traction infrastructure is maintained.”

Priest said the company had the experience and know-how through delivering these services in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria across the major network owners and private sidings operators.

He said WIRED’s unique capabilities include:

• Design: Maintaining a highly specialised and experienced in-house overhead wiring design team.
• Engineering: Providing experienced engineering and supervision support to deliver project works
• Project management: Coordinating the planning, construction, handover and commissioning of overhead wiring works
• Construction: Employing a skilled team of qualified, experienced and motivated overhead wiring professionals to enable successful construction of any size project
• Maintenance: Delivering required maintenance activities for clients to a guaranteed industry quality standard
• Plant and equipment supply: Owning and supplying quality hi-rail specialty plant
  to ensure only fit for purpose, network compliant and state-of-the-art equipment is used.

The company has been involved with and continues to be a part of a range of high-profile rail projects, including Sydney Metro Central, Queensland Rail, Gold Coast light rail, Cross River Rail, the Caulfield to Dandenong line, Sydney light rail and Victoria’s Mernda line.

QUALITY THROUGH INNOVATION

Part of the success of WIRED is based in its investment into state-of-the-art hi-rail plant and innovative equipment to increase overall productivity.

“We continuously explore new technologies available in the overhead wiring industry and adapt them to achieve cost and time savings,” Eglinton said.

And this is where Manco Rail comes in.

The current Manco fleet used by WIRED includes an extensive range of purchased
and hired hi rail and auxiliary units, from rail booms and elevated work platforms to various types of trucks specially built to purpose.

“Both Matt and I had more than 13 years of experience in the rail industry when we founded WIRED,” Priest said.

“Having dealt with many equipment suppliers, we knew we wanted to work with someone who aligned with our values regarding customer service and our commitment to quality.

“Shortly after we started, we met with the management team of Manco in New Zealand and they were very accommodating in showing us their operations: their production processes, the support systems in place and innovations in progress. Knowing the high quality of their products, we felt it would be a great partnership.

“And we weren’t disappointed: from the very beginning, every machine we have received from Manco has been absolutely top-notch, we couldn’t be happier with their products.”

Eglinton said that one of our biggest attractions for Manco is that the business is an original equipment manufacturer, which means it has its own engineering and innovation processes in place and manufactures its own products, in contrast to third-party distributors.

“They know their products, they take pride in their products and it translates into their excellent customer service,” Eglinton said.

“They provide us with 24-hour on-call support, on-site support, operator training, mechanical training, and they manage and complete all the periodic servicing and maintenance of all of our machinery, whether we’ve purchased it or hired it.”

Priest said both WIRED and Manco ran along the same principles of being customer-focused and ensuring quality outcomes.

“This is yet another reason why WIRED’s values so strongly align with Manco,” he said.

“Any questions or issues we have with our machines are directly addressed by the managers themselves, Bryan or Ryan.

“Having direct communication lines with the people in charge at Manco that are problem- solvers means we save time and money.”

Eglinton said while “anyone can buy a machine from a supplier”, keeping these machines operating and compliant to Australian New Zealand standards was costly and time-consuming.

“Manco provides ongoing in-house maintenance and supports WIRED with all maintenance, servicing, compliance and certification, making it a no-brainer for us,” he said.

Manco’s ability to engineer and custom-fit its equipment has also been beneficial for WIRED.

“In the fast-paced rail industry, we make a conscious effort to continuously upgrade our machines as technology improves. Manco has shown that they are at the forefront of technology with innovations in their engineering and manufacturing, leading to a prolonged life of our machinery fleet”, Eglinton said.

Priest said that as a preferred partner for overhead wiring works in Australia, having strong and positive relationships with stakeholders is important in leading to successful project outcomes.

“Our focus at WIRED has always been on building long-term, positive relationships with our valued clients,” he said.

“We are proud that over time, these have strengthened and developed through mutual trust, expertise and our proven success“We are proactive, solutions-focused and committed to delivering outstanding results on time and on budget, and we can only do that with the best plant and equipment at our disposal.”