OREANDA-NEWS. Alstom has gathered 85 companies in Liverpool to discuss opportunities in the supply chain linked to investment in UK rail. Opportunities in the North West region include work on HS2 and the Merseyrail suburban network.

Of those 85 companies, 33 suppliers are new to Alstom and 11 are new to the entire rail industry, showing how Alstom is reaching out to spread the benefit of investment in rail across different companies in the region.

Alstom, the manufacturer of the Pendolino high-speed train, built one in five of the UK’s railway cars and is based across the North West at sites in Chester, Manchester and Preston.

“Businesses in the North West already account for 16 per cent of Alstom's 1,200 UK suppliers. We want these numbers to grow even further and our supplier event in Liverpool set out how we are planning to do that and why we need to. With Alstom targeting a number of significant contracts in the next five years, we want to work closely with our North West suppliers to ensure they are ready to help us win those orders,” said Terence Watson, Managing Director, Alstom UK & Ireland.

Suppliers attending the event included companies like Faiveley, based in Birkenhead, and Lucchini from Trafford Park as well as those from further afield like Penso, based in Coventry.

About Alstom

As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom develops and markets systems, equipment and services for the railway sector. Alstom manages the widest range of solutions in the market – from high-speed trains to metros and tramways – and associated maintenance, modernisation, infrastructure and signalling solutions. Alstom is a world leader in integrated railway systems. It recorded sales of €6.2 billion and booked €10 billion of orders in the 2014/15 fiscal year. Headquartered in France, Alstom is present in over 60 countries and employs 32,000 people today.