Project summary:
Our flagship depot in the UK
Constructed between autumn 2005 and autumn 2007, Ashford employs over 100 staff, principally our permanent employees, providing day to day support across Kent. Of the 332 registered suppliers, 167 are UK-based, of which 28 companies are local to Ashford.
Ashford was established as a centre of excellence with capability for complete service support which applies attention to detail at all levels.
Our expert maintenance team have contributed to the Class 395 high speed services being scored among the best in the UK by passengers.
It is our first flagship depot and incorporates some best practices which we have learnt from our Japanese colleagues which also embrace the strength of the UK industry.
Employing and training multi-skilled engineers and technicians, we continually develop our staff and run an apprenticeship scheme to train the workforce of tomorrow.
We ensure maintenance staff have a comprehensive understanding of our Kaizen principles. Kaizen is the Japanese word for ‘improvement’, and so our maintenance philosophy is to deliver and continually improve the best service to customers.
Construction started in 2005, we had a two year program scheduled in order to see the completion of the Ashford Depot.
The Ashford Depot was handed over to us for its fit-out before the trains arrived. The Class 395 trains had already been dispatched from Japan before the fit-out was finished, so it was a very time constrained build. Using our skilled workforce, however, we completed the project in time for the arrival of the trains.
The depot was built in seven phases and we delivered this project on time despite it being a complex build as the site was an operational railway stabling facility.
Apart from the success in maintenance, the general impression is that the depot is very well maintained. People visiting the Ashford Dept think that it has just been built, not that it has been in service since July 2007.