(London Heathrow, 2 October 2017) DB Schenker UK is delighted to announce that it has secured a long term contract with Hitachi Rail Europe to manage the central warehousing and spare parts distribution for Hitachi’s Intercity Express Programme (IEP) in the UK. 

DB Schenker is providing warehouse and transport solutions for a wide range of parts, from smaller consumable items, to 8 Tonne bogies and generator units, that are in excess of 5m x 2m in length. DB Schenker will support Hitachi Rail Europe’s Train Maintenance Centres, fulfilling orders to sites at London, Bristol and Doncaster. In addition, two new sites are due to join Hitachi Rail Europe during 2018, the first at Bounds Green in London, the second in Edinburgh. DB Schenker will manage two main warehouses for Hitachi as part of this contract, a southern central warehouse located in London and a northern central warehouse, which is planned for completetion in 2018, and will be located in or around the Doncaster area. 

The contract with Hitachi Rail Europe was signed in the spring 2017 and signals the start of a significant scale partnership between the organisations, which sees both parties invest in facilities and equipment. 

Commenting on this contract, Simon Bruce, Contract Logistics Director, UK and Ireland at DB Schenker said; “This is an incredibly dynamic, challenging and exciting new business award for DB Schenker and we are pleased to have a true partnership with such a prestigious organisation such as Hitachi Rail Europe. 

Jack Commandeur, the COO at Hitachi Rail Europe added: “Our Operational Team are proud of what we have achieved so far in partnership with DB Schenker, establishing a central distribution centre for spare parts. The IEP trains for the Great Western Main Line and East Coast Main Line will transform the experience of many millions of fare paying customers, so it is essential that the storage and distribution of spare parts to our Train Maintenance Centres is well managed.