Manco Rail are investing in their customers’ performance with a new training facility.
In the industrial heartland of Western Sydney, the team from Manco Rail have been spending the last few months transforming a former storage yard into a new concept for the hi-rail supplier.
The team have created a purpose-built hi-rail training and inspection facility to allow rail contractors and operators to quickly and flexibly get their staff up to scratch on the operation of hi-rail vehicles while providing inspection and maintenance services.
The roughly 4,000 sqm site includes 100 metres of track for the demonstration of hi-rail vehicles and the simulation of their operation. An on-tracking or level crossing area is also simulated to enable vehicles to get on and off the rails.
Alongside the rail, Manco has constructed a contained viewing and workshop area, as well as storage, parking areas, and sheltered workspaces. Washdowns and servicing can also be done on site.
All in all, the site is a “one-stop shop”, according to office manager Jaclyn Vanderent.
“We can do all the servicing and washing of the vehicles. Customers’ fleets can come in for servicing every three or six months carried out by our on-site technicians.”
At the site itself, Manco’s team of engineers and maintenance staff can review any Manco vehicle for local testing and servicing. This ensures that vehicles are maintained to the highest specification in a convenient and accessible manner.
“Because they’re our products, we know them inside and out, right from our manufacturing through to the processes for training. We know exactly what’s going on,” said Vanderent.
In addition to servicing capabilities, what makes the site particularly distinct is the ability for training in a contained setting. The track has been specifically designed to simulate a rail environment, so that operators and technicians can get hands on with the machinery before beginning work on a project or maintenance task.
“The benefits of having the track here is that we can do track testing so that the customer can maximise their time in possession of the rail corridor,” said Vanderent.
At one end of the track is a purpose-built and self-contained viewing area. From here, trainees can watch the operation of a hi-rail vehicle from a safe distance and in a controlled environment.
“Customers can have the whole track for the learning experience,” said Vanderent. “They can do it here without any interruptions and of course they’ve got our technicians by their side so any questions that they have can be answered directly.”
Manco staff are on hand to assist with the training and operation of the vehicles. Training can be delivered on a wide range of road-rail vehicles and track machinery.
The training facility is an extension of Manco’s customer-driven philosophy when it comes to the manufacture and supply of hi-rail vehicles and specialist equipment for rail construction and maintenance.
With space at a premium in the urban rail environment, hi-rail vehicles can be brought to the Manco facility for standard or hot steam cleaning washes, subsequent servicing, re-certification, and storage, to be ready to go on the next project.
The Western Sydney site also expands Manco’s local footprint in Australia. The company has recently invested in a transporter to enable it to quickly deliver hi-rail vehicles to site, or to collect and return vehicles.
As Vanderent describes, the company has delivered a “whole business solution”.
“Rather than going there for this, and there for that, the customer can just get Manco to sort it out, whether that be servicing, training, or even utilising our cleaning vehicle”
More than just a supplier of equipment and machinery, Manco is a partner for rail construction and maintenance.
