This year sees D&D Rail Limited celebrating its 40th anniversary and the company’s longevity has been partly due to its ability to evolve its offering to suit the needs of a changing marketplace.
The company was originally set up in 1979 as D&D Brickwork by current Managing Director, David Farrow MBE. After initially working exclusively as a brickwork subcontractor, during the early years the nature of the business changed and in 1994 it became D&D Construction (UK) Ltd. It subsequently became D&D Rail Limited to reflect its move from a single trade capability into a multi-trade construction company that works on rail infrastructure projects across the network.
Today D&D Rail offers a multi-discipline capability predominantly for civil and premises packages on refurbishment and new build projects across the London Underground network for TfL. Its expertise includes demolition, excavation, concreting, brickwork/ blockwork, joinery & carpentry, core drilling, steelwork, finishes to walls/ ceilings/ floors, as well as specialist staircase finishes and FIRAS accredited works including fire rated steel & timber doorsets, boards, penetration sealing systems, fire rated partitioning/ ceilings and fire rated glazing. It carries out work in stations, depots and in platform areas within both public and non-public areas.
While the business has gradually expanded its offering into other areas, one constant within the company has been the emphasis it places on delivering high quality standards, which is reflected in the various accreditations it has achieved. These include:
• RISQS (5 Star Rated);
• ISO 9001 : 2015;
• FORS Silver;
• FIRAS;
• ICATS;
• Safecontractor & CHAS;
• SIKA approved contractor;
• Kemwell approved contractor.
D&D Rail’s team is dedicated to the successes of the company and are extremely proud of its work and achievements, which is apparent in its enthusiasm and determination to deliver the very best project for the client. The commitment and dedication of all the team within the business means it stands out from the competition and ensures the personal touch in everything it does. It strives to exceed client expectations resulting in providing good value for money, which leads to the same clients regularly coming back for its services.
In addition to ensuring that it operates to extremely high standards, D&D Rail also recognises the importance of maintaining its key supply chain relationships with its regular plant hire firms, construction material suppliers and specialist subcontractors to help it achieve its aims. Being able to negotiate preferential rates with members of its supply chain helps the company to drive costs down for its clients. Building and maintaining relationships with local firms and suppliers where possible is also deemed to be very important, such as using the expertise of Lead Generation Websites to develop and maintain its website.
The company’s railway expertise offers a full package to clients, from initial meetings at design stage through to ongoing project management and on-site management of all trades to ensure successful project delivery. Its management team of approximately 15 staff, based at its head office facility in Essex, ensures professional support for its site teams, as well as providing the assurance that clients’ projects will be planned and executed on time and on budget. This office-based operation is supported by a team of dedicated tradesmen on sites across the TfL network.
Looking at the wider market, D&D Rail has noticed a difference in the approach to spending within London Underground between previous Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and his successor Sadiq Kahn, with fewer tube upgrade projects now being implemented. Despite this, the company remains committed to increasing its turnover and securing frameworks to replace those that are currently coming to an end. Its long-term goal is to expand its team with a dedicated FIRAS department to manage contracts outside of the TfL environment, as it is confident that the outstanding service it provides in this area is easily transferable to other institutions such as hospitals and airports.
With such a well developed infrastructure and highly skilled team in place, D&D Rail is well placed to build further on its already impressive history.