Ibstock receive ‘Sustainability’ award from Siemens

Prestigious award for development of innovative sustainable solution for railway signal bases

IBSTOCK emerged as one of only two British companies to win a category at this year’s Siemens Mobility Awards staged in Munich, thanks to the development of an innovative sustainable solution for railway signal bases.

The company, which produces and supplies a diverse range of building products, solutions, and expert technical and design services, received the prestigious ‘Sustainability’ supplier award.

Anderton Concrete, the Rail & Infrastructure category specialists, who are part of the Ibstock Group, have developed a signal base range that has achieved an embodied carbon reduction of up to 80%. This means the product will help Siemens meet their own carbon reduction targets.

Neil Cross, national sales manager (Rail & Infrastructure) at Ibstock, accepted the award on behalf of Ibstock on 26 September, whilst Chris McLeish, Ibstock’s chief finance officer, delivered the acceptance speech via video call.

Commenting on the win, Mr Cross said: ‘Siemens are a valued and key strategic customer, and it is of huge significance to be recognized for the innovation and development of the range of signal bases. We manufacture the new range at our precast concrete facility in Thornley, Co. Durham – delivering significant carbon reduction.’

He continued: ‘This innovation in lower embodied carbon forms a key part of Ibstock’s wider sustainability commitment. This includes achieving a 40% reduction in absolute carbon (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030 and for 20% of sales turnover to come from new products and solutions that deliver enhanced customer value and improved sustainability.’

Dimitrios Ntemplas, chief product officer at Siemens Mobility Ltd, congratulated to Anderton Concrete, part of the Ibstock Group, for helping Siemens Mobility towards their own ambitious CO₂-reduction targets. ‘You certainly deserved the award for sustainability through your own unique innovation techniques…and we are looking forward to an even more sustainable future together,’ he said.

The signal bases are constructed off site, ensuring consistency of product, saving on resources and materials, and allowing installation teams to spend less time trackside. Due to the demand for signal bases, Ibstock saw the opportunity to develop a standard range utilizing the low-carbon mix used in the development of G-Tech platform copers.

Providing a greener solution to help the rail industry achieve its own sustainability targets, the key benefits of the Ibstock signal base range include a reduction in lead times, a reduction in embodied carbon levels of up to 80%, and a reduction in material waste and resource costs.