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IT provider chosen for Hitachi Rail's £82m Durham facility

Advantex Network Solutions Ltd has won a contract to provide IT solutions at Hitachi Rail’s new £82m facility, based in County Durham.

The Gateshead-based IT firm is supplying infrastructure to deliver IT services and wireless internet connectivity at the rail vehicle manufacturing site, opened by Prime Minister David Cameron in September.

Featuring audio-visual, Wi-Fi and network switching technology, Advantex’s solutions’ package will meet the needs of staff and visitors to a site that will see the first IEP trains go into passenger service in 2017 on the Great Western Main Line.

A key feature will be the installation of wireless technology that will enable production staff and engineers to complete inspection and audits using portable hand held devices during the production of train cars.

Hitachi Rail Europe’s IT manager at Newton Aycliffe Malcolm Brown said: “Advantex secured the work based on its expertise in developing complex IT solutions for large scale manufacturing environments comparable with ours.

“Advantex impressed with their expertise and ability to deliver on time and to budget in complex engineering environments. The Advantex team has worked hard to win our trust with a solution that will reflect the scale and ambition of a state-of-the-art, multi-million pound train manufacturing facility.

“The test of the overall solution proposed will be the delivery of a high quality WiFi signal in every area inside the facility and external extremes, surpassing our initial requirements. The ultimate test will be the signal strength inside the train carriages around the facility.”

Stephen O’Connell added: “This is another prestigious win for us, strengthening further our position as one of the foremost suppliers of wireless network infrastructures. We are going from strength-to-strength, demonstrating that we can deliver high quality projects to the biggest names in manufacturing, to the highest standards of quality and service.”

Advantex has also supplied IT to North East manufacturers Nissan Motor Manufacturing Ltd in Washington, Caterpillar Articulated Trucks and GE Oil and Gas. The details of the contract with Hitachi Rail are undisclosed.

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