CWE announces new senior management team and unveils new brand as part of its future growth strategy

CWE – the independent supply, maintenance and logistics partner for the rail industry – has announced the appointment of a new senior management team and unveiled a new-look brand and website as part of the next phase of its growth plans.

The senior team – managing director, Nick Andrew; commercial manager, David Bates; business development director, Phil Brown and Oliver Baker as chairman – bring with them a wealth of experience in the rail and engineering sectors, and a commitment to providing a lean, efficient and future-ready service to UK rail.

With over 30 years’ engineering experience working across sectors including rail, aerospace, nuclear, automotive, oil & gas and defence, Nick joined CWE as operations director in 2019 and was appointed managing director in March 2021.

CWE’s new business development director, Phil Brown, has more than 30 years’ experience in the UK rail and automotive industries, while David joined in 2004 as a coupler fitter, holding numerous roles before becoming commercial manager in 2020. Oliver Baker, who was appointed chairman in 2014, brings over 14 years’ experience working as CEO or chairman in manufacturing and technology businesses backed by private-equity.

The new brand is part of an overall strategy of growth for CWE, which works with leading organisations in the rail sector such as Altstom, TFL and Network Rail.  Its services include machining and fabrication, providing complete lifecycle management of rolling stock from technical design and reverse engineering of key parts, through to non-destructive testing and obsolescence management. 

Nick Andrew, Managing Director at CWE, comments:

“CWE is a business with a huge amount of heritage in the rail sector, which we are extremely proud of.  That said, we’re also always looking to the future, which is why we wanted a new brand identity to better reflect our pioneering approach.

“We understand that, for our customers – particularly at the moment – keeping the fleet operational is of the utmost importance.  That is why we have invested in the latest technologies for component repair, refurbishment and replacement of rolling stock to ensure that the stringent quality and safety standards are maintained and downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.

“I am also thrilled to be part of a management team that all share the same vision – that CWE is a business full of fast-thinking problem solvers that deliver flexible, intelligent fleet-management solutions for even the most complex projects.”  

CWE is EN 15085, ISO 3834-2 and BS EN ISO 9001:2015 certified, RISAS certified and RISQS approved, working towards BS EN ISO 14001, BE EN 18001.