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Ensuring continued supply of rail vehicle windscreens

1st May 2024 | 1 min read

The Challenge

Unipart faced a critical challenge when a supplier stopped manufacturing rail vehicle windscreens.

This caused all previously Unipart-supplied windscreens to become obsolete, posing a serious risk to rail operators.

A major project was therefore initiated by Unipart’s engineering team to identify a suitable alternative manufacturer. The team was to carry out all the necessary technical investigations, ensuring that any material being proposed would be safe and suitable for use in service.

The Solution

Unipart collaborated with international vehicle glazing manufacturers to identify a suitable partner, ensuring the chosen supplier met all applicable rail-industry standards. All work was assessed and approved by a third-party rail vehicle engineering consultancy.

Due to a lack of the original manufacturer’s technical information, each windscreen type was fully reverse-engineered from suitable samples, with new drawings and technical specifications created. Working with relevant customers, each windscreen variant underwent a detailed trial fit process, followed by a formal “First Article Inspection” record, detailing the work to assess the sample’s correct functioning. Any design, specification, or supplier change was also assessed via Unipart’s Engineering Change process.

Over 2,800

individual investigations completed

The Impact

Unipart successfully found a supplier that matched our quality and technical requirements.

Following numerous material tests, trial fits, and third-party assessments, we continued to supply all our customers with the various windscreen designs needed to keep their vehicles in service.

Since implementing our formal Obsolescence Management process, Unipart’s Engineering Department has completed over 2800 individual investigations.

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