Greater Manchester-based safety seal manufacturer Roxtec UK has recruited Phi Jones as market manager for rail infrastructure as the company looks to capitalise on strong growth in the rail sector.

With a background in sales, Mr Jones brings with him a wealth of experience in compliance and technical standards gained in previous roles, including a spell as a fire protection specialist at an international insulation supplier to the building industry.

His role at Roxtec will involve finding new business and then guiding a project through the design stage, right through purchase and installation. The company offers a complete package to its clients, including support in all phases, from design, engineering and installation training through to maintenance and inspection. It has been involved in several UK major projects as investment in rail infrastructure continues to develop.

Mr Jones said: “I was attracted to the job by the ambition of the business and its innovation. Also, the fact the role is not just purely about sales, it is also about providing technical solutions to customers, working closely with them throughout a project and successfully fulfil their needs.”

Roxtec UK managing director Clive Sharp said: “We are delighted to welcome Phil to the team and we are looking forward to him playing a key role as we look for further opportunities in the rail sector, leveraging all our industry experience and knowledge.”

Mr Jones has joined Roxtec as it continues its work on several major rail projects, including several significant orders for Alstom. Roxtec cable, pipe and conduit seals are found widely in facilities and systems within electrification, signalling and communication in both the rail and rolling stock markets, and is an approved supplier to both Network Rail and London Underground.

Roxtec’s key rail infrastructure work includes playing a role in the upgrade of London Underground. The £5 billion Four Lines Modernisation project (4LM), which began in 2016, aims to update the Tube network’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines with hi-tech signalling equipment capable of boosting the frequency of trains and cutting down on delays.

The project has seen 51 new signalling rooms created, as well as equipment to house signalling cabinets along the 161km of track, with Roxtec products sealing cables going into and out of these buildings and cabinets.

4LM will enable the introduction of 192 longer S-stock trains which will run closer together. With 32 trains an hour, it is estimated that this will result in a 33% increase in peak-hour capacity by 2023.

Roxtec also delivered heavy-duty cable seal solutions for Network Rail’s London Bridge Station, and it has been involved in pioneering schemes such as Crossrail’s new Elizabeth Line for London and the South East. The business is supplying cable and pipe seals for use within tunnels, sub-stations, flood defences and signalling infrastructure as part of the UK’s HS2 project.

The global Roxtec Group has also supported several high-profile rail infrastructure projects across Europe. Commissioned in late 2020, the Ceneri Base Tunnel is part of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), created to allow more passenger and freight trains to run through the Alps, with shorter travel times.

The company’s cable transits were chosen to seal the pressure-tight control cabinets in the tunnel’s cross passages and technical niches. Roxtec UK has a turnover of more than £6 million and a team of 20 based at its Waterfold Business Park head office in Bury. It is the British subsidiary of the Swedish-headquartered Roxtec Group.