2 May 2024
Petards Joyce-Loebl, which is formed of divisions Petards Rail and Petards Defence, has achieved the prestigious EcoVadis Platinum rating.
Petards Joyce-Loebl’s Platinum rating, which is EcoVadis’ highest recognition awarded for sustainability performance, places the company among the top 1% of companies evaluated by EcoVadis in the past twelve months.
EcoVadis is a global provider of business sustainability ratings, assessing companies’ environment, social, and ethical performance across 21 key criteria grouped into four themes: Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.
Petards Rail designs and delivers train technology to help companies within the rail industry maximise passenger safety, optimise train performance and meet ever increasing passenger and industry demands. Its technology includes forward facing and rear facing cameras, track debris cameras, an on-train camera/monitor system, Automatic Selective Door Operation, interior cameras and pantograph surveillance cameras. In addition, the company offers supporting services and a back-office software, eyeTrain Connect.
In the latter half of 2023, the company launched its PTeye solution which, incorporating the latest in AI-ready technology, was developed to prevent trap and drag incidents before train dispatch and, as a secondary safety measure, to detect drag.
Geoff Collins, operations & HSE manager at Petards Rail, said: “We started our journey with EcoVadis in 2021 and, for 2023, a business objective of ours - to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement – was to achieve a Gold rating. Therefore, to move from a Silver to a Platinum rating is an amazing achievement.
“This remarkable accomplishment underscores our commitment to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and ethical business practices.
“Our entire team contributed to achieving this award through their day-to-day actions, behaviours, and attitudes which we were able to evidence and demonstrate through policies, procedures, action plans and most importantly results.”
Victoria Hodge, general manager of Petards Rail, said: “At Petards Rail, one of our core business values is integrity - we act fairly, ethically, responsibly, and sustainably in all that we do.
“I am thrilled that we have received the Platinum rating from EcoVadis and would like to thank our team for their contribution to this, and Geoff for spearheading the process.
“The EcoVadis rating joins a host of exciting developments at Petards Rail. We have recently expanded our team; won the Asset Management Excellence Award, together with CrossTech, at the SPOTLIGHT Rail Awards; and launched the PTeye, our new lifesaving technology.”
With decades of experience in the rail industry, Petards Rail has worked with organisations throughout the sector, from rolling stock companies to train operators and builders. From its base in Gateshead, UK the company operates globally and has over 60,000 LRUs (line-replaceable units) in service and more than 30,000 cameras in service.