RIA has launched an initiative on supply chain management, known as the Value Improvement Programme. The aim is to drive waste out of the supply chain by both promoting cultural change within and between companies and, in the case of manufacturers, by making substantial process improvements on the shop floor. This initiative is potentially of great importance to the whole supply industry, and indeed to the railway itself.

We are currently running a significant programme of workshops with Network Rail and we expect more to follow.

A Question and Answer brief describing the scheme is now available, along with a Code of Practice agreed for the purposes of VIP workshops with other key players in the industry. Also downloadable is a presentation given to the Fleet Reliability Conference in May 2006, and a presentation reporting on a workshop held in conjunction with the Prt Talbot resignalling project, made at the Network Rail Suppliers event in July 2006

For further information on the VIP initiative, or for details of how to become more involved, contact Peter Loosley at RIA. Our partners in the VIP initiative are Sigma Management Development Ltd and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Industry Forum.

VIP: Your Questions Answered

Download Code of Practice (pdf 25KB)

Download Presentation to Fleet Reliability Conference, May 2006 (pdf 114 KB)