Sella Controls hosts Navendu Mishra MP as they showcase their support for UK’s global trade throughout the pandemic 

11 June 2021

  • Stockport MP Navendu Mishra toured the constituency-based SME which exports products across the world – including to markets in Europe and Australia – for the railway industry.
  • Navendu Mishra MP met with site members, including graduates and apprentices, whose work has been critical over the past year, and gained an insight into how they continue to support UK plc in exporting across the world during Coronavirus.
  • The June visit was the latest in the Railway Industry Association’s Rail Fellowship Programme, as RIA continues to match MPs to rail sites, shedding a light on the valuable role the railway industry plays.
     


Figure 1: From left to right - Chris Elliot (Business Development Director (Rail), Sella Controls), Chris Parr (Managing Director (Process Safety), Sella Controls), Navendu Mishra MP, Cllr Charlie Stewart

On Friday 11 June, Sella Controls, an independent engineering company specialising in the design and supply of integrated safety, control and automation systems, welcomed local MP, Navendu Mishra. Sella Controls took the opportunity to display their Stockport site, highlighting the UK expertise and products they trade overseas, and introduced him to local apprentices, graduates and the wider team working onsite.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Sella Controls have continued to trade globally and were recently awarded a contract from Stadler Valencia for the supply of Tracklink® III systems. These will be used to control the transition between electric and diesel modes of the Stadler dual locomotives in Spain.

Upon arrival, Navendu Mishra was introduced to apprentices, graduates and other critical team members at Sella Controls, before being led on a socially distanced guided tour of the site. The tour was followed by a discussion surrounding the development of the UK rail sector, including the industry’s growth and investment, as well as supply chain challenges.

The visit was the fourth to be conducted this year as part of the Railway Industry Association’s (RIA) Rail Fellowship Programme, which encourages parliamentarians and policy influencers to gain hands-on experience of the rail industry. The Programme has been a success, attracting a number of high-profile MPs, with more visits planned over the coming months.

Navendu Mishra MP said: “It was a pleasure to visit Sella Controls’ head office in Stockport to see first-hand the important work they do as engineers to design and deliver systems to improve rail safety around the UK.
“As a rail enthusiast, I know how vital this work is to ensure my constituents and others can travel safely across the UK on a clean, green form of transport.”

Chris Elliot, Business Development Director (Rail) at Sella Controls said: “Hosting the visit of Navendu Mishra and Councillor Charlie Stewart provided a fantastic opportunity to introduce Sella Controls and our base for safety engineering excellence in Stockport. Sella Controls’ business has grown substantially in the last ten years, investing in technologies that are made in Stockport and are now exported globally. It’s great to be able to demonstrate how SME businesses are introducing innovation to the world.

“Sella Controls’ growth has enabled it to expand its operations in Stockport, as well as establishing new offices in Ashby and Coalville in the midlands, creating opportunities for a career in rail and process safety engineering through graduate and apprentice schemes.”

Max Sugarman, Public Affairs & PR Director at the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “It is great that Navendu Mishra has taken part in our RIA Rail Fellowship Programme visiting Sella Controls’ site in Stockport. Sella Controls is a great example of an SME that is selling UK rail expertise around the globe, supporting the economy at such a critical juncture.

“We are delighted to have now held the fourth in-person Rail Fellowship Programme visit since physical site tours have been permitted, inviting MPs to locations up and down the country, and from all the main political parties, from Labour MP Navendu Mishra in Stockport, to Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney in Richmond, and Conservative MP Mark Fletcher in Bolsover just last week. We look forward to growing our RIA Rail Fellowship Class of 2021 and hosting them at a Parliamentary event in due course!”
 
Notes to Editors

 

  1. Safety remains RIA’s top priority and all visits will continue to follow strict Covid-safe guidelines. Social distancing will be enforced, and visitors must wear appropriate PPE.

  2. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. RIA has 300+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £36 billion in economic growth and £11 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 600,000 people—more than the workforce of Birmingham. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). RIA works to promote the importance of the rail system to UK plc, to help export UK expertise around the globe and to share best practice and innovation across the industry. www.riagb.org.uk

  3. About Sella Controls: Established in 1974 as Sella Controls, the company was appointed agent for HIMA Paul Hildebrandt for safety system products in 1983; and became Hima-Sella Ltd in 1994. In 2001, Hima-Sella Ltd received the first ever CASS certificate - awarded for functional safety management in accordance with IEC 61508. In June 2017 the company changed its name back to Sella Controls. The change of name reflects the successful and continued development of the business across an increasing number of industry sectors, whilst maintaining its long-standing relationship with HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH of Bruehl, Germany.

    Today, Sella Controls is recognised as a market leader in ‘engineered solutions’ for safety, control, automation and telecommunication applications in the oil & gas, petrochemical, rail, steel and power industries. Current services include completely integrated systems, panel building, sub-assemblies, product development and on-site support.

    The company is an active member of RISQS – the standard database from which companies in the rail sector select their contractors and suppliers; First Point Assessment Limited (FPAL, the industry database from which those operating in the oil and gas industries select their contractors and suppliers); and the Joint Qualification Scheme (JQS, the prerequisite for suppliers to the oil industry in Norway and Denmark, as used by the top 20 oil companies in those countries). Sella Controls is also a member of several associations and industry-based councils, including the Railway Industries Association, Rail Alliance, Energy Industries Council, the Institute of Measurement & Control, and the Nuclear Industry Association, keeping the company up to date with the changes in legislation and standards.

    Recent multi-million pound contracts won by Sella Controls in the rail sector are the design and supply of full integrated telecommunications system for the Central Line, Traction Power SCADA Renewals works across AC/DC Electrification and Tunnel Ventilation SCADA for the Piccadilly Line.  (In the oil & gas sector the upgrade of critical safety equipment in Norway, at the world’s third largest liquid petroleum gas (LPG) processing plant, as well as offshore system in the North Sea and Indian Ocean. 

    The company is based in Stockport, Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville in Leicestershire. In total, Sella Controls employs more than 100 full-time personnel and has a turnover in excess of £12million. The company’s quality management system has been approved to BS EN ISO 9001 since 1989.