SME Growth in Rail Award Shortlisted 
Croftstone

Croftstone Management Ltd is a Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy providing end to end support to major infrastructure projects. After a life changing event in 2018, Tony Cave made the decision to start his own business after some 25 years as a quantity surveyor in the rail sector. Tony was respected and well-liked by the companies he had worked with during this time and when he told a couple of trusted colleagues about his vision to start a consultancy that gave people the opportunity to reach their potential more easily, in a business committed to EDI charter, the menopause workplace pledge, and a place where diverse cultural ethics were at the heart of the business. Starting to trade in 2019 with just 3 people the business quickly grew to 20 members by 2020 and 40 by 2021. We continued to grow and now have more than 50 employees. Croftstone have a mission to be part of a world where communities are better connected and where opportunities are accessible, and with support their potential can be easily reached. We are proud to have a workforce where 40% of our people identify as female, and 30% representing minority ethnic backgrounds.

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 Enable

Enable is a family of high-performing teams that deliver complete infrastructure solutions. Through a collective approach, we benefit the infrastructure needs and requirements of a range of communities, clients, and customers.   
 
Enable Infrastructure (formerly BCM Construction) brings dynamic energy, deep expertise, and extensive experience to infrastructure projects, helping clients make a success of the most complex, multi-disciplinary projects. The flagship of Enable Group, our highly competent, well-trained teams boast long years of experience in buildings, civils, and power systems -operating across multiple sectors, including rail, utilities, highways, and renewable energy. 
 
Enable Hire possess the knowledge and inventory when you need the plant and tools to get the job done.  
 
Enable Welfare are the experts in the hire of low and zero-carbon welfare equipment and units.  
 
Enable Design specialises in high-quality, bespoke civil and electrical engineering design, crafting inventive solutions for clients across multiple sectors.  
 
Enable Resourcing offers a recruitment service second to none, bringing together highly competent candidates with top-quality infrastructure employers whilst delivering a social-value impact.   
 
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Gleeds Infrastructure

Gleeds is an international property and construction consultancy with over 130 years’ experience in the property and construction industry. We offer a range of Project Management and Commercial Services across the rail sector, both in the UK and globally. What makes us different? Independent thinking and lasting relationships. We work collaboratively with clients to realise outcomes and benefits, aiming to add value in each of our interactions and create a true skills legacy. We have steadily grown our client base over the past 10 years, now consistently working with over 20 UK rail businesses including HS2, Network Rail and Transport for London. The services we offer range from providing multi-disciplined teams to manage the delivery of high-profile large-scale projects, to providing an individual to give specific specialist support in a seconded capacity.

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One Big Circle

One Big Circle began with a simple vision - to deliver intelligent video solutions which support industries navigating challenging environments and make data informed safety decisions. After attending Rail Live in 2019 however, we saw a clear alignment between our Video and Software expertise and the ongoing safety and data management challenges underlying the rail industry; there was abundant opportunity for an integrated and accessible data system to support TOCs and Infrastructure Owners and reduce the necessity for repeated track walks and the concurrent risks and costs involved. And so began AIVR (Automated Intelligent Video Review). Working in close collaboration with industry-leading partners, One Big Circle has since accelerated to become a trusted, reliable, and robust supplier in just a few years, with a wide clientbase now accessing AIVR on a daily basis. Entering the industry as a small start-up is a daunting task, yet One Big Circle has advanced to become a trusted SME (Small-Medium Enterprise) which has proven ongoing innovation and reliability through the challenges of lockdowns, the post-covid changes, and Industrial Action. We are proud to be at the forefront of rail data delivery and intelligence, in the interest of passengers and workforce safety.

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RailSense Solutions Ltd

RailSense Solutions Ltd. supply leading technologies to operators, asset maintenance and infrastructure owners to provide solutions for the condition monitoring and predictive maintenance needs of track and railway infrastructure. RailSense has developed a flexible ‘Internet of Things’ platform for the rail industry. Their wide range of sensor and monitoring solutions are used throughout Europe and sit at the heart of infrastructure monitoring, continually measuring and reporting on key infrastructure assets such as track, cabinets, cranes and bridges for parameter changes.

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XRail

With a renewed focus on the UK market and developing international business relationships further, engineering solutions provider Xrail Group (Xrail), an SME, has experienced substantial growth both operationally and financially. Over the last 12 months, Xrail has invested significant time, effort and resources to reestablish its brand and presence in the UK marketplace. Securing and delivering work for two new high-profile rail clients, Xrail is in the process of applying for a provisional Network Rail Principal Contractor Licence. Internationally, Xrail opened a Spanish head office in Madrid to facilitate a new signalling installation capability, complementing the services being delivered as part of the existing four-year Corrective and Preventive Maintenance contract for the Spanish Madrid–Levante high-speed network. In Saudi Arabia, Xrail initiated and signed a partnership agreement with Saudi Railway Polytechnic to establish an apprenticeship programme to train the next generation of railway signalling engineers. In recognition of the outstanding achievements in international trade, Xrail were awarded a prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2022.

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Asset Insights 

Founded in 2018, Asset Insights is a high growth SME, creating digital solutions for Rail that are delivered differently. We’re helping our clients to embrace a new digital era to improve safety, performance and efficiency of rail infrastructure through a combination of Industry knowledge, modern technology and relentless customer focus. 

12 months ago we were just about to complete delivery of 2 separate Minimum Viable Product (MVP) projects as part of Network Rail’s Accelerated Innovation Programme and transitioning out of the R&D portfolio to BAU is notoriously tough. Despite this, in the past year we achieved;
 
• 20% organic revenue growth whilst maintaining Operating Profit at 20%+ margin.
• Awarded a multi-million pound contract by Network Rail’s Wales & Western Region to support delivery of its Possession Optimisation Programme over 3 years (+ 2 optional years).
• Building on this success we are forecasting turnover to double in FY23/24 with Rail % of turnover set to increase from 62% to 85%.
• Headcount has grown from 10 to 15 and we’re targeting a further 5 recruits this calendar year.
• Secured ISO27001 Certification.
• Launched our Employee Share Scheme and completed our office refurbishment.

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