Born out of The HIRD Group, HIRD Rail Development was set up to manufacture and develop a pioneering portfolio of sustainable railway products which now includes Insulated Block Joint Kits (IBJs), end-post repair kits, PRISMA anti-trespass systems for both in-track and platform installation, polymer sleepers and bearers, Cold Bolt Expansion (CBX) system and consumables for clients to apply fatigue management technology themselves.
Our team possess in-depth multi-disciplinary experience, as well as a profound passion for developing the best products on the market.
Wayne is a seasoned railwayman who started his career with British Rail working as part of the switch and crossing pre-fabrication team based at Crofton Depot in 1982. Wayne worked through various roles, from Track Inspector and Infrastructure Team Leader responsible for the Yorkshire & Humberside area, eventually spending 19 years working for DB Schenker as their Track Maintenance Manager. This involved overseeing all renewals and heavy maintenance of their permanent way infrastructure throughout the UK. Wayne Joined the Hird Rail Development team in 2017 as Production Manager, helping to establish the HRD fishplate production factory, and then overseeing the manufacturing process. He works closely with colleagues Jonathan & Mick in maintaining our ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001:2015 accreditation.
Jane joined the Finance Team in 2023 and has 15 years’ experience within accounts as a Purchase Ledger, having previously worked with construction companies such as Skanska UK plc and Linden Homes. Jane’s role as a Purchase Ledger sees her build relationships with both suppliers and customers, and ensuring suppliers are paid in a timely manner.
Jonathan started his Hird Group journey back in 2016, where he worked for Hird Rail Services. In this role, Jonathan was responsible for ensuring that all IBJs (Insulated Block Joints) passed stringent quality checks and the corresponding paperwork was archived. This role is where he was first introduced to stock management. Fast forward to 2018, Jonathan made a switch over to Hird Rail Development. He now maintains the stock of all component parts which are used to manufacture the STB fishplates, along with other product lines that HRD has to offer.
Danny helps to manage our fishplate production line and implements and tracks production plans. He started working at HIRD in January 2019 as a General Production Operative, before working his way up to Team Lead – a position which sees him look after the whole production team at HRD.
Gary has over forty years’ experience working in the rail industry. He has had a varied career through design, manufacture, engineering and installation, before moving into the commercial world at a number of railway-focused companies. As Director of HRD, since its incorporation, Gary has overseen the running of the business and provides technical support when required.
Mick joined Hird Rail Development back in September 2018 for initial production setup and trials of HRD’s fishplate assembly process, which later saw him take up the role of ‘Production Supervisor’. Mick always strives to do the best job possible, whilst getting the best out of the team, and lives by the motto: ‘working as I do and not just doing as I say’, setting the example high from the start. In September 2022, Mick was promoted into an office-based role as Production Administrator for the day-to-day running within the factory.
Mel heads up the finance department, managing a team of four and playing a pivotable role in The Group’s day-to-day financial operations. She also provides support to the directors on business performance, coordinates the preparation of budgets, cost modelling, implements adequate controls and analyses financial accounts. Other projects include overseeing import and export documentation, monitoring and improving The Group’s carbon footprint, and is also the GDPR Lead. Mel joined The Hird Group in 2017 as The Group accounts person, having already gained over 20 years’ experience working in finance roles for both ltds & plcs in the manufacturing industry.
