Safe and sound | Rail Technology Magazine

Arnab Dutt, managing director of Texane Ltd, is a public member of Network Rail - one of the people holding the board to account for its leadership and management under the company's unique governance structure. Safety is one of the key factors he has to take into account.

"Britain's railways are getting busier. While networks continue to grow to keep up with the population and their demands, safety remains as important as ever.

"When we talk about keeping safe on our rails, we're not just talking about the rail workforce, but passengers and pedestrians too. We need to address safety in different ways to suit the needs of everyone who works, uses, lives near or even passes by our railways."

Read the full article on Railway Technology Magazine online here

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How big business bullies its suppliers into lending

Late payment is a major problem for freelancers and small firms and it seems to be getting worse. Big businesses are effectively banking with their suppliers’ money - so will government step in?

Arnab Dutt, owner of manufacturing company Texane, is scathing of government measures to date. "So far, nothing the government has done in terms of legislation has seriously impacted this disgraceful scenario."

Read the full article on Contributoria here.

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Money for something | The Manufacturer

“The reaction of banks to the financial crisis was to cut back on lending and to rebuild their balance sheets,” Arnab Dutt observed, but he is not convinced that things have moved on – at least, not sufficiently. 

“Their lending criteria does not appear to have changed. It isn’t nuanced and they still don’t understand business. Five years on from the crisis in the UK, the system for small businesses hardly seems to have changed at all.” 

He has not seen evidence that the high street banks have the same level of commitment as in “the old days”, the time that he describes as ‘proper banking’. It would appear that the main banks have a challenge on their hands, in convincing people like him that they really do mean business. But he sees positives from the situation.

“It has led to a huge growth in asset finance,” Dutt said. “The thing about it is – with asset finance, they have security: the finance company owns the machine till they have received the last payment. The lenders may not want to commit less than £150,000 but businesses can borrow at rates that are historically rather good. It makes sense and it is a good way of making capital investment.” He went on to say thay he is seeing lots of smaller companies going for asset finance and readily agrees that it is, in effect, hire purchase. But where do companies go for less than £150,000?

Read the full article on The Manufacturer here

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Busting Myths | Future Rail

The strength of feeling amongst the British public about HS2 is palpable but Texane managing director Arnab Dutt believes people are missing key information about the project.

"As a public member of Network Rail, a group of around 40 people who oversee the organisation's secondary governance scrutinising the effectiveness of the board, it's fair to say I'm more up to speed on the rail investment programme than the average traveller.

But if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the HS2 project, you should expect to hear some very ill-informed opinions."

To read the article in full, check out the digital edition here.

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Rail Technology | What people don’t know about HS2

Arnab Dutt, managing director of British manufacturer Texane and a public member of Network Rail, argues against the all-too-common belief that investing in both HS2 and the existing infrastructure are not mutually compatible. 

As a public member of Network Rail, a group of around 40 people who oversee the organisation’s secondary governance scrutinising the effectiveness of the Board, it’s fair to say that I’m more up to speed on the rail investment programme than the average traveller. But if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the HS2 project, you should expect to hear some very ill-informed opinions.

Read the full article on Rail Technology Magazine here

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Should Britain build more runways? | Director

YES. 

Britain is losing business to Germany, France, and Holland – all countries that have planned ahead and invested in airports big enough to accommodate traffic. 

Lack of airport capacity is having a detrimental effect on the UK economy, so we have some urgent catching up to do. For one thing, we do not offer enough flights to emerging economies, which is ridiculous because the need for those flights was foreseen 20 years ago.

Runways are a start, but we need to expand Gatwick, Stansted and Birmingham immediately too. We need a big vision, such as a new airport in the Midlands or further south.

Read the full article on Director Magazine online here

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Still much to play for with HS2

The publication of the hybrid bill for HS2 hasn’t dampened arguments over whether we need it.

The 400-page hybrid bill - with an extra 50,000 page environmental statement - for first part of the HS2 rail plan was published last week. The hybrid bill, effectively the planning application for the scheme, will give the government the powers to construct and operate the railway.

It will also give those affected by the proposed line the opportunity to petition parliament, both for and against the proposals, and have their case heard by a committee of MPs.

Arnab Dutt, managing director of British manufacturer Texane and a public member of Network Rail, believes that the industry should get behind the project.

“It’s fair to say that I’m more up to speed on the investment programme than the average rail traveller, but if you ask anyone on a train today what they think of the rail network in Britain, you should expect to hear some ill-informed nonsense,” he says.

“People know about HS2 but instead of admiration and excitement, the project mainly attracts negativity from sceptics, who can’t believe Britain can do anything on this scale.

“There are important benefits for the economy, and major projects to increase capacity lead to demand for more materials and support services, and create jobs.”

Read the full article on Builder & Engineer here

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Let's Get Excited About Britain's Brighter Rail Future

"Up to now, the anti HS2 campaign has overwhelmed everyone. I think the Government and the UK rail industry haven’t been nearly forceful enough in making what is actually a very compelling case for HS2."

"The simple fact is if we don’t invest in HS2, our network grinds to a halt in 2050. There will simply not be enough capacity for the huge growth in passengers and rail freight.

"We are trying to operate a Victorian railway network minus the Beeching cuts in the 21st century, and that is obviously not going to be enough for our future needs, especially as we want to encourage more freight to get off the congested roads and switch to the greener alternative of rail."

Read the full article on Railway-News.com here

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Logistics : Driving Growth

"Logistics is also all about how you organise the workspace so everything is where it should be from machinery to raw materials." 

At Texane the key to sound logistics is information and control, an end-to-end supply system that functions efficiently and delivers on time.

That means a level of cooperation in the supply chain where all parties know what is expected and have the information they need to ensure that Texane receives the raw materials to manufacture on the correct date.

It also means good information technology working with all your internal systems in a holistic way.

Read the full article on the Guardian Small Business Network here.

Texane speaks to The Daily Telegraph

"For us, quality is not just a word, it's a state of mind," says Arnab Dutt, owner and managing director of Texane.

As a manufacturer of specialist polyurethane components, quality is the linkchpin on which the business's success depends.

"A good-quality product underpins your brand and your reputation, and reassures your customer that he is getting the best."

To read the full article, see today's Daily Telegraph business pages or click to enlarge image.

Be Inspired by UK Export Success

Every firm should have an export strategy. It ought to be as mandatory as an HR or fire safety policy. Shareholders should berate executives who steer clear of exporting. They should harangue them and, if they don't change their ways, fire them. No excuses are valid.

“You have to be big to export” is instantly disprovable. As some wonderful British firms are proving, it is feasible for small, but ambitious, firms to go global.

Texane makes wheels that drive many of the world's subway and airport escalators and travelators. After a few years of selling direct to the US and France, managing director Arnab Dutt switched strategy and went in search of local distributors.

“If you’re a UK-based industrial products company, it is certainly possible to export from the UK without overseas representation or branches, but I would suggest it’s a lot easier if you have an agent or a distributor because they know the local market and have the contacts,” says Mr Dutt.

“Overseas offices and staff are a major investment. I don’t believe it makes sense to set up an office in another country until you have reached the point where the economies of scale kick in, when a market accounts for a third of your sales and there is growth of 25 per cent a year, for example.”

To read the full article on the Raconteur, a supplement in The Times, click here.

How can small businesses take the pain out of late payments?

If you are dealing direct with Government departments as an SME you are likely to be paid on time.

If on the other hand you are a second or third tier suppler as most small businesses are – the song remains the same and you are at the mercy of the accounts departments of the PLCs.

They will use all their leverage to get the most favourable payment terms. For most SMEs who do not want to lose that business or upset a customer, this is a cost that has to be absorbed. In the UK, small businesses finance big businesses and so far nothing the government has done in terms of legislation has seriously impacted this disgraceful scenario....

To read the full article, vist The Guardian here.