OXFORD, England, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Unipart, the supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies partner, has announced the acquisition of the former Schaeffler Rail Bearing reconditioning business in Auburn, New South Wales.
The acquisition was completed on 12 August 2024, transferring the business assets to Unipart Group Australia Pty.
The railway bearing reconditioning business started in 1991 as Bearing Engineering Services Ltd. before being acquired by Schaeffler in 2005. The business has a long history of serving both passenger and freight rail customers across Australia and is responsible for the refurbishment of around 20,000 bearings and axle boxes per annum, making it a critical component of the rail maintenance supply chain.
Unipart has been trading in the Australian rail sector since 2005, with Australian business operations established in 2007, building a customer base across freight and passenger services, bringing supply chain, consultancy and technology expertise to customers.
Darren Leigh, Unipart Chief Executive Officer, said: "The rail sector is a core existing and growth focus for Unipart and we are delighted to extend our capabilities in Australia. We welcome the new team members to Unipart and are excited to be in a position to offer our customers an extended range of performance improving services and solutions."
Mark Carling, Managing Director for Unipart Rail in Australia and Asia Pacific, said: "Unipart is a supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies provider with locations around the world. Whilst we have had materials supply, consultancy and technology introductions in Australia for some years, we utilised the skills of our UK-based Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities to serve our Australian customers. With this acquisition, from today we have expanded our local capabilities to further support our customers with a local and responsive MRO service."
The acquisition retains the site's expert railway bearing reconditioning and overhaul team, facilities and tooling, ensuring continuity of service for the MRO of critical bogie bearings.
Mark continued: "Whilst we ensure that we maintain an already excellent service for our customers, we will work with the new team to bring Unipart's capabilities and culture to the business to further enhance performance and value for our customers, as well as implementing plans to provide an expanded range of services to the Australian railway industry."
Contact: Dave Tilmouth, Head of Marketing Communications
Moblie: +44 (0) 07740 335899, Email: dave.tilmouth@unipartrail.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Unipart acquires rail bearing and axle box reconditioning business in Sydney, Australia
HONG KONG, Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lingnan University today (20 September) honoured the achievements of 46 faculty members at the Research and Knowledge Transfer Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony 2024, recognising exceptional performances in academic research and knowledge transfer while highlighting the contributions of Lingnan staff in enhancing community quality of life and societal advancement.
This year, Lingnan University secured 39 Research Grants Council (RGC) competitive grant projects, totalling an impressive $24.4 million ⸻ the highest sum awarded over the years, and a 17 per cent increase over last year's HK$20.8 million. Moreover, Lingnan University obtained outstanding results in the RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme, with seven out of nine nominated candidates receiving offers, an impressive success rate of 78 per cent.
The awards included the Research Output Excellence Award, the Young Researcher Output Award, and the Research & Knowledge Transfer Fund Award. The Science Unit from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies won most of these, with seven awardees, including the two projects that received the highest funding from the RGC: Assistant Professor Inga Elizabeth Conti-Jerpe's "Calibrating the mixotrophy spectrum: quantifying nutrient inputs and recycling in three corals with different trophic strategies", and Assistant Professor Anthony Lau's "Demystifying the origin of tetrodotoxin in the Hong Kong newt". In addition, Assistant Professor of the School of Graduate Studies Huang Genghua's funded proposal "When digitisation encounters financialisation: divergent strategies for providing social protection for platform workers in Chinese localities" received a perfect score of 5.0 in the rigorous peer review conducted by the RGC subject panels. (Table 1)
Officiating guests included Ms Candy Kan Shuk-fun, Assistant Secretary-General (Research) of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong, Chairman of the Court of Lingnan University and Lingnan Education Organization representative, Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, and Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, who were all on stage.
In his welcoming remarks, President S. Joe Qin congratulated all the award-winning scholars. He highlighted the University's continuous pursuit of innovation amidst the digital era, noting that Lingnan University has achieved several significant milestones over the past year. Achievements include the establishment of the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) and the School of Data Science (SDS), as well as the appointment of 15 globally renowned scholars through the "Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment" initiative, representing a quarter of the goal already reached. Additionally, 14 per cent of the University's scholars are now ranked among the top 2 per cent of scientists worldwide by the Stanford University list. Furthermore, generative AI has been introduced as a core course for all first-year students in the new academic year, enhancing their AI literacy and critical thinking skills for dealing with AI's impact in daily life and work.
President Qin said, "Lingnan University emphasises the importance of cultivating innovative capabilities and has set a new goal of becoming a comprehensive university in arts and sciences in the digital era, with impactful research and innovations. This signifies that the University not only provides a broad-based education but also strengthens research capabilities, enabling students to develop innovative thinking through academic exploration. Additionally, the University emphasises the integration of arts and sciences, offering a well-rounded education that blends humanities and scientific knowledge. This educational model not only nurtures students' comprehensive skills but also establishes a strong foundation for adaptability and innovation in an ever-changing professional landscape, contributing to the development of future leaders."
Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong, Chairman of the Court of Lingnan University and Lingnan Education Organization representative, who delivered the opening address, said that Lingnan will keep building on its achievements so that its research and knowledge transfer efforts have a lasting, meaningful influence on society. "We are taking bold steps toward nurturing talent and driving groundbreaking research that benefits society. Our integration of arts and sciences has begun to spark creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary insights, bringing technology closer to humanity. Our University continues to build on its strengths in the Humanities, Business, and Social Sciences, while expanding into new fields like data science, artificial intelligence, carbon neutrality, and environmental sustainability. Our scientists are dedicated to developing solutions that will shape the future for generations to come."
In his closing remarks, Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning of Lingnan University, described collaborations with strategic partners: "We have witnessed exciting developments in areas like AI and environmental sustainability. These emerging fields of research have opened the door for collaboration with partners outside the University. We have entered into strategic agreements with organisations in Shandong, and a close partnership with Northeastern University's State Key Laboratory on the Mainland. In addition, Lingnan University has been approved as a Supporting Institution for the National Natural Science Foundation of China, which presents a wealth of opportunities for our scholars. We have also saluted our first awardee of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Young Scientists Fund."
He added that the University remains committed to promoting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will continue to develop inspirational academic and research initiatives that contribute to these global aims.
Please see the details for the full list of awardees: https://www.ln.edu.hk/orkt/orkt-and-committees/research-and-kt-excellence-awards/research-kt-excellence-awards2024.
Table 1.
Scholar
Project title
RGC funding amount
Prof Inga Elizabeth Conti-Jerpe, Assistant Professor of Science Unit
Calibrating the mixotrophy spectrum: quantifying nutrient inputs and recycling in three corals with different trophic strategies
HK$1,279,540 (Early Career Scheme)
Prof Anthony Lau, Assistant Professor of Science Unit
Demystifying the origin of tetrodotoxin in the Hong Kong newt
HK$1,254,975 (General Research Fund)
Prof Huang Genghua, Assistant Professor of School of Graduate Studies
When digitisation encounters financialisation: divergent strategies for providing social protection for platform workers in Chinese localities
HK$881,800 (General Research Fund)
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Lingnan University celebrates outstanding achievements in research and knowledge transfer
Lingnan University celebrates outstanding achievements in research and knowledge transfer
Lingnan University celebrates outstanding achievements in research and knowledge transfer
