As we head into the second week of the new financial year for 3Squared, we take the time to pause, reflect and look back at key milestones from across the past 12 months. And what a momentous 12 months it has been.
Starting the year in style
The team kicked the year off in style with the news that 3Squared’s RailSmart technology product was named “Highly Commended” at the annual Railway Industry Innovation Awards on 28 June 2019 – quite the coup to begin the year with. This was shortly followed by the first of 17 new appointments to be made this year, with Lucy Prior MBE joining the team as Business Engagement Director in August 2019.
Investing in their people
Throughout the year, Managing Director Tim Jones, and Co-Founder and Commercial Director James Fox, have remained fully committed to investing in their people. To reaffirm its belief in its people, the team have been able to showcase their continued support to helping the growth and development of new skills and talent for the industry this year, by taking on a further five placements students from Sheffield Hallam University. The students gain valuable experience in a thriving business and get a taste of what life would be like after they graduate. In addition the team, led by Lucy Prior, were instrumental in the development of the Rail Human Library event. This event was due to take place in partnership with ‘Get Up to Speed’, an initiative that attracts over 3,000 students from across the North, East and Midlands, encouraging them to take an interest in the Construction, Technology and Manufacturing sectors. Scheduled to take place during the second week of the Coronavirus lockdown, Lucy and RHL founder Tracey Baber rallied the industry to run the event digitally through Twitter and Facebook, in turn generating some fantastic results and positive engagement.
Committed to the North
Picking up awards has become something of a habit, as towards the end of 2019, 3Squared was named as one of Yorkshire’s Top 20 Technology companies and at the end of May, they added a finalist position in the Northern Tech Awards Top 100 Fastest Growing Technology Companies to their growing list of accolades. Building on their strong bond with the region, 3Squared further committed their future to the North in early 2020, as they invested in and moved into a shiny new office space in central Sheffield on a 10-year lease.
Investing in the future
As the team continued on their growth mission, an investment of over £1m was made to further enhance 3Squared’s RailSmart products. These developments will add increased functionality and improved user experiences, which existing customers will be able to take advantage of including East Midlands Railway and LNER, who renewed their RailSmart subscriptions in May and June respectively.
Finishing the year with a string of new contract wins
The good news kept on coming in June, as 3Squared closed out their financial year with a string of new RailSmart contracts. In a consortium with Rail Operations Group and Freightliner, 3Squared were successful in winning the RSSB Dynamic Train Planning Competition, securing funding to develop an innovative solution to help rail freight plan short term paths more effectively. Less than one week later, 3Squared signed a three-year deal to supply RailSmart to Network Rail following a competitive tender process. Looking ahead, Network Rail will be harnessing RailSmart to proactively manage and improve the capabilities of its operational staff. Finally, they closed out the year with the landmark announcement that they will be working with one of HS2’s direct contractors, Skanska Costain STRABAG JV (SCS JV), who are delivering the tunnelling programme for the route between London Euston up to the M25.
Tim Jones, Managing Director, comments on 3Squared’s landmark year:
“We have had a really busy and eventful year at 3Squared but it is only when you stop to reflect and list everything we have achieved that you really appreciate it. What is even more amazing about this, is that the majority of this work has been completed during the Covid-19 lockdown as the team and our customers work remotely and quickly adjust to the new normal.
“Our success is testament to our brilliant and passionate team and the collaborative relationships we have with our customers has enabled us to make the progress in the way that we have. We are excited for the coming year and beyond, and look forward to sharing more of our good news with you in the future. Thank you for your continued support.”