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“Andy Merritt has been a dedicated railwayman for over 35 years and has demonstrated over the course of the last year just why he is one of the finest engineers on the network through his work on the installation and commissioning of the Romford ROC.
He is highly regarded in the industry due to his enthusiasm to learn different technologies and willingness to share the understanding he has developed. He will mentor junior project engineers and support the central teams with years of hard earned practical experience.
Over the last year, Andy has had the opportunity to bring his experience to fruition through leading the installation and commissioning of the combined cycle heat and power system, building services and power distribution for the Romford ROC project.
As part of the RAM team, Andy was involved in the approval of designs for the ROC systems including two 700kW gas engines which supply power to the installation. Due to the complexity of the ROC systems, it soon became apparent that the project needed much more M&E support than usual. As such, Andy became more involved to the point that he was released from his day job to focus on the implementation of the ROC M&E systems. He has received regular plaudits from the project team and subcontractors due to his commitment to learn all that he could about the systems. Through this he has made sure the system performed exactly as intended.
His personal commitment during this period was exceptional. He could be found on the site at all hours and regularly at weekends to get the best opportunities to ensure the success of the project. This was very much a personal commitment and a display of the best behaviours as there was no additional financial reward for his commitment.
Andy’s focus has resulted in what is regarded as one of the highest integrity power systems on the Railway. His experience as a maintainer has resulted in provision of a system which is completely maintainable and safe by design.
His leadership skills are exemplary. He has shown a willingness to share his experience and knowledge with everyone involved in the project – NR and subcontractors alike. His patience in helping others to understand the extremely complex systems that have been installed was never-ending, and he could often be found on site with a less experienced member of staff going through how the power systems interacted with each other, and was keen to demonstrate why this was a huge benefit to Network Rail.
Andy’s leadership skills are exemplary. He has shown a willingness to share his experience and knowledge with everyone involved in the project – NR and subcontractors alike. His patience in helping others to understand the extremely complex systems that have been installed was immense, and he could often be found on site with a less experienced member of staff going through how the power systems interacted with each other, and was keen to demonstrate why the power configuration at Romford ROC was a huge benefit to Network Rail
Such is his dedication and commitment to the project, Andy is still involved with the ROC team, advising on how the systems work and training the maintenance team.
Without the dedication and commitment from Andy, there is no doubt in the project team’s mind that the Romford ROC project would not have been the huge success it is.
Andy's line manager said “This year has been Andy’s chance to shine as he has been given the opportunity to bring his huge wealth of hard won experience to bear on a very complex project for the Railway†Carl Hunt Route Asset Manager, Electrification & Plant.
The project sponsor was also impressed with Andy’s input, saying “The delivery of such a complex and resilient operational building would not have been the success it was without Andy’s doggedness and personal devotion to getting the job done right!†Colin Conway, Route Enhancement Manager, Anglia
“Andy has demonstrated the technical and professional capabilities that many of us aspire to, but few achieve. He is an absolute credit to the company and epitomises our professional approach to the complex projects we undertakeâ€.
Richard Hemmings, Senior Asset Manager
The Principal Contractor on site at Romford ROC had this to say about their time working alongside Andy
"The Romford ROC Project has been challenging for everyone and as an outside contractor to Network Rail it was a breath of fresh air to have Andy working very closely with us. His commitment to successfully completing the project, in particular the very highly specified electrical infrastructure, was second to none, and because of this we were able to deliver a very complex and intelligent system.
As an individual, you couldn’t wish to have a more dedicated person working with you. He was totally in amongst it on site, working directly with the installation teams and could often be found crawling within the raised access floors sorting things out. His professionalism and keen eye for detail drove the whole team to ‘up their game’ which resulted in the Romford ROC M&E services installations being presented to the highest standards.
There was never a time Andy wouldn’t assist in anything. If there were issues on site that proved difficult to solve he would always investigate them and come up with workable solutions. Failure is not a word he recognises. It’s great to hear that Andy is being nominated for this award which he truly deserves. Well done!".
Martin Smith, VolkerFitzpatrick Building Services Manager
His natural keenness for others to understand what he already knows is what, for me, makes Andy stand out from the rest. He has a unique mind-set whereby he loves to share his knowledge, and this, as well as his total aptitude for ensuring that we as a company do what is right, is what makes Andy Merritt a well-deserved winner for Rail Engineer of the Year Award.
Lesley Lewis, NR Project Manager, Anglia IP“
“I have worked worked with Andy over the last 20 years on various complex engineering problems. I have to say that Andy's approach to these has been no different from the Romford ROC project. He has the uncanny ability to understand complex M&E systems very quickly and find solutions to problems. What is particulary impressive is that he has the abiltiy to pass this understanding on not only to other Engineers but to Technicians as well, helping them to improve the maintenance and operation of the equipment they are working on.
Andy is a rare engineering talent, one the Rail Industry has been very lucky to have.“
“Andy has been an excemplary engineer to work with on site. His enthusiasm for getting the job done correctly has been contagious, as has his determination to complete works to the highest standard.
Andy is always willing to help, and his professionalism on site has been an example to us all.
He has been a pleasure to work with, and I look forward to working with him in the future“
“Over the past year Andy has been involved in a number of activities that has ranged from fault finding, through maintenance and up to design and installation and has delivered a high quality final product in all aspects.
What has made Andy worthy of a nomination is the fact that he is willing to offer assistance in any of the above aspects when called upon to do so irrespective of what his work committments were at the time.
The ability to delivery quality in all areas at any time makes Andy worthy of a Rail Engineer of the Year nomination“
“I have worked alongside Andy both as colleague and previously his Line Manager over a number of years and have a great respect for his diligence and knowledge of Distribution and Plant and his willingness to share this with a wide audience. He understands the rail industry well and is able to interpret his engineering field to apply it to get the best benefits for all.
He has a great respect within the NR engineering community and is in much demand to assist national initiatives where they touch upon electrical and plant. His recent work unravelling the complexities of supplies at Romford ROC has set the standard for the other Routes to follow.
He well deserves to be recognised by his peers in the industry.“
“I have had the great pleasure of working with Andy Merrit during the final stages of the Romford ROC project. I have always found Andy to be inspirational in how he manages complex situations, and very knowledgeable in all aspects of the critical systems that have been installed in the building.
Andy has been a great help in training me to understand the operation and maintenance requirements of the building, particularly the building SCADA system. He has always been willing to share his extensive knowledge, and has been instrumental in allowing me to flourish in my day job of maintaining what he has installed.
A perfect gentleman to work with.“
“I have worked with Andy for about 8 years in his different roles in Network Rail.
He is a well-rounded engineer and he has shown his expertise in the plat distribution area time and again specially.
As a true engineer he has demonstrated willingness to share the wealth of knowledge he has accumulated through his long standing career of 35 years in the railway industry.
This nomination is well over due to recognise Andy’s continuing efforts to inspire and educate the new generation of engineers and technicians in the field of electrification and plant in the railway industry.
This nomination also emphasises and recognises his personal abilities to reach to the larger Rail community.“
“I had very little knowledge of critical resilient power supplies and building systems until i met Andy at Network Rail's Romford ROC building just a few months ago, he has taught me so much in the brief time that i have worked with him. The ability and focus and sheer determination of Andy is inspiring to say the least. Andy brings the term 'ownership' to a whole new level. I believe Andy gets pleasure from passing his knowledge to others and that is why i feel Andy should most definately be awarded Railway Engineer of the Year.“
“I would like to compliment you on the very successful Awards night, very well organised, super food and I admire the amount of detail you have gone into with the little booklet and everything. The hall was very well suited for so many people.”
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