ABOUT US
Engineered in Britain. Trusted worldwide.
Founded in 1986, Rowe Hankins is an independent British manufacturer of safety-critical rail components and systems.
ABOUT US
Engineered in Britain. Trusted worldwide.
Founded in 1986, Rowe Hankins is an independent British manufacturer of safety-critical rail components and systems.
For more than four decades we've designed, manufactured and supported electro-mechanical and electronic equipment for trainborne and trackside applications — combining deep domain expertise with relentless attention to engineering quality.
From our facility in Bury, Greater Manchester, our engineers work alongside operators, OEMs and infrastructure managers across the world to deliver products that perform reliably in the most demanding operational environments.
We are independently owned, vertically integrated and proud to keep design, manufacturing and through-life support under one British roof.
Safety First
Every product is engineered to the strictest safety standards in rail.
British Manufacturing
Designed and built in our facility in the North West of England.
Global Reach
Trusted by rail operators in over 30 countries.
Long-Term Partnerships
Lifecycle support that keeps your fleet running for decades.
For more than four decades we've designed, manufactured and supported electro-mechanical and electronic equipment for trainborne and trackside applications — combining deep domain expertise with relentless attention to engineering quality.
From our facility in Bury, Greater Manchester, our engineers work alongside operators, OEMs and infrastructure managers across the world to deliver products that perform reliably in the most demanding operational environments.
We are independently owned, vertically integrated and proud to keep design, manufacturing and through-life support under one British roof.
Safety First
Every product is engineered to the strictest safety standards in rail.
British Manufacturing
Designed and built in our facility in the North West of England.
Global Reach
Trusted by rail operators in over 30 countries.
Long-Term Partnerships
Lifecycle support that keeps your fleet running for decades.
OUR MISSION
Keep people moving safely.
Rail moves the world. Every component we ship is built around a single question: Will it keep passengers, crew and trackside staff safe across decades of service? That discipline drives our design reviews, our factory acceptance tests and our after-sales support.
We're not the biggest supplier in the industry, and that's the point. Operators choose us for direct access to the engineers who designed their equipment — and for the willingness to support fleets long after the original OEM has moved on.
OUR MISSION
Keep people moving safely.
Rail moves the world. Every component we ship is built around a single question: Will it keep passengers, crew and trackside staff safe across decades of service? That discipline drives our design reviews, our factory acceptance tests and our after-sales support.
We're not the biggest supplier in the industry, and that's the point. Operators choose us for direct access to the engineers who designed their equipment — and for the willingness to support fleets long after the original OEM has moved on.
OUR STORY
Four decades of rail engineering
1986
Rowe Hankins Components formerly established distributing Heinemann products.
1988
Achieved BS 5750 accreditation.
1990
Constructed a new factory.
1992
Awarded the Weber franchise.
1993
Awarded Marquardt distributorship.
1995
Achieved BS EN ISO 9002:1994.
1996
Awarded Schrack distributorship.
1997
Awarded AI-TEC Instruments distributorship.
1998
Established the company’s research and development department and awarded Eaton distributorship.
2001
Achieved BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certification and awarded Sécheron distributorship.
2002
Established the Sécheron Service and Maintenance Centre and awarded LEM agency.
2004
Opened a new service centre for Sécheron / Hasler equipment and appointed European specialist for traction – Eaton Heinemann.
2005
Appointed Bombardier agent for the USA and Canada and supplied runback units to Metronet BCV.
2008
Introduced lean manufacturing principles, completed intelligent wheel flange lubrication (iWFL) trial with Merseyrail and successfully passed the Bombardier Safety Critical Audit.
2009
Achieved IRIS accreditation.
2011
Awarded major Network Rail contract to supply NICs for improved asset monitoring in advance of the London 2012 Olympics.
2014
Expanded facility to 25000 sq. ft to meet increasing production demand.
2015
Awarded Modern Railway Innovations Award and Light Rail Best Supplier
2018
Expanded the factory by a further 4000 sq. ft to support future growth and achieved BS EN ISO 9001:2015 and BS EN 14001:2015 accreditation.
2021
Rowe Hankins EOT Trustee Limited is setup, purchasing 95% of Rowe Hankins Shares.
2023
Won the Sheffield Supertram Overspeed protection contract.
2025
Won the Manchester Metrolink Lidar Detection contract, appointed sales and support agents for McLaren Applied (now rebranded as Motion Applied) and appointed a sales, installation and maintenance support partner for ZTR Canada. David Owen joins the company as CEO.
2026
Celebrates 40 years of trading.
OUR STORY
Four decades of rail engineering
1986
Rowe Hankins Components formerly established distributing Heinemann products.
1988
Achieved BS 5750 accreditation.
1990
Constructed a new factory.
1992
Awarded the Weber franchise.
1993
Awarded Marquardt distributorship.
1995
Achieved BS EN ISO 9002:1994.
1996
Awarded Schrack distributorship.
1997
Awarded AI-TEC Instruments distributorship.
1998
Established the company’s research and development department and awarded Eaton distributorship.
2001
Achieved BS EN ISO 9001:2000 certification and awarded Sécheron distributorship.
2002
Established the Sécheron Service and Maintenance Centre and awarded LEM agency.
2004
Opened a new service centre for Sécheron / Hasler equipment and appointed European specialist for traction – Eaton Heinemann.
2005
Appointed Bombardier agent for the USA and Canada and supplied runback units to Metronet BCV.
2008
Introduced lean manufacturing principles, completed intelligent wheel flange lubrication (iWFL) trial with Merseyrail and successfully passed the Bombardier Safety Critical Audit.
2009
Achieved IRIS accreditation.
2011
Awarded major Network Rail contract to supply NICs for improved asset monitoring in advance of the London 2012 Olympics.
2014
Expanded facility to 25000 sq. ft to meet increasing production demand.
2015
Awarded Modern Railway Innovations Award and Light Rail Best Supplier
2018
Expanded the factory by a further 4000 sq. ft to support future growth and achieved BS EN ISO 9001:2015 and BS EN 14001:2015 accreditation.
2021
Rowe Hankins EOT Trustee Limited is setup, purchasing 95% of Rowe Hankins Shares.
2023
Won the Sheffield Supertram Overspeed protection contract.
2025
Won the Manchester Metrolink Lidar Detection contract, appointed sales and support agents for McLaren Applied (now rebranded as Motion Applied) and appointed a sales, installation and maintenance support partner for ZTR Canada. David Owen joins the company as CEO.
2026
Celebrates 40 years of trading.
