King Rail

GKD and the King Group have been working together for over 10 years, making them a valuable partner in our efforts to improve rail safety in the UK.

About King Rail

The King Group was first formed 60 years ago in 1962 by Canadian engineer Vern King. They operate from a large site in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and employ over 80 people across all arms of the business.

The company started out by establishing themselves as a leading builder of bespoke trailers, which still forms the core of the business to this day. More recently King Rail was formed, a division that focuses on rail safety, equipment testing, converting and upgrading of road rail vehicles.

In 2016, King were acquired by H W Martin, who have streamlined the business and ushered in a period of strong strategic growth.

The partnership

A key part of the King Rail business is converting and upgrading road rail vehicles. As these machines undergo a conversion or upgrade, King also install a GKD safety system.

A little fact that’s not widely known is that King designed the image of the excavator that appears on the GKD system display!

When asked about the partnership with GKD, Carl Chippendale (Rail Manager at King Rail), said:

“GKD offer best-in-class safety systems. We’re proud of the partnership our companies have developed over the last decade and look forward to growing it further over the years to come.”

David Perez, CEO at GKD Technologies, also said:

“For over 10 years we have had a very good relationship with the King Group. They are an important partner of ours, and their skills and experience in the sector is key to achieving our aim of improving safety in the UK rail industry.”