Williams wins the MIA Awards and partners with Alstom
Williams has just won the Company of the Year award, highlighting its economic successes throughout 2012. As a sign of its successful diversification, the team also announces a partnership with Alstom in trams.
At the equivalent of the Oscars for the motor sports industry, the jury composed of industry representatives and their association, the MIA, decided to award Williams for its excellence in all areas of motor sports and high-performance engineering.
Indeed, 2012 was the year of rebirth for the Grove team, following a catastrophic 2011 on the track. They returned to victory in Spain through Pastor Maldonado. Similarly, their technology shone in endurance racing with the Le Mans victory of the Audi e-tron quattro. Their mid-year revenue increased by 25 million pounds compared to the previous year, which had already seen positive results compared to 2010.
The CEO of the group, Alex Burns, commented on this recognition from his peers: “Our strategy of diversification into new markets is ambitious in its scope, and 2012 saw our technology transfers from Formula One gain momentum. We are focusing on Formula One-based technologies that can create real benefits for society, and it’s fantastic that the judges acknowledge this. This trophy is particularly rewarding as it is a sign of recognition from our peers and the industry. On behalf of everyone at Williams, I want to thank the MIA for its continued support.”
Two days after receiving this recognition, Williams provides new evidence of the success of its diversifications by announcing a new partnership with Alstom. The joint research field will focus on the application of the KERS technology developed in F1 to trams developed by the French company. The goal is to apply it to the Citadis range by 2014, which should result in energy savings of around 15%.
For Ian Foley, the Chief Executive Officer of Williams Hybrid Power, this agreement is the culmination of a targeted cooperation since the birth of this subsidiary of the group: « From the beginning, we have perceived trams as an ideal application for our technology. Being able to collaborate with the market leader on this project is very interesting. We share the same goal, which is to develop the next generation of green transportation technologies, and we hope that this agreement will enable us to find a solution to not only reduce carbon emissions but, even more importantly, reduce costs for the end user. »
This is not the first time Williams has shown interest in public transport, as she has already made an agreement with Qatar to train the country’s bus and taxi drivers, as well as with the British supermarket chain Sainsbury to train its delivery drivers in eco-driving.
The entirety of these diversifications is also appreciated by investors since the stock of the English company has almost risen back to €25, its level at the time of its introduction on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on March 2, 2011. In August 2011, the stock had reached its historical low at only €12.5.
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
