Former PhD student launches Startup to revolutionise rail maintenance
How did your business idea develop?
Our business idea started after I completed my PhD- I was working on projects involving railway friction management. This can include rail cleaning to prevent delays, damage or even collisions and derailments. It also includes lubrication to reduce high-pitched squeal and improve energy efficiency and wheel/rail lifespan.
There’s a variety of methods to modify friction being used and these can be expensive, rail cleaning for example costs the UK over £64 million/year. Despite this, widespread friction measurements weren’t being used to optimise their usage. Trial and error or visual inspections were regularly being carried out which are unreliable, especially with a lot of rail maintenance being carried out at night!
Portable rail friction measurement devices (tribometers) were heavy, outdated, complicated to use or fragile. But if you can’t measure friction, how can you effectively manage it?
What is your business idea?
I co-founded Rivelin Rail with Dr Michael Watson to tackle this problem. Neither of us had any business experience in 2021, but the University of Sheffield Enterprise were running a 12 week pre-accelerator programme. This outlined the process required to build a successful business, we met founders and could access mentoring through Business Sheffield advisors during this critical stage.
What support did you receive when launching your start-up?
The mentoring helped me write a grant application and win the Innovate UK:Young Innovators (now Innovate UK:Unlocking Potential) award which provided some grant funding to start prototyping, along with mentoring with an InnovateUK innovation and growth specialist.
There is a huge amount of support available, including a fantastic Sheffield start-up ecosystem and I think it’s important to make the most of this.
Ben White
Co-founder of Rivelin Rail
What are the challenges with starting a business?
There is a lot to balance in a small company, things will inevitably not always go to plan and multiple opportunities can arrive at once- advice from our support network has helped us overcome some difficult points and prioritise our development.
Three years, a few obstacles, one pivot and one name change later we’ve designed an easy to use, robust and portable inspection device designed for a widespread adoption of friction measurements. Most of our components are manufactured by local suppliers and then we assemble and calibrate the tribometers from our workshop in Sheffield.
What's next for Rivelin Rail?
Our Rivelin Rail tribometer is already being used for UK and European rail inspections to identify high risk sites and optimise friction management, reducing delays, preventing damage and improving safety. We’re excited to release some updated features and expand internationally in 2025.
