Spare parts management
Spare parts management is a major challenge for the asset-intensive rail industry. If the supply of spare parts is not guaranteed during ongoing operation, it can lead to costly vehicle breakdowns. For diesel locomotives in particular, the supply of spare parts is limited and unpredictable. To reduce the resulting risk of operational downtime, workshops and operators accumulated large stocks of spare parts as a preventive measure, exclusively for their own use and with a high capital commitment. There is no overview of the parts available on the market. This lack of transparency and the limited availability of parts can lead to very long procurement times.
The aim of NRail Parts is to establish a large virtual warehouse in which the inventories of all participating companies are displayed transparently. The holder of a certain part remains anonymous until a transaction takes place. For better planning, participants can reserve their own or other people’s parts over a certain period of time. NRail Parts provides an app to upload parts as well as browsing the associated online marketplace. The app enables an uncomplicated and fast upload of pictures and specifications of the parts. The virtual warehouse guarantees a clear overview of the stock and enables a quick search for spare parts. The use of NRail Parts enables shorter search times, price transparency and lower capital commitment.
Telematics
All locomotives one system.
With MyNRail, the intuitive fleet monitoring, that also includes an app for smartphones, rail transport companies have access to up-to-date data on their vehicles. The Paula data box, which was developed specifically for rail transport, serves as the data supplier for MyNRail. Paula only draws the main voltage from the locomotive and thus has a clear advantage over conventional rail telematics systems. The installation of the system components is uncomplicated and takes little time. The sensor technology fitted in Paula generates data independently, reliably and without repercussion. Paula is ready for immediate use on all rail vehicles without the need for approval from the EBA/ERA. In addition, the modular design offers the option of integrating further sensors, which can be used to transmit tank levels, cooling water temperatures or other relevant data.
In order to further optimize MyNRail, NRail is extensively involved in research and development. The RPS pro (Rail Positioning System professional) project aims to provide non-terrestrial-based, track-accurate locating of locomotives. RPS Pro will make it possible to locate vehicles cost-effectively with track accuracy, even in tightly meshed traffic junctions. This project is being carried out cooperatively with the Federal Republic of Germany’s research centre for aeronautics and space (DLR) and the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and is expected to be funded under the federal program “Zukunft Schienengüterverkehr”.