updateCustomer magazine of Deutsche Plasser

ISSUE 11, dEcEmbEr 2018

PreDiCtive MaintenanCe analysis & Forecast

For a grEatEr avaIlabIlItyoF thE machInES

03 Editorial

04 Predictive maintenance

05 What is Predictive maintenance?

07 Service Partners – an important element in successful Predictive maintenance

10 Partnership creates planning certainty

13 better than good – successful ISo 9001:2015 audit

14 Focusing on your machines

16 Innotrans 2018 – Successful trade fair presentation

18 Interview with Sven Peters

20 Winter season highlights in leverkusen-opladen

21 news

22 Service in Poland – Expansion and modernisation

iMPreSSUM

Publisherdeutsche Plasser bahnbaumaschinen gmbhFriedrich-Eckart-Str. 35, 81929 münchentelefon: +49 89 93008-0telefax: +49 89 93008-115E-mail: info@deutsche-plasser.dewww.deutsche-plasser.de

Photosdeutsche Plasser, Plasser & theurer,JJ ying on Unsplash,shutterstock.com: SmartPhotolab, xtock

Printeddruckwerkstatt, Wien

Contents

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Dear readers,

during our last customer satisfaction survey, we received a phone call from one of our customers. he wanted to clarify that he would not participate in such a written survey. he preferred it, if necessary, to either lift the receiver or directly address certain topics during the next meeting.

our first thought was that that was actually what we wanted. nothing better can happen to us than a machine operator approaching us openly and directly. only in this way can we continue to improve our services together and in a targeted manner for the future.

In this context I recently came across a quote: “all men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.”this is central where quality is concerned. mistakes are made where people are active. this will never change. but the decisive question is how this is handled. does one brush the mistakes under the carpet, or does one regard them as an opportunity for improvement?

We always regard mistakes as an opportunity for improvement! We want to learn from them and use them to become a little bit better every day. the objective which we pursue with this is also clear: We do not just want to continue to provide our services with the same quality to you, but we want to improve them continuously.

certifications are, in this context, of some importance. First of all, they provide you, the customer, with the certainty that specific quality criteria are guaranteed. and secondly, we learn a lot during each audit. nonetheless, certificates are not everything. Ultimately, much more important is the question what we can do for you so that your machines work even more reliably and that your clients are always satisfied at the end of the day.

We are happy to support you in this, and that at any time!

For one thing is clear: We are all in the same boat, or more fittingly “on the same train”! only if we have a mutually honest and fair partnership, will we be even more successful together!

happy reading of this issue.

yours,Michael Bittmannhead of Quality management

editorialmichael bittmann

“All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from

their mistakes.”

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Predictive maintenance has great potential for the maintenance of track construction machines. Machine systems gather valuable data used as a

basis for evaluation and recommended actions. The service partner, who deals with the

implementation of the recommended actions, plays a central role here.

Digitalisation is progressing in all areas of business and society. track construction and maintenance is no exception. new possibilities of connectivity are con- stantly being developed, and intelligent systems in machines generate a large amount of data. this means that the part-nership between infrastructure opera- tors, construction companies, suppliers and service providers takes on a new dimension. availability, transparency and traceability are key elements. Plan-ning preventive measures brings with it many benefits.

Close cooperation between

service partners and analysts

PrEdIctIvE maIntEnancE

PreDiCtive MaintenanCe helPS to replace wear parts at the most

economical point of time.

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Sensors like this one for monitoring the engine temperature supply important data

about the condition of a machine.

“Predictive maintenance” is the process of developing an individual assessment of the current machine condition based on collected data and work out con-

crete plans of action for condition-based maintenance.Upon request by the operating company, relevant machine systems, e.g. Plasserdata-matic 2.0, can perform live monitoring of key data, such as working parameters, gPS posi-tion, direction of travel, engine data, operating fluid filling levels and hydraulic pressures. In doing so, the current status of whole machine fleets can be examined from one’s office. the gathered data can also be stored and offers a valuable basis for further analysis.

P&T Connecteddealing with this type of data is fairly new in the track construction industry. one company that is active in this area is P&t connected, based in hagenberg in austria. the company deals primarily with the collection, processing and evaluation of data with the aim of imple-menting predictive maintenance for track construction machines.

Track construction machines provide valuable data

For track construction and maintenance ma-chines the regular, interval-based inspection on site or in a depot forms an integral part of testing and maintenance. Up to 250 sensors are integrated in these machines, providing

a large amount of information to the respon-sible parties. this sensor data has been and is analysed for control purposes at fixed inter-vals and allows conditions and processes to be tracked at all times.Furthermore, the following additional data can provide a wide variety of information about the condition of a machine:•sparepartsstocking,•maintenancecontracts,•errormessages,•logfilesaswellas•weatherandgeodata.

linking historical and current data will provide an improved analysis. the combination of various data sources allows for a completely new level of analysis. Its particular aim is to provide system information to be used for recommended actions.

Replacing wear parts at the most economical point in time

an example of the many new possibilities is the replacement of wear parts at the most economically efficient point in time. this is based on load condition data provided by sensors. they indicate how much longer a wear part is likely to work perfectly. thus, it is possible to diagnose early when certain parts will need to be replaced. Furthermore, downtimes and machine failures can be re- duced to a minimum – a benefit for both machine operating companies and the infrastructure.

Predictive Maintenance offers many advantages

What iS “PreDiCtiveMaintenanCe“?

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Predictive maintenance for whole machines

In principle, this method can be applied to the maintenance of whole machines. this will then pave the way for moving from the condition-based maintenance at regular in-tervals to predictive maintenance.the latter offers a range of benefits com- pared to previous approaches (see illustration). Frequently occurring issues that do not have a major impact on the machine functionality can usually be solved by replacing spare and wear parts. Where issues that do have a major impact on the machine functionality occur frequently, the manufacturer will con-sider design changes. Predictive maintenance makes it possible to significantly reduce the frequency of issues and challenges that may have a major impact and thus improve the machine availability considerably.

by linking and analysing data from machines and systems, such as Plasserdatamatic 2.0, it is possible to draw better conclusions on the condition of a machine and make pre-dictions about its further development. this enables the planning of maintenance inter-vals based on the actual machine condition, i.e. an individual maintenance schedule can be created for each machine and adapted, if required.the benefit for the operating company is obvious: on the one hand it is possible to diagnose early when certain components will need to be replaced. the components can then be ordered in good time. on the other hand, the analysis may show that a

wear part will function longer than usual and can therefore be replaced later.thus, predictive maintenance offers the following benefits compared to previous ap-proaches:•reductionoflifecyclecosts•costoptimisationinmaintenancestrategy•data-basedrecommendations for maintenance measures.

Fleet management gains a detailed insight into the condition of machines and can improve its repair and spare parts manage-ment. this results in a longer machine service life and has the potential to optimise main-tenance costs.

Analysis and forecastone of the primary aims of this approach is to identify patterns in existing data. Every-thing revolves around analysis, forecast and data-driven modelling. after all, the aim is to provide tools for better and especially earlier decision making – and to make the railway system even more competitive.many companies have already implemented condition-based maintenance. With the use of sensors, the current condition of and in parts is identified. maintenance is carried out as soon as it is required, or one or more in-dicators show a deterioration or exceedance of limit values.

Predictive maintenance goes one step further. rather than just analysing the current situation, it predicts possible future events. It is possible to make forecasts using var- ious approaches, such as mathematical modelling in combination with machine learning and neural networks.

Predictive maintenance can significantly reduce the frequency of issues and challenges and thus improve machine availability.

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“Predictive maintenance makes it possible to make predictionsabout the further development

of a machine.“

Bernhard MaierAuthorised representative,

P&T Connected

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ServiCe PartnerS – an iMPortant eleMent in SUCCeSSFUl PreDiCtive MaintenanCe

The service partner as the link between the operator and the manufacturer manages

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recommended actions based on data and models offer a great po-tential for the service of a machine and can contribute considerably to

longer usability and availability. the service partner, who acts as the link between the operator and the manufacturer and manages the maintenance of a machine, plays a crucial role here.after all, the best recommended actions will not be of any use if they cannot be imple-mented in a competent manner. thorough knowledge of machines and long-standing experience give the service engineer a central position when collaborating with machine operating companies and data analysts. their vast technical knowledge and skills will help to obtain more accurate analyses and consequently develop precise models and predictions.

Data and experience complement each other

despite increasing digitalisation, humans still have a central position. the new systems and applications support the experts at the machine operating company as well as the respective service partners in their daily work. thus, the maintenance of each ma-chine can be individually planned, in line with requirements.

Experienced technical staff have additional aids at their disposal for making even more reliable assessments about the condition of a machine. In return, they supply the analysts with valuable practical experience and in-sights into machine processes, which can be used to bring the gathered data to life. not least, this intensive exchange helps to make processes more transparent and make the traceability of evaluations easier.

Close cooperation between service partners and analysts

It is essential that service partners and analytics companies work closely together. an example of such a close cooperation is that between deutsche Plasser and P&t connected.We had to set the course for some changes in order to be able to fully utilise the potential described above. Unquestionably, deutsche Plasser will remain the first port of call for customers in our markets. this ensures that the responsible advisers are always up to date with regard to the condition of a machine.they are supported by Philipp verheyen, who acts as the interface between deutsche Plasser and P&t connected. he gathers all the information and so has an insight into both the practical maintenance and the data-based analyses. this also helps to further expand on relevant topics with contacts on

!Experience and expertise

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The more information is known about an inspection beforehand the easier it will be to procure the required spare and wear parts in good time.

both sides, i.e. maintenance and analysis. For the user this creates an invaluable situation: a close link between the personal technical experience of the service engineers, who know the respective machines inside out, and the data-based analysis from the data experts at P&t connected.based on this, recommended actions and customised service schedules for each ma-chine are compiled in cooperation at the customer’s request. the result is much more flexible maintenance and, through in-depth knowledge of existing data, more predictable maintenance.

Changes in familiar processes

these new possibilities not only change the service providers’ processes but also those of the operating companies. For decades machines have been serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s maintenance sched-ules and inspections planned accordingly. the recommendations from service engineers, which were based on their professional ex-perience, were taken into consideration.machine maintenance would usually be carried out during the periods when the machines were not fully deployed due to

adverse weather conditions. this resulted in workload spikes at the service companies in winter and a huge pressure to service all ma-chines on time and at the usual high quality.With the new possibilities the maintenance of machines will be spread out over the year. If the maintenance is carried out at the optimum point in time, it may well take place in the summer. through close coordination between operating company, service company and analysts the maintenance can be prepared very well so that the time period in which the machine is not available is kept as short as possible.

In future, operating and service companies will have a better idea than ever of what to expect at an inspection. accordingly, the re-quired spare and wear parts can be procured on time and any preparatory work scheduled to fit perfectly in the maintenance process, so that the latter can be reduced even further.Even though it may be odd for many oper-ating companies to dispatch a machine for inspection in the high season, the effects for the machine life cycle will be positive, which in turn will contribute to improved economic efficiency and availability.

Philipp Verheyen acts as the inter-face between Deutsche Plasser and P&T Connected. He has an insight into both the practical maintenance and the databased analyses.

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The service engineers’ long-standing experience will contribute to a more efficient analysis of the machine data.

Combining maintenance with new service offerings

the service solutions on offer are becoming ever more customised. an example is the option of a 24/7 service offered by deutsche Plasser, the details of which are agreed on individually between the customer and deutsche Plasser. this flexible contract fo-cuses on a company’s requirements and offers services ranging from telephone support through to an exclusive service support, up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When combining this concept with predictive maintenance it has a particular impact. If the machine data indicate that action needs to be taken, it is possible to respond quickly and, if necessary, enhance the service

offerings or be in a position to better prepare for an inspection.

Customised service for each machine

Increasing digitalisation and interpretability of data create a huge potential for servicing machines, especially when combined with customisable service offerings. operating companies can focus the maintenance of their machines on data- and model-based predictions about the machine condition and so increase machine availability.

“Service is becoming ever more customised. Deutsche Plasser has the right solutions for this.“

Robert Riquel StadtlanderSales Manager

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mUtUal bEnEFIt

Partnership creates planning

certaintyThe term “partnership” may have been flogged to death in a business context, but what it actually means is today more important than ever: a close, trusting relationship

creates great benefits for both sides.

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the railway construction industry, like other industries, is currently in a particularly intensive process of change to increasing digitalisation.

many familiar processes are changing very rapidly and radically. new technological solutions enable operating companies and service providers to assess the current con-dition of a machine and to make forecasts of maintenance requirements to a degree not previously possible. you can read more on this in the article on Predictive maintenance on page 4.due to these new possibilities, it is more important than ever that operating compa-nies and service providers cooperate in close partnership.

Operating companiesmost operating companies have workshops where small repairs and maintenance work can be carried out. It does not make economic and logistic sense for these companies to maintain a larger workshop. major work re-quired is carried out by a service partner, such as deutsche Plasser. We look after planning and implementation of maintenance work in close cooperation with the operating company. this ranges from workshop planning via the supply of spare and wear

parts to the deployment of service engineers.Few operating companies have a large work-shop where they can carry out any necessary maintenance work largely independently. however, they, too, benefit from cooperation with a service company. our experienced service engineers can help with the assess-ment of the current and future condition of a machine and give recommendations on the work to be carried out. If required, we can look after the timely provision of the spare and wear parts needed.

Service providersa company such as deutsche Plasser is an important partner for every company operat-ing Plasser & theurer machines. We have decades of experience in servicing railway construction machines. during these years we have had many interesting experiences and mastered many challenges together with our customers.careful documentation and analysis of prob-lems which have occurred, but in particular the solutions, have created a wealth of expe-rience which is without equal. our staff are proven experts in their fields and, due to the closeness of our company to the manufac-turer Plasser & theurer, know every machine for which we are responsible very well.

Closeness to the manufacturerthis closeness places us in a unique position: our staff are already involved in the manufac-ture of machines built in linz and intended for our market. they participate directly in the manufacture and acceptance of the machine and thus know it particularly well. this know-ledge is often enhanced by taking part in the

first few deployments of the machine. If problems occur during the life of the machine, they can be detected very quickly and re-moved with great expertise.Furthermore, due to the close cooperation with Plasser & theurer, we are always up to date with regard to new technologies and equipment. this means that we can always give the best possible advice to our cus-tomers and, for example by referring to available updates, utilise synergies as part of maintenance measures.

Better advice due to more information

of course, this is the easier for us, the more information the operating companies share with us. the better we can understand their situation and their challenges, the better we can successfully assist them.“We obviously know the machines of our customers very well, but we are not present during their daily use. the more operating companies tell us about a machine, the more we can help them to ensure the best possible availability of the machine”, says robert riquel Stadtlander, Sales manager at deutsche Plasser.Predictive maintenance is a particularly important topic in this context. deutsche Plasser, in cooperation with an analysis com-pany such as P&t connected, can forecast the development of the machine condition. From that we can derive clear recommenda-tions for any maintenance measures. We obviously only have access to this data if this is requested by the operator.

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New service offeringsdeutsche Plasser professes a close partner-ship with its customers and wishes to strengthen it by offering new services. a par-ticularly important instrument is the 24/7 service which we presented in the last edition of dP Update.our new fixed prices, which we describe in more detail on page 14, are another building block. Furthermore, we have been offering four variants for the maintenance of tamping units for a while. Each variant has a clearly defined service scope and is available at a particularly attractive price. the options range from a spare parts kit or a general overhaul through to a new tamping unit.all service offers have in common that they provide a very attractive price due to standardisation of the services offered. Each scope of service is based on decades of experience and provides a comprehensive and versatile maintenance offer across the four variants.the following applies to all offers: the more we know about the machines of our customers and their challenges in daily work, the better we can advise them; and the better we can develop current and future service variants.

Customer benefitsthis has clear advantages for our customers. they benefit from our experience gained over many decades in servicing railway construc-tion machines and from our vast machine knowledge because of our closeness to the manufacturer.

by setting fixed prices based on a specific service scope, we contribute to high cer-tainty in financial planning. moreover, main-tenance work can be carried out faster than before. Previously, there was an initial assessment of the components followed by a quotation, but now the work can start immediately on arrival of the components. the spare parts required are procured in a timely manner and are immediately available. In addition to certainty in financial planning, this means faster execution of the main- tenance work and thus greater availability of the machine.

Talk to usas already mentioned in the editorial: let us have a close partnership and shape it in such a way that it benefits both partners. We will involve you even more closely in future and provide you promptly with important informa-tion, as we did recently with our announce-ment regarding the automatic guidance computer (alc). talk to us and let us know what challenges your company faces and how we can support you. If you give us access to your machine data, we can provide individual maintenance recommendations tailored to each machine and support you with great competence and commitment in their implementation. the closer we cooper-ate, the greater is the planning certainty for both sides.

“The closer we cooperate with our customers, the greater

is the planning certainty for both sides.”

Robert Riquel StadtlanderSales Manager

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SUccESSFUl ISo 9001:2015 aUdIt

better than good In the middle of this year, the audit for the new

ISO 9001:2015 certificate took place in Munich and in Leverkusen-Opladen. Yes, we passed successfully.

And yes, audits of this type are extremely important for the continued development of Deutsche Plasser.

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Is it possible to assess the quality of a company? yes, it is. there are clearly defined criteria which provide informa-

tion on whether the conditions exist in a company to manufac-ture high quality products or to offer first class services. the ISo 9001:2015 standard outlines the methodology to demonstrate this.

the basic criterion is first the capability of a company to im-plement the customer require-ments in such a way that they are satisfied. this means simply to meet their expectations. this is not something that one could describe as particularly exciting. however, it does become ex-citing and highly motivating for every company if it sets out to

exceed customer requirements in future. this is one of our challenges for the future.

Every audit is a step forward

this type of audit is energising and enriching for a company. at least, this is the case for us at deutsche Plasser. It is explicitly about developing creative ideas and concepts which surprise you, our customer, in a positive way and ideally raise your enthu-siasm. When the date for the next audit approaches, our level of activity rises appre-ciably. the reason for this is that we use the

incentive of the audit not simply to check and improve our processes and proce- dures. during these periods we also make an effort to further develop our service.

this spring we underwent such a phase yet again. the reason was the approach-ing audit for ISo 9001:2015 in the middle of the year. the audits were carried out in our head office in munich as well as in our maintenance shop in leverkusen-opladen. as already mentioned, we passed all audit areas successfully. Furthermore, we also developed a few ideas in this context, which we will implement in the near future. Ideas which will improve our services further as a “positive surprise” for you, our customers.

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Our new service catalogue gives an overview of the services offered by Deutsche Plasser.

In the first edition of the service catalogue, you can find maintenance offerings for measurement

and other components, which represent a fundamental function of your machine.

EXclUSIvEly For yoU

Focusing on your machines

“Our service catalogue gives a transparent overview

of our services.”

Marketing & development team

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MEASURING TECHNOLOGY

MAINTENANCE

SERVICE

QUALITY

SAVINGS

• Core features of the machineTrack condition recording •

• Maintaining accurate measurementsIncreasing availability•

• Individual customer supportExclusive test rigs•

• Our know-howOriginal P&T spare parts•

• Fixed pricesLower administrative costs•

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We offer a fixed price for func-tional checks, overhauls and repair work for the following components:

•Circuitboards•Pendulums•Transducers•Recorders•ALCIn addition, you will find the current terms for our service technicians and services at our maintenance workshop opladen.

Continuously expandedall details of this offer are provided in our new service catalogue, which is contin-uously expanded. the catalogue shows the products for which we are currently able to offer fixed prices. It also explains the scope of the work offered and the applicable con-ditions.If you do not yet have a service catalogue, please ask your contact and we will send you one as soon as possible.

Offer to overhaul work unitsour offer to overhaul work units, which has existed for some time, was our first step to fixed prices. of course, this offer continues to be available.

Your benefitsour new offer has a number of benefits. Up to now, components were thoroughly checked by our experts. an individual quo-tation was drawn up on the basis of this check. this check will no longer be carried out. this saves time and administrative effort. the component will be ready for operation more quickly and thus contribute to increased availability of your machine.In addition, fixed prices also offer more certainty for financial planning. Up to now, the costs for repair or overhaul work could only be estimated after a check carried out by us, but now they are known in advan-ce and can be taken into account during planning.time savings, less administrative effort and planning certainty: three direct benefits for our customers.obviously, you also profit from our long-standing experience and the exclusive use of original spare and wear parts by Plasser & theurer.

oPtionS availaBle to yoU

We offer three different service options within the scope of our fixed prices. the individual work steps may vary slightly depending on the component, but in principle, the following work is covered:

FUnCtional teSt

the following work is included in a functional test:• Checkingoftechnicalandfunctional requirements• Faultanalysis

the following work is not included:• Repair,cleaning

overhaUlS

the following work is included in an overhaul:• Functionaltest• Replacementofwearpartsthatarefitted• Externalcleaningandpainting• Checkingandadjusting

the following work is not included in an overhaul:• Replacementofdefectivecomponents, which are not defined as wear parts.

rePair

the following work is included in a repair:• Functionaltest• Disassembly,cleaningandpainting• Replacementofdefectivecomponents• Assembly,checkingandadjusting

Please note the respective conditions listed in the service catalogue.

Our new service catalogue provides all the information on the fixed prices already available.

To keep the core features of your machine in good condition, we recommend maintaining your measure-ment components every year.

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InnotranS 2018

Successful trade fair presentation

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at oUr vr Station, visitors were able to test the new tool. They were impressed by the opportunities it creates.

Trade fair of superlatives: InnoTrans 2018. No less than 3,062 exhibitors from 61 countries attracted the interest of more than 160,000 visitors. Deutsche Plasser was there too.

This year again, we welcomed many visitors at our exhibition booth.

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at this year’s Innotrans, we placed the focus on two new offers: the 24/7 Service and our vr tool. both offers will help us meet our aim to

be even closer to our customers and support them even more individually in the future.

Trade fair focusour 24/7 Service enables us to meet our customers’ needs flexibly. From temporary support for an important work site to a permanent 24/7 on-call service: the options are unlimited. our vr tool allows us to be virtually even closer to our customers in the future. our customer service technicians inspect the ma-chine using realistic 3d models, allowing them to solve many problems even more quickly.

Crowd puller VR toolPhilipp verheyen, responsible Project En-gineer, presented the vr tool at a separate station, attracting a lot of visitor attention. Using a vr headset and a vr controller, trade fair visitors were able to inspect a gaF track Working vehicle by Plasser & theurer and experience this innovative instrument first hand.“many visitors wanted to find out how we will use this technology to service track mainte-nance machines. their positive reactions to the tool and its intuitive handling were parti-cularly pleasing. this proves that we are on the right track.”

the vr tool is still under development. how-ever, our customer Service team will soon start using it. Until then, more machines will be digitalised, the tool’s operation will be further optimised and new functions will be

implemented step by step. “We are looking forward to using the vr tool in practical operation, as it will take us one step closer to our customers,” explains Philipp verheyen.

24/7 Serviceour new service solution was met with great interest. It allows us to meet our customers’ wishes and needs flexibly – if need be on up to 24 hours on 7 days a week.“We had many interesting conversations and could explain the concept in detail. In the next months, we will have more in-depth conversations on this topic. We are looking forward to new projects,” says robert riquel Stadtlander, Sales manager.

Successful trade fairthis year’s Innotrans has been very positive for us. We had many interesting conver- sations with our current and potential cus-tomers, allowing us to present our trade fair highlights successfully and learn more about the challenges they face every day. We will use these impressions to develop new solutions and optimise existing solutions in the next months.

“At the VR station, visitors were able to experience

our new tool first hand.”

Philipp VerheyenTechnology Munich, Project Engineer

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“Our 24/7 Service is met with great interest. We are looking forward to projects with our customers.”

Robert Riquel StadtlanderSales Manager

„This year’s focus was placed on the 24/7 Service and our VR tool.

This year again, we invited our customers to join our Happy Hour. Our guests were delighted by the performance of the musicians.

!Expansion and modernisation

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Mr. Peters, you have been head of the leverkusen-opladen maintenance workshop for around ten months now.

What have been your priorities so far?It’s important to say that I am heading a

maintenance workshop that has continuously

further developed since its opening. In this

time, the workshop did not see giant leaps

but a steady increase in staff, from around

20 to 40 people employed today. And I’m

not even including our 7 apprentices in this

count. The size we have reached now requires

new structures.

What does this mean exactly? This means, for instance, that we no longer

believe that every member of staff has to be

capable of doing all works. In a workshop

as big as ours, this is no longer possible.

What we increasingly need are specialists

with expertise in particular fields. However,

the operational sequences and our organi-

sation are even more important. This year,

we have invested a lot of effort in optimising

the structures. Our workshop’s organisation

chart has completely changed.

Which criteria did you use to achieve this? Team spirit was crucial. Our new team lead-

ers Stefan Brandt and Marco Grewe can

work with a total of three teams each, each

consisting of about five members of staff.

Depending on the order, a certain number

of teams is needed to fulfil the job. The ex-

perience gained so far proves that the new

system is much more efficient.

Does the new system also benefit our customers?Indeed. It is a huge benefit: Now, there is

one contact person who is available for our

customers at any time and for any concern –

be it in technical as well as in organisational

matters. This allows our customers to

communicate with us more easily and

transparently.

in percentage, how much of the struc-tural changes scheduled have already been implemented?By the end of the year, we will have imple-

mented around 85 %. Next year, we will

focus on fine-tuning.

let’s go back to what you have already achieved. the re-certification audit as an eCM was carried out in mid-2018. What does this certificate mean for your workshop?Deutsche Bahn is making a massive start

on ECM. This confirms our vision. It is most

likely that the entire railway industry will soon

take ECM very seriously. Ultimately, it‘s

Sven Peters has been head of the Leverkusen-Opladen maintenance workshop since early 2018. To make his vision reality, he would have to increase

manpower significantly. This is an ambitious, but realistic goal, given the framework conditions and the measures already taken. We met with Sven Peters

to talk about the present and the future of the maintenance workshop.

lEvErkUSEn-oPladEn maIntEnancE WorkShoP

a new era has begun

SvenPeterS

a conversationSven Peters

Head of maintenance workshop Leverkusen-Opladen

Sven Peters has been head of the Leverkusen-Opladen maintenance

workshop for around ten months. In this time, he has implemented 85% of the planned structural changes. Next year,

his team and he can focus on fine-tuning.

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about legal certainty. We obtained the ECM

certificate for function 4, the Maintenance

Delivery Function, in the summer of 2016.

Believe me, the auditors were impressed

by the high level of transparency and the

processes we are working with already

today. We are prepared.

What does this mean exactly? For instance, our campaign for digitalisation

is bearing fruit. We installed an electronic in-

formation board, which can be accessed by

all people who work on a project. It allows all

participants to remain up to date at all times

and to access any information they need. In

addition, we digitalised the so-called black

board. We share just-in-time information

with our staff via two monitors.

let’s take a look at the future. at what capacity do you expect the workshop to operate next winter?Well, we are practically working to capac-

ity. Except for small repairs, we cannot

accept new orders until April 2019. But what

makes me even happier is that we are already

planning the winter season of 2019/20.

how is that? The changeover to long-term planning is

taking effect. We have started to approach

our customers about it and the feedback

we are getting is absolutely positive. That

doesn‘t surprise me at all, because who

needs surprises in our industry?

Could you elaborate on that?It’s simple. Let’s assume that a machine ar-

rives at the workshop for inspection, but it

turns out that a certain component must be

exchanged. However, not all spare parts are

available. As a result, the machine might be

out of service not only for four weeks, but

for four months. This is highly unpleasant for

the operator. To prevent that, we have inten-

sified our contact with the customer to keep

a closer eye on the condition of a machine.

This enables us to detect upcoming repairs

at an early stage and facilitates planning. In

detail this means: If we know that a wheelset

needs to be exchanged during the next ins-

pection, we will make sure that it is available.

Our experience has shown that many of our

customers are willing to plan for the longer

term to ensure their machine’s availability.

So, long-term planning is one of the central topics for the future of the work-shop. What about day-to-day business, such as repairs on short notice? What is your strategy for this field?That’s a good question. Our customers def-

initely have this demand. We are keeping an

eye on this topic. Our new organizational

structure provides capacities on short

notice and allows us to react quickly. My

ambition is to enable the long-term planning

of services such as inspections and

upgrades to release the capacities needed

to offer services more quickly.

So, do i understand it correctly that you plan to expand the capacities? That is definitely our aim. Based on the new

organisation chart I can already tell today

where we will need more staff in the future.

In the next years, we will fill these positions

step by step. In doing so, we aim to take

full advantage of the spatial characteristics

of the workshop.

thank you for your time.

Services such as inspections and upgrades should be planned in the long-term to release the capacities needed to offer services more quickly.

The workshop in Leverkusen-Opladen has continuously further developed during the first eight years.

The number of staff has increased from around 20 to 40 people today, with an additional 7 apprentices.

20 DP UPDate

08-475/4S: overhaul and extensive repair incl. partial

refurbishment

the machine has been in operation for al-most 25 years. regular maintenance has paid off. this winter, the machine will not only be overhauled, but also fitted with the Smartalc (the automatic guiding computer of the latest generation) and the drP digital data recording processor.

09-475/4S: rotation speed modulation and overhaul

Put into operation eight years ago, the ma-chine will be overhauled and fitted with a rotation speed modulation for its hydraulic tamping units. the new feature makes it possible to modulate the rotation speed of tamping units during the individual work phases. the system increases the rotation speed when penetrating the ballast bed. as a result, the tamping tines penetrate highly compacted ballast beds more easily. at the same time, wear is demonstrably reduced. moreover, noise is reduced by 4 dba at a distance of 7.5 m.

SSP 110 D: rebuilding after fire damage

the front part of the machine (driver’s cabin, working cabin, incl. the engine com-partment and working system) of the SSP 110 d was damaged by fire. the entire vehicle must be build up again. only the frame and the working system (sweeper unit) in the rear part of the vehicle need not be repaired. at leverkusen-opladen main-tenance workshop, we will carry out all works required, including painting, commissioning and functional testing on track.

maIntEnancE WorkShoP

Winter season highlights in

leverkusen-opladenLeverkusen-Opladen maintenance workshop will be working to capacity until April 2019. Here are a few

examples of what we will be doing this winter season.

In the coming winter, the Leverkusen-Opladen maintenance workshop will be working to capacity. The preparations are already under way.

SPare & Wear PartSFaCtS & FiGUreS

More than

13.000parts on stock 100.000+

parts available

Ersatz- &Verschleiß-

teile

weitere Lager

7

280.000parts delivered

each year

11.500different parts

delivered

11.500verschiedeneTeile geliefert

More than

13.000parts on stock

100.000+parts available

Ersatz- &Verschleiß-

teile

weitere Lager7

280.000parts delivered

each year

11.500different parts

delivered

11.500verschiedeneTeile geliefert

More than

13.000parts on stock

100.000+parts available

Ersatz- &Verschleiß-

teile

weitere Lager7

280.000parts delivered

each year

11.500different parts

delivered

11.500verschiedene

Teile geliefert

More than

13.000parts on stock

100.000+parts available

Ersatz- &

Verschleiß-teile

weitere Lager7

280.000parts delivered

each year

11.500different parts

delivered

11.500verschiedene

Teile geliefert

DP UPDate 21

neW MaChine & FUnCtion For vr toolthe development of our virtual reality tool (vr tool) introduced in the last issue of dP update is progressing well. another 3d model of a machine, the track Working vehicle (gaF), is now available, and we presented it to an interested professional audience at Innotrans 2018.the functionality was also expanded. It is now possible to move objects to defined positions. For example, the crane of the gaF can be extended at the push of a button.

We are working hard on developing this instrument further. Watch this space!

With the Track Working Vehicle (GAF) another 3D model has been added to our VR Tool.

neWS

22 DP UPDate

SErvIcE In Poland

expansion and modernisation

The Polish railway construction market is on the move. Rapid modernisation is taking place, with regard to machines as well as processes. There are also changes in services to which Deutsche Plasser

Poland has responded with an expansion of the services it offers.

In the well-equipped workshop in Poland small service work can be carried out, and field service work can be prepared well.

Under the management of Wojciech Musial,

Deutsche Plasser Poland has considerably expanded

and modernised its service offering.

DP UPDate 23

“We offer our Polish customers a comprehensive and flexible service: competent and focussed

on their requirements.”

Wojciech MusialManager, Polish office

„t

his modernisation is the result of the increased use of public funds to improve the railway infrastructure in Poland. In the period from 2014 to

2020, the Polish government will invest more than 10 billion Euro for this purpose.

Changes in service strategiesmany Polish railway construction companies, too, are modernising their processes. Up to now, machines were often serviced, main-tained and repaired in the companies’ own workshops, but of late a clear trend towards outsourcing can be noticed.the services offered by deutsche Plasser are perfectly positioned for such an ap-proach to maintenance. We have invested in the expansion and modernisation of our services to meet the increased demands of the market.

More service engineersthe number of service engineers in Poland has been doubled to meet the increased demand for services. Instead of previously four, eight members of our staff are now looking after Plasser & theurer machines in Poland. due to the high level of demand, further expansion of this team is being considered for next year.

DigitalisationFurthermore, all service engineers have been equipped with tablets and our own mobile app. this way many documents can be drawn up and sent electronically directly after completion of work. this facilitates the internal data exchange and documents can be processed in the office straight away, which accelerates the processes noticeably.

New service offeringsthe basic tasks of our Polish subsidiary are not affected. our efforts to offer our Polish customers the best possible service based on their requirements continue to be at the centre of our attention.to be able to fulfil this claim even better in future, deutsche Plasser Poland under the management of Wojciech musial is setting new trends: “our aim is a custom-made service for our customers, from unexpected repairs, planned maintenance and overhauls to complete servicing of a machine fleet.”

Ready for the futuredeutsche Plasser Poland is thus ready for the future of the Polish railway construc-tion industry. new and expanded service offerings, a noticeably larger team and the use of new technologies ensure that our Polish subsidiary will remain the first choice of Polish machine operators in future.

An app supports our service engineers in Poland in their daily work and helps

speed up processes.

!Expansion and Modernisation

24 DP UPDatewww.deutsche-plasser.de/en

have you received our new service catalogue?

If not, let us know and we will send you a copy!