Computerised Maintenance

Management Systems for Railways

using Big Data
Key Take-Away Points

Application of IoT and Big Data integration with Computerised

Maintenance Management Systems:

 Provides a Single Point of Truth (SPOT)

 Streamline rail maintenance planning and workflow process management

through automation

 Unlocking the next level of operational effectiveness in asset management

What is a Computerised Maintenance
Management System (CMMS)?

Computerised Maintenance Management System is a:

 Work Order Management System.

 Maintenance Notification System.

 Repository of Asset Lifecycle History

An Example of CMMS Functionality in the
case of the humble Point Machine

Train Control unable to call points –

Breakdown Notification in CMMS.

Manufacturer recommended Point Machine

Service is due – Planned Maintenance
Notification in CMMS

Track Inspector observes name plate

missing from Point Machine – Ad-Hoc
Notification created in CMMS
Break-Fix Approach to Maintenance

Scenario: Failed LED Signal Lamp

Action: Breakdown Notification is logged in

CMMS

Result: Work crew is dispatched to replace the

signal lamp

Issue: Unplanned outage, high cost to mobilise

crew at short notice. Production affected
Preventative Maintenance Approach

Scenario: Periodic maintenance advised by

manufacturer for point machines

Action: Planned work order logged in

advance in CMMS

Result: Work crew is dispatched to perform

maintenance

Issue: Labour intensive, maintenance

despite no failure, risk of causing damage
Ad-hoc Approach: Point Machine

Scenario: Rail Grinding

Action: Work order created in

CMMS

Result: Work crew is dispatched and

problem is fixed

Issue: Labour intensive, often not

effective and doesn’t provide
significant benefits
The Need for Change

 Traditional methods can be labour intensive

 Ignored planned maintenance increases the risk of catastrophic asset

failures which could result in critical operational and safety consequences

 Return of investment for activities are not realised

Maintenance is performed despite absence of failure

 Limitations of a standalone CMMS for
Maintenance

 Creates Work Orders with no traceability.

 Decision making process sits outside the System

 Lack of data analytics

IoT and Big Data in Rail
 Smarter Maintenance Strategies
Leveraging from Big Data Analytics

 Predictive Maintenance
Predicting maintenance interventions using the data rather than reacting. Still
requires data to support the decision making process.

 Risk Based Maintenance

Maintenance decision making based on asset criticality and risk. Still
requires data to understand frequency of failures.
 Reliability Centered Maintenance
Maintenance based on analysis of Failure modes and effects. Still
requires data to understand the failure modes.
 Failure of Big Data Applications

Lack of full Integration Leads to Data Silos

Fragment Systems & Data Storage

When information resides and gets reviewed in
different places it is possible to miss critical pieces
of the puzzle.

Ivory Tower Solutions

Looking only at products in the market without
understanding the requirements leads to
solutions that cannot be applied in a practical
way.
What is not happening presently?
Cross- Functional Communications

Big Data Analytic

driving decisions in
the CMMS

Measuring Point functionality of the CMMS

Fully Integrated Infrastructure
Management System –A Case Study

Rail Operator: Austrian Railway Company (OBB-Infrastruktur)

Issue: Asset intensive infrastructure & rising operation cost €2.75 billion
(Approx. AUD $4.38 billion)

Solution: Integrated Infrastructure Management (IIM) System

Result: Integrated all expert systems in one single application, thus avoiding
isolated applications and enabling easy access to information
Fully Integrated Infrastructure
Management System – A Case Study

Asset Classes – Austrian Railway

13,677 switches including 10,361 heated.
24,786 signals
1,069 stations
6,344 bridges
246 tunnels
3,278 level crossings
4,496 buildings
System Architecture of a Fully
Integrated System
Cockpit view of the entire network
Estimating Maintenance Costs based
on work history
Real time Reporting for Safety,
Quality and Costs
Benefits of a Fully Integrated CMMS

 Support in shut planning, because of better data integration in the CMMS

 Workforce automation based on predicted maintenance cycles vs planned

preventive maintenance cycles

 Central repository of condition monitoring data and maintenance history in

the same database.
Summary – Key Points

 An integrated Computerised Maintenance Management System is the

Single Point Of Truth (SPOT) for a business that is asset intensive.

Big Data and IoT need to feedback into Reliability Centered Maintenance
(RCM) process to manage planned maintenance activities in the CMMS.

 Using Big Data and IoT to unlock hidden values in Asset Management.
Questions ?

Thank You