Use Case

Rail:  Keeping Maintenance-of-Way Equipment On Track

15%

Decrease maintenance-of-way equipment operating costs

10%+

Faster response to impacted locations

Streamline Equipment maintenance for increased utilization

Overview:  Supporting Rail Infrastructure and Safety
A major manufacturer of rail maintenance-of-way machines and equipment was looking for a flexible mobile machine IoT solution that supports a broad range of industry-specific data points. The company’s equipment is built for rail replacement, tie renewals, surfacing, ballast replacement, inspections, spot repairs, and routine maintenance. With a broad operational geography across North America, uptime for the machines was critical to ongoing rail operations and safety. Monitoring the health of rail service equipment requires support for 80+ critical data points including machine locations, hydraulic system pressure, operating temperatures, air system pressure, hydraulic filter status, electronic controls, and more.  Plus, service needs to be performed from anywhere on the continent to machines in the field, so over-the-air software updates, and remote machine access is critical.
The Solution:  Progressive Rail Mobile Machine IoT
The mobile machine IoT solution is designed to monitor critical data points for the health of every piece of deployed equipment leading to increased uptime and open, well-maintained, and safe rail infrastructure. The solution provides flexibility to monitor as many signals as necessary on each machine. The sensors and controllers provide the machine data points including monitoring 80+ signals. Operations are monitored remotely providing software updates, command and control, and faster parts and service requisition. Predictive maintenance and proactive alerts are sent to operations management leading to faster response times and enhanced upkeep of rail systems. Uptime and reliability key to the infrastructure of North America are improved with the progressive mobile machine IoT technology.

Together, the integrated hardware and application helps avoid the massive cost associated with rail segments taken out of service. The solution is designed to keep rail infrastructure healthy, safe, and flowing.
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The Results: Sustainable Rail System
Now, with the help of Elevāt Machine Connect, the rail maintenance-of-way equipment manufacturer provides its rail customers with more reliable machines and ultimately better rail infrastructure maintenance and reliability. This keeps goods and resources flowing across the continent and eliminates roadblocks associated with rail maintenance. Annual costs associated with rail maintenance continue to increase and have been estimated at up to $125,000 per mile for relatively straight track segments with primarily freight traffic. With increased use, tonnage on the track, and high speeds for passenger trains, the costs can exceed this estimate. Remote servicing and trouble-shooting on maintenance-of-way machines and over-the-air updates deliver healthy track infrastructure and assist in keeping costs in check. Timely maintenance and addressing normal wear and tear as well as weakened rail components are crucial elements of a safe and sustainable rail infrastructure system. Elevāt Machine Connect makes it easy to keep rail maintenance equipment running and, by extension, keeping commerce flowing.
Elevāt Web Application - Rail
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