Rail leasing wagon specialist VTG UK has collaborated with digital software company 3Squared on a project designed to help bring wagon maintenance management into the 21st century. They have developed ProActive Maintenance (PAM), an online and mobile app to replace inefficient paper-based systems.

PAM will enable VTG to collate and analyse data more efficiently, giving it the basis for it to act as a condition-based management tool that can identify trends and predict when a fleet of wagons begins to show signs of a technical problem.

Sam Hunt, PAM Project Manager for VTG, said: “There’s a lot of useful information available but is currently very difficult to obtain, especially on a regular basis. We therefore want to capture as much of this information through PAM and then use it to improve our maintenance regime.

Streamline

“From tracking wheelset wear to following component failure trends, we hope to be able to streamline our maintenance to further improve on our industry-leading wagon availability and reliability, ultimately saving time and money for all stakeholders. Having a system that links to existing systems and predicts when a wagon might need attention would be a major benefit.”

Tim Jones, managing director of 3Squared added: “PAM is a first for the industry that, through the application of technology and digitisation, will bring VTG closer to its customers and suppliers. Currently all maintenance records are written on paper and filed away, which means that no one is using this valuable information to its full potential.

Effectiveness

“PAM will enable VTG, as both wagon lessor and Entity in Charge of Maintenance, to provide an even higher quality service to its customers, improving the effectiveness of its operations thanks to better information and insight in partnership with its suppliers. It will improve visibility of the maintenance process for all parties, provide an enhanced level of detail and increase the timeliness of information delivery to help individuals make more informed decisions,” he said.

“PAM will also provide VTG with a solid and scalable technology platform that can grow and change as the demands of the business change. This will give VTG the capability to move PAM and its data into areas such as predictive modelling and preventative maintenance,” added Jones.