The Challenge
German railway operator, Deutsche Bahn (DB) AG, had no clear structure for condition-based maintenance (CBM) use cases. Standards and methods to set up a fully functioning CBM environment were missing and there was a complete lack of comprehensive approaches throughout all of its projects and initiatives. There was also the issue that different areas had approached the issue from different perspectives and in isolation from each other, which needed to be synchronized. Eraneos was drafted in to help.
Installing a structured approach to set a basis for future CBM use cases, demonstrating the true potential of data-driven decision-making in maintenance.
The approach
Our first port of call was to set up and coordinate a cross-functional team of engineers, maintenance experts, and data analysts within the company to perform a thorough analysis of all the processes involved alongside any technological background and historic maintenance data.
Next, we defined data governance guidelines and standards as well as created a data value chain with corresponding quality criteria that future condition-based maintenance activities would be based on. An overall CBM target picture, including every existing project and initiative, was created to provide transparency. We then developed a use case funnel logic to evaluate use case readiness and provided a company-wide common understanding of its use case approach.
Deutsche Bahn AG is a federally-owned mobility and transport group with rail at its core. The company operates most of the German rail network as well as the majority of rail transport in the country and is also active internationally in the transport and logistics sector. The company employs over 320,000 people and generated total revenues of €47 billion in 2021. The Group’s passenger transport companies carried around 2.9 billion passengers on their trains and buses in 2020. There are around 600 affiliated companies under the DB Group umbrella.
The result
The project resulted in much better collaboration for use cases across DB AG’s projects and initiatives. This helped to create a much easier exchange of data as well as clearer communication of data-related topics. A ‘single projects’ approach was also replaced with that of an overarching CBM approach for every initiative, allowing for easier implementation of dynamic CBM processes into older, more antiquated processes.
Let’s create sustainable change together
Boris Ricken
Partner
Manufacturing