- Improvements in maintenance efficiency, safety and operational continuity
Management of cars, tracks and locomotives is a competitive advantage created by FCAB for sustainable growth of the business. In 2022, Maintenance Management introduced the SIGAF Railway Asset Management System, which combined with the LEAF (Lean Management) continuous improvement cycle, allowed focused actions to achieve the correct operation of the tracks.
On the one hand, an effective monitoring plan was designed by carrying out visual, geometric, ultrasound and dynamic studies.
In relation to maintaining road quality, preventive and corrective maintenance was defined with the support of the validation of processes and new maintenance training unit.
“Thanks to this, in the last year (YTD July), the rate of road de-icing has been reduced by 53%, with 13 fewer incidents recorded, while road and station de-icing has decreased by 57%. Similarly, the failure rate has decreased by 58%, which is 30% lower than in 2022. equal to failures. And to strengthen our predictive maintenance strategy, we will continue to integrate technology into our processes for greater efficiency, safety and the quality of our transport services.” explained Christian Cordillo, Head of FCAB Reliability Division.
In this sequence, a monitoring system capable of detecting defects in the road and classifying them according to the degree of dynamic impact is implemented. This is Vehicle Track Interact (VTI) which allows scanning of the entire railway in 48 hours using sensors installed on train locomotives.
The tool detects invisible problems in real-time and sends reports to software called Track IT, which is monitored 24/7 by Technical Maintenance Control Center (TMCC) personnel.
Once an alert is detected, a speed alert is generated at the indicated location and goes through the planning cycle for inspection and repair. Reliability Engineer Juan Maita Aguilar explains: “The VTI is being tested in the high-traffic area from Terminal Mejillones to Terminal Spence, and we hope to install it on 4 locomotives this year. Until now we have had good results in detecting hidden defects in the eyes of our technicians and track technicians, which has led to the implementation of the repair cycle. This technology contributes to continuity, productivity and operational safety.
Its use strengthens effective monitoring of railways by predicting its behavior. Additionally, it allows for better utilization of trains.
