Smart Maintenance – Better Public Transportation.

The KVB workshops make a considerable contribution in ensuring that public transportation runs smoothly. In the main workshop, in four (five starting 2023) rail yards and – if necessary – also on site, around 540 employees not only carry out regular maintenance work but are also well equipped for unforeseen repairs – day and night, 365 days a year.

That’s why it is worth investing in a smart maintenance management system – even if it is elaborate at first. After all, even the best software must be adapted to the processes, linked to existing systems such as accounting or purchasing, and, of course, all employees must be comprehensively trained.

In this case, the first step was to review which so-called enterprise asset management system (EAM) should be used. An update of the system that had already been in use for years, or perhaps that of another manufacturer? A lot of work was needed to make an informed decision here. The specific requirements of all relevant departments in the workshop itself, as well as those of purchasing, accounting, controlling, materials management and vehicle scheduling, had to be compiled and consolidated. It was to be an integrative system; isolated applications did not qualify.

In the end, the decision was made for an update and thus for the EAM system IBM Maximo 7.6. The preparation of the requirement specifications for the new system took 18 months. After an EU-compliant tendering process, the RODIAS specialists were able to start with the actual work, the so-called system integration. During the next 30 months of the project, the specifications were implemented, and, after extensive training of the employees, the system was put into operation in the streetcars sector. A short time later, the sector of buses/vehicles followed and a little after that the ticket machines.

Both KVB and software supplier IBM were full of praise for the RODIAS specialists: “They understand our business. They know what we need.”“