In a world of ever-increasing mobility, travel and transportation companies can benefit from planning asset management strategically and considering factors such as risk, reliability, and impact. Not doing so will reduce speed and efficiency while increasing cost.
As such, providing safe, reliable, and comfortable rail transportation that’s enhanced for the digital age is at the center of rail and transportation company SBB’s vision. Through a relentless focus on this vision, the company is benefitting from a complete digital transformation of maintenance practices. This helps SBB to drive continuous improvement through new and innovative maintenance practices.
SAP recently hosted an industry forum about asset management and reliability in the new digital age with leading global solution providers and consultants. Featured speakers included:
- Urs Gehrig, senior consultant, Business Development, Lead Integration Management SAP S/4HANA SBB Infrastructure, SBB, Swiss Federal Railways
- Tom Kurtz, global solution lead, Intelligent Asset Management, SAP
Here are the key takeaways and experiences regarding SBB’s asset management and reliability practices.
Current Challenges Require Dynamic Adaptation
Companies in the travel and transportation industry cannot remain stagnant. Businesses must always pivot and adapt. Embracing digital transformation enables companies to react with speed and flexibility to increasingly complex business challenges.
By viewing the operational context of fixed and movable assets, companies can have a better idea of where they are succeeding or falling short. In addition to dynamically adapting to modern challenges, companies like SBB need to create strategies for asset management that allow them to operate their assets in the most cost-effective manner possible.
Asset Lifecycle Is the Heart of Digital Transformation
As the backbone of the Swiss public transport system, SBB AG plays a vital role in keeping the country moving. Every day, the rail company transports 1.25 million passengers on more than 6,000 trains across Switzerland and into neighboring countries. The company had already recognized the changing mobility patterns and customers’ rising expectations for their travel experience. Therefore, SBB invests in modern, high-performance train sets. The company expects that these trains will help deliver quality customer experiences and ensure train services are safe, comfortable, and punctual for all customers.
By investing in modern fleets, SBB knows that it is vital to gain maximum return on its investment. For the rail company to gain optimal operational use of its new, technologically advanced train sets, SBB also needs to enhance its fleet maintenance processes. To accomplish this, SBB reviews its end-to-end asset management practices for all asset types, including real estate, logistics, rolling stock, and infrastructure.
Reliability Centered Maintenance Is Key
Asset management requires a multi-faceted strategy to help drive peak asset performance. Reliability-centered maintenance is a cornerstone of such a multi-faceted strategy.
As a forward-thinking industry leader, SBB is adopting reliability-centered maintenance practices as a core part of its asset management improvement journey.
SBB is also integrating additional SAP Intelligent Asset Management solutions into its operational processes. With real-time data and analysis, the rail company will be able to gain asset performance insights. These insights can allow it to predict and manage issues before they arise.
Every business is unique, even if they are in the same industry. Asset management improvement does not follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach. What is important is for companies to make an effective start to optimize asset availability to grow more efficiently.
Did you miss “SBB’s Asset Management and Reliability Journey in The Digital Age” webinar? Watch the replay.
Johann Schachtner is Travel & Transportation Industry solution manager at SAP.
