Bombardier Transportation (ZWUS) Polska Sp. z o.o. is Poland’s leading manufacturer of rail vehicle traffic management, control and supervision systems and equipment. It has a history spanning over 80 years, during which it merged with the Alstom ZWUS group to create the largest transport company in Poland. Having been on the market for so many years, and with its dynamic growth, the company began to notice problems occurring in its internal operations.
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Implementation objective
The company had previously used systems to organise information transfer and communication with production, but over time, it became necessary to invest in a system for maintenance. A solution was tried, but unfortunately, it did not meet all of the company’s expectations.
Most of the company’s activities were based on digital documentation, which was difficult to manage. The company used several applications for data collection, reporting and maintenance support. However, over time, these proved to be insufficient – hence the idea: let’s implement CMMS.
How did the CMMS system help?
The main CMMS application, Profesal Maintenance, allows you to plan tasks and add information about employees and contractors. It allows you to collect documents, photos and contact details, making them quickly accessible and minimizing errors. In addition, mobile terminals for maintenance technicians (Profesal Mobile) facilitate work by providing efficient access to information such as failure history, machine data and scheduled tasks. Checklists are completed by filling in a form prepared by the main unit, ensuring that no individual tasks are overlooked and that the results are easily accessible and printable.
Service request handling was particularly important for Bombardier Transportation. Notifications received by technicians should be accepted immediately and corrective actions implemented as soon as possible.
The mySupport module enabled the implementation of the company’s chosen fault reporting model. Thanks to the application, which is accessible to the production department, one of the employees, after noticing a fault, can immediately send a service request with just a few clicks. Upon receiving an email notification, the technician launches the mobile application, which displays the most necessary information about the report and the machine on which it occurred. They can also view the failure history of a specific device, allowing them to find a proven solution.
With time spent using the system and learning its functionality in practice, the company decided to develop its capabilities in the maintenance department. It was decided to use sensors, thanks to which individual parameters can be monitored in a comprehensive manner, and the detection of irregularities is much easier. The need to install sensors is one thing, but another important aspect is the method of data collection and reporting of readings.
After discussions with Profesal employees, it was possible to maximise the benefits that the CMMS system can bring. Sensors were used, thanks to which data collection and analysis is possible in the same place as the management of other elements of the maintenance department. As part of the ASTOR group, Profesal enabled the purchase of the necessary components, and the integration allowed the company to introduce predictive measures based on data provided by sensors and automatic actions generated by the CMMS system.
,,The CMMS system supports our daily work and meets all our needs. We know that we can count on technical support, and that each subsequent project will be carried out in accordance with our requirements – reliably and professionally.”
Bartosz Grabiwoda, Non-Production Purchasing Specialist
The company is keen to take advantage of the opportunities offered by monitoring the status of sensors depending on the machines on which they are installed (temperature, humidity, forklift truck load status). These sensors collect data that is relevant to the company’s processes, but communicating this data to maintenance staff was not so easy. In order to improve internal communication, a new model for transmitting information was established: the status of the forklift charging station should be visible to the entire plant, and as part of a predefined scenario, a machine inspection should be generated when a specific parameter is detected.
Understanding the need to introduce a new working model, Profesal employees added new functionalities to the already implemented system. Using the Maintenance TV module, data collected from sensors is displayed in the form of visualisations on televisions installed in the plant. This enables fast and effective communication in the production department.
When the sensors mounted on the trolley chargers detect a set level, an inspection is generated along with a checklist, which technicians can accept from the mobile application in order to perform it efficiently.
The companies have been working together since 2019, and the system has undergone many modifications according to the customer’s needs. Consultations with Profesal employees and proposals from Bombardier Transportation have significantly influenced the current design of the Profesal Maintenance CMMS system.
