Eurailscout has announced plans to work with Quintiq to provide enhanced integrated resource planning for its rail inspection and analysis operations.

Eurailscout conducts detailed inspections and analyses of over 8,000 switches and 100,000km of track across Europe to ensure a safe environment for railway operations. Among the defects that affect operations are faulty switches, which are responsible for up to 50% of costly disruptions every year.

Eurailscout’s in-depth knowledge of the condition of rail infrastructure allows them to flag these potential defects to its clients so that the appropriate maintenance resources can be promptly allocated to minimize disruptions and ensure continued rail safety.

Prior to engaging Quintiq, Eurailscout relied on Excel spreadsheets and bespoke systems to plan the resources required to inspect and monitor the infrastructure. As rail services across Europe increased, these legacy tools could no longer adequately address the increasing complexity of its planning challenges.

Eurailscout needed a system that could generate insight into planning decisions across multiple sites and planning horizons. It had to be able to synchronise data from the different planning teams to generate an integrated plan for work orders, inspection trains, equipment, and the workforce, which includes drivers, shunters and analysts throughout Europe.

Such a system would allow Eurailscout to minimise disruptions of daily operations and operate more efficiently.

Michael van Milt, chief financial officer at Eurailscout, said: "Staying on top of the market and maintaining our high standard of service to our clients is imperative for the safety of Europe’s railways. We needed a solution that could provide us with the visibility required to make both efficient and compliant plans."

Eurailscout selected Quintiq to provide its planning team with transparency across all resources and all locations. The solution – to be implemented by Ab Ovo, a solutions provider in advanced planning and scheduling – will enable Eurailscout planners to increase utilization by allocating appropriate resources to work orders and predicting potential consequences of different allocation scenarios.

The Quintiq solution will help planners to schedule the workforce in accordance with safety rules and labor laws with the aim to increase safety, compliance and employee satisfaction.

Willem Jan Groenewoud, chairman at Ab Ovo International, said: "Eurailscout required a solution that could integrate easily into its existing platforms and enhance workforce scheduling and resourcing.

"Ab Ovo was selected to implement the Quintiq software, which stood out from other technology providers. We’re confident that together we can ensure more accurate workforce plans that are compliant with European labor laws."

"Supporting Eurailscout’s workforce and resource puzzle is further testament to Quintiq technology’s capabilities in optimizing complex rail infrastructure planning," said Arthur Torsy, vice-president of EMEA at Quintiq.

"Based on our experience in delivering integrated solutions to our clients in the rail sector, our technology was selected to help create a collaborative environment for Eurailscout’s planners that will lead to improved efficiency and compliance."