German companies Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Siemens are set to launch a pilot project for the predictive servicing and maintenance of the Series 407 Velaro D trains.
The project will run for a period of 12 months. Data received from the moving trains will provide advanced warning of impending faults and malfunctions to identify the sources of these problems through digitalised data analysis.
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Based on this, specialist staff will recommend corrective action to technicians at DB’s workshops for either acute or planned maintenance activities.
This data can be further used to avoid downtimes and increase overall fleet availability, resulting in cost-efficient vehicle operations.
Siemens Mobility Division CEO Jochen Eickholt said: "Siemens offers a digital service, unique in the industry, which makes it possible to precisely align maintenance work with the vehicle's actual status.
“With intelligent algorithms and precise analytics, availability is increased."
For one year, data received from the Velaro D fleet while the trains are running will be used to generate the necessary onboard diagnostics.
Data will be analysed at Siemens’ new Mobility Data Services Center in Munich in a central diagnostics system to calculate failure predictions, which will be used as the basis for validated recommendations for action.
The data analyses are based on algorithms and models that enable reliable predictions to be made about the future behaviour of vehicles, as well as components.
The operator and maintenance staff will receive all diagnostic data during operations. This will help to quickly monitor and take appropriate action regarding a vehicle’s current condition.
