Why CMMS Software Is Crucial for the Railway Sector Globally?

For a successful and well-maintained railway system, the most basic and necessary part is its maintenance. Everybody knows that a train contains thousands of moving parts. It is made up of complex mechanical and electrical systems.

If the railway administration wants to be reliable and secure for the customer then the equipment should always have to be in top condition. Regular maintenance is an essential part, for achieving this objective.

However, maintenance is costly & it is also inevitable. Incase if maintenance is not done regularly then it can result in fatal consequences, such as unexpected breakdown, delayed trip, it can jeopardize several lives, and a lot of money spend on maintenance. We know that a negative impact can dilute the brand image.

Therefore, maintenance scheduling of assets shall be done on time of each asset. CMMS (Computerized maintenance management system) Software helps the railway industry by scheduling maintenance.

Depending on the situation, it provides several maintenance techniques such as preventive maintenance, condition-based maintenance, emergency maintenance, etc.

What is CMMS Software?

CMMS stands for the computerized maintenance management system. It is created to assist you in all kinds of maintenance tasks, their scheduling and after that keeping all the data updated.

CMMS Software assists in scheduling tasks of maintenance for assets. It makes a maintenance worker's job easy & more effective. CMMS software also keeps all the records of all the assets. From the rail sector's view of professional maintenance, CMMS maintenance management software is the best software.

Not just that, with CMMS Sofware you can create work orders and track them too. You will also notice an improved daily operation.

Also Read: What is the Difference between EAM and CMMS?

Why the Railway Sector Should Pay Attention to Maintenance?

As there are plenty of assets in the railway sector. They need maintenance regularly!

However, maintenance does not mean repairing assets when it is not working. It is a regular practice for keeping your assets & equipment maintained.

As a professional practice, one should emphasize maintenance rather than repairment, especially in the railway industry. In simple words, to keep your equipment in good working condition, routine maintenance should be done on assets and equipment for their smooth functionality.

According to Wikipedia,

“Indian Railways, the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with a route length of 67,368-kilometre (41,861 mi), as of March 2017. About 50% of the routes are electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC electric traction while 33% of them are double or multi-tracked. In the year ending March 2018, IR carried 8.26 billion passengers and transported 1.16 billion tonnes of freight. Indian Railway (IR) runs more than 20,000 passenger trains daily, on both long-distance and suburban routes, from 7,349 stations across India.”

Again, from the same source, in March 2017, Indian Railways' rolling stock consisted of 277,987 freight wagons, 70,937 passenger coaches and 11,452 locomotives.

These numbers are huge! Now imagine, how complex would it be to keep them maintained!

A whole new specific department would be required at various locations to keep track of the maintenance of trains, tracks, platforms, traffic light systems, etc. The equipment, assets, and inventories are also needed to be tracked, in order to perfect asset management of railways. Therefore, CMMS Software for the railway sector should be implemented for the easy and smooth running of various parts, equipment, and tools.

How CMMS Software Is Beneficial for the Railway Sector?

Except for maintenance, CMMS software provides numerous other advantages in the railway sector such as it increases asset's life, keeps asset records, etc.

We have described several advantages below.

1. Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance (PM) is "a routine for periodically inspecting" with the goal of "noticing small problems and fixing them before major ones develop." Ideally, "nothing breaks down."

The main aim of preventive maintenance is to make the next maintenance activity without any breakdown and failure of machines or equipment. It includes activities such as partial or complete servicing at specified periods, oil changes, lubrication, etc.

Preventive maintenance helps the railway sector a lot especially in terms of saving money. It can save up to 20 to 30 percent of expenses on maintenance.

2. Data analytics

CMMS Software offers a better way to gather, analyze, and apply equipment information to enhance efficiency and productivity. Track how your assets such as trains are being utilized and how they are performing, like operational hours, mileage, etc.

Through the data, managers can review, prioritize, assign, and track work orders from their desktop, mobile phone, or tablet. Technicians are notified of new maintenance work orders. It enables managers to generate a customized report from the asset's downtime to its maintenance.

CMMS Software provides crucial data & information which assists higher management to take decisions and make future plans. It also alerts the team about the recent work order.

Also Read: Why Rail Assets Require Efficient Asset Management Software?

3. Maximize asset potential

Maximize asset to its full potential! How to do that?

By providing maintenance from time to time. Let us take an example of an average life of a train which is 45 years, however, if it is not properly taken care it will reduce the life of train, increase its downtime & its maintenance cost.

But if maintenance is done on time it will not only work effectively but it will also increase the train's life. Its downtime will also decrease, and maintenance expenses will be saved too.

In business, everybody has to stay updated. So, when an updated version is launched to specific equipment, chances are you will also try to sell your old equipment for the new one. Therefore, one must perform the maintenance activity to get the maximum resale value.

4. Increasing security

Security is one of the most important areas where the railway industry must pay attention to. An unmaintained asset or a sudden breakdown of an asset can lead to human injuries or accidents of employees and travelers. Thankfully it can be avoided if correct precautions are taken.

CMMS software tracks maintenance and let you know when was the last maintenance done when will the next to be required. This software minimizes risk and maximizes security for your employees & travelers. It will also reduce insurance costs as you are taking precautions to avoid accidents & injuries.

5. Predictive maintenance

This maintenance activity is also done in advance which means solving issues in advance. This activity is more like a precaution to escape problems. The main objective of predictive maintenance is to determine the condition of equipment & machines in order to know when the maintenance activity can be done.

This is one of the promising ways of cost-saving. It also helps in estimating the degradation stage of an asset, equipment, and machine.

Note: Both of the above are proactive maintenance activity which takes place after a particular period of time defined by the company; such as 30 days or 45 days especially predictive maintenance.

Also Read: Simplifying the physical verification processes with asset tracking tools

Conclusion

In the end, we can say that CMMS Software is definitely important for the railway sector. When you do not take care of your assets, machines, and equipment efficiently.

Then your organization might end up in a loss, but it can be avoided if correct maintenance activity is done on time.

As a result, the activity can extend equipment life! The railways should definitely avail of equipment maintenance software of Asset infinity for their safe and smooth working.