Published date: 27 August 2020
Published date: 27 August 2020As the world of railways and transportation networks has evolved, so have our solutions. Having started out providing a pure AMIS system, over the years, we’ve grown that into a smarter integrated workplace management system, and we now provide maintenance management systems, performance management systems and enterprise workplace management systems around the globe – specifically to the rail industry.
Agility: A modern AMIS to support the complexities of transportation.
Asset Maintenance Information Systems (AMIS) are used to manage assets, equipment and resources across a number of industries, including the transportation industry.
As the world of railways and transportation networks has evolved, so have our solutions.
Having started out providing a pure AMIS system, over the years, we’ve grown that into a smarter integrated workplace management system, and we now provide maintenance management systems, performance management systems and enterprise workplace management systems around the globe – specifically to the rail industry.
Agility, provides transport maintenance managers with a clear understanding of their assets to keep operations running smoothly, anticipate repairs, report incidents and help teams achieve key service levels.
What’s unique about Agility is that it can capture accurate data, which enables companies to identify areas for improvement and report on real-time performance in line with current and future needs. On top of a standard AMIS, we offer performance management, which means we can configure the system to self-manage the contracts and the platform itself can schedule work orders, provide condition assessments over an asset’s life cycle and monitor inventory levels and purchasing.
For most transportation networks, maintaining clear and accurate maintenance logs is a key contract requirement. What Agility enables the providers to do is automatically calculate maintenance or asset events against key performance indicators such as miles served or trips completed.
“Our key role in the transport sector is in helping our clients operate and maintain their systems to the highest standards to deliver performance information, asset management and network maintenance. Possibly the major strength of the Agility suite is providing a proactive data picture to anticipate the need for scheduled works, rather than simply reporting interruptions to the network once it’s already too late.” – Amber Hart, Commercial Manager
Agility and Legacy Systems
For the rail industry, implementing a smart AMIS system usually requires access to data being produced by legacy systems. Fortunately, we have the experience deploying Agility on both new and historical systems, some of which have been operating since the 19th century, and we have the knowledge to collate data from a range of sources.
In the rail industry, data is not always organised in a way that is immediately interpretable and actionable. This is why we sit down and discuss the legacy systems that operators have, the constraints they have in terms of data and where servers are located. We do this because there’s a variety of rail systems out there, and we know that one of the key offers to the rail industry is a consultative, outcomes-based approach.
With data often siloed into different areas, the effectiveness of a smart asset management solution is dependent upon getting contrasting systems to work together. Certain areas of operations may have their own, existing maintenance management systems, which will not be integrated across a network’s operations to be able to provide transparent information. However, we have managed to overcome this with Agility as the software can take data from any system, interpret it and create an action.
“One of our recent examples is looking at creating a data-lake from lots of different systems and then analysing that data-lake and bringing those actionable insights back to the client from multiple systems. That SCADA system there may not talk to anything, or if it does talk to something, it’s got to go to a server behind 10 firewalls and it’s got to be housed in a room full of lead. But now, with a true software as a service (SaaS) deployment in secure Microsoft Azure, you have a huge amount of flexibility.” – James MacPherson, Chief Executive Officer (ASPAC)
Just like each area of operations may have its own data and control systems, in a complex transportation network, there are multiple subcontractors or parties contributing to a network. By bringing data from these parties together without needing to replace each system, we can provide a comprehensive look at a network’s assets and operations.
Deploying Agility
No two transportation systems are the same, which is why we have developed Agility to be flexible to the needs and requirements of each network, without the need to create a bespoke solution each time. Everything is built into the configuration of the system, which is designed by the users, for the users.
Edinburgh Trams, a 14-kilometre, 16-stop network between Edinburgh Airport and the city centre, switched to using Agility a number of years ago. An existing and necessary AMIS system had to remain in place, so Agility was overlaid on the system.
We took the asset register from the existing AMIS and placed the contract against it – then feeding that information back to the existing AMIS once the job was completed.
In Nottingham, Agility has been deployed on the tram network for almost 10 years. The system is used by 135 users on 24/7 shifts, collects passenger feedback, is used by service teams on mobile devices and is the central control room log – making it the reference point for all operational events.
With Agility providing fast and accurate data insight into linear asset management, processes and people – automating the reporting of these tasks – transportation networks can reduce work completion times by 35%.