NS is constantly looking for sustainable and financially advantageous solutions. The overhaul of train wheels is a good example of this. NS Equipment & Maintence has built a new factory especially for this purpose at the existing overhaul location in Haarlem, where worn-out bogies or wheel sets are given a second life. Each year, 1,100 bogies and 3,000 wheel sets are overhauled so that they can last another 1.2 million kilometres.
The installations required for the overhaul of wheelsets are controlled by the AspenTech Manufacturing Execution System (MES). CIMSOLUTIONS has deployed the Senior Project Manager, who is responsible for the entire IT Program, which includes setting up the MES, having 17 ESB interfaces built, adjustments to SAP/MAXIMO and Baan and all infrastructure required for the factory. The MES is the link between the customer’s request from the ERP system and the machines that must deliver the product. In simple terms, MES digitally controls the machines in the overhaul process, ensures that they start and stop on time, and collects all necessary measurement and processing data. MES controls the production machines and registers each operation. MES follows each individual part during the overhaul via barcode labels. In this way, the more than one hundred measurements that are carried out on each wheelset can be registered and stored.
It was a very exciting and important project for NS. Together we have realized a great IT solution for the business.
Marcel Staring, IT Manager NS
