09.05.14
Information management improves efficiency
Steve Brown, business development director at the transport technology provider Tracsis plc, explores ways in which relatively simple software can improve productivity within rail operations.
Rail companies have tended to adopt a ‘firefighting’ approach to information capture and management, and reporting and communication of performance. This has resulted in poor data quality and time consuming recording and reporting, including poorly tailored levels of data provision with no audit trail or ownership of incidents and actions.
One of the most common problems encountered is the planning and control of rolling stock movements, or fleet diagramming. To address this problem, Tracsis has developed a comprehensive specialised rolling stock planning tool with extensive reporting functionality.
Importantly, this does not replace the skill of the human planner but does reduce the repetitive nature of the work, reduces errors and massively simplifies the wealth of reporting and publishing of data that is required by the planning office. This new software, TRACS-RS, was officially launched in February this year and is already seeing substantial take-up among operators and planners.
Understanding the current fleet situation leads filters through into the planning of train crew, an area in which Tracsis already has significant expertise through its well-known TRACS scheduling software. The panacea is to achieve real-time control of train crew and although optimisation of this remains beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful software, decision support tools can again hugely increase the power of the controller to take centralised, efficient decisions.
Many operators are now adopting specialist Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, such as Tracsis’ Compass, which is designed specifically to centralise and manage the flow of information within the business, and to tailor the level of information provided to both frontline and senior managers. This software can directly improve users’ efficiency and operational costs, as its ease of use means that fewer dedicated resources are required than for manual paper-based processes or even those using, for example, spreadsheets. The software is accessible from mobile devices such as smartphones and via the web, making it globally accessible for frontline staff.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Steve Brown, Business Development Director, Tracsis plc
T: +44(0)1332 226 860
E: [email protected]
W: www.tracsis.com