Rolling stock manufacturer Siemens has opened a new facility for digital and predictive locomotive maintenance in Delaware, USA.
A team of 16 full-time engineers will remotely monitor Siemens trains on a daily basis by collecting and analysing more than 800 units of data from each locomotive.
This work will help to diagnose issues before they become problematic for such customers as: Amtrak, the Maryland Transit Administration, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Brightline, and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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Siemens will also conduct maintenance training from the 44,000 square-foot hub in New Castle, using virtual-reality technology, as well as distribute spare locomotive parts across the USA.
Siemens USA CEO Judy Marks said: “This is a key investment for Siemens in our largest market in the world.
“Trains were the preeminent invention of the first industrial revolution, but today they exemplify a fourth in which software is converging with advanced manufacturing.
“Siemens’ locomotives now come out of our U.S. manufacturing plants born digital; they’re computers on steel wheels that constantly collect data.
“Now, in New Castle, our technicians and engineers will make this data actionable for our customers.
“That’s major value added for railroads striving for even higher levels of safety and reliability.”
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