Hitachi Rail has launched the DX train maintenance as a service solution that will improve the work environment and the quality of train maintenance for railway operators, using the digital expertise in train manufacturing. This will be done by combining hardware and software expertise developed at Hitachi Rail’s Kasado Works in Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan.
In addition to hardware, the operators will be also able to use its expertise and IT solutions for team-building and production improvement DX (digital transformation) that have yielded results at Kasado Works. After the introduction of the service, work efficiency and quality will be continuously improved, contributing to the improvement of teamwork and motivation at work sites for railway operators.
In Japanese railway industry, the decline in the labour force due to the declining birthrate and aging population and the mobilisation of employment have made it a major challenge to secure human resources to engage in railway operations such as train maintenance. In addition, the work sites of railway operators today rely on paper-based progress management and OJT-based technical education, making it difficult to pass effectively and efficiently on technology while sharing the work environment. It is difficult for employees to see efforts to improve work at the site, and the impact on employee motivation is also a concern.
The DX train maintenance as a service enhances the efficiency and performance of the on-site team responsible for train maintenance, supports the creation of an environment where employees can work with high motivation, and contributes to secure personnel for railway operations and improve the efficiency and quality of work at the worksites.
Also at Kasado Works, the challenge is to share (visualise) the working environment at the train manufacturing site and the work situation within the team. The company has been working on overall optimisation at the production site and has built a team-building platform to improve teamwork and motivation. As a result, by sharing (visualising) the work environment, which had been left to teams and individuals before the introduction of the system, the team was able to quickly consider and implement countermeasures in the event of work delays or sudden vacancies, thereby improving employee safety and motivation. Train maintenance DX as a service is a development of this platform for train maintenance.
By using this team-building platform, railway operators can visualise the work environment on sites, where each railway operator has accumulated a lot of skills and expertise independently, and it can lead to the revitalisation of communication and improvement of motivation of the on-site team.
In addition, Hitachi Rail’s initiatives of vehicle metaverse using 3D drawings in train manufacturing, as well as automatic inspection technology for components failure and deterioration using AI, will enable railway operators to further improve the quality and efficiency of train maintenance, as well as improve and pass on skills.
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