Working together to digitalize rail

Customer Success Story

In partnership with Schaeffler, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has made significant progress with the digitalization of its fleet. The basis for the new life cycle management of bearing data is a data matrix code (DMC) on the axlebox bearings that allows data on the bearing history – from production to operation and maintenance – to be retrieved and shared between various companies worldwide.

The collaboration with SBB is a good illustration of where the digitalization journey in rail operations is heading and how the mutual exchange of data benefits both parties. Identifying weak spots in good time helps manufacturers, operators and passengers in equal measure.

We have a pioneering solution package that we now want to open up to the market.

says Kurt Baumgaertner, Manager Reconditioning at Schaeffler

Advantages
Challenge
Solution
What´s Special
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Advantages

Benefits for our customers:

Storage of all bearing-related data over the entire life cycle
End-to-end traceability of all processes
Predictive maintenance thanks to timely identification of weak points
Information gain for process and production optimizations
Enabler for 100% return service within the framework of bearing reconditioning
Basis for fast, reliable and sustainable action

Challenge

SSB was focusing primarily on digitalization and sustainability with a view to making the company fit for the future. Two of the most important issues associated with axlebox bearing maintenance were:

Collecting product data: Manufacturing data (manufacturing location and date, axial clearance, grease quantity, type and batch), operating data (service life, hot box detection report,vibration data, grease analyses) and reconditioning data (condition, measured values, photos).
Systematic reconditioning of rail bearings with the aim of achieving a 100% return rate.

There was rapid consensus that the direct exchange of bearing data based on a data matrix code (DMC) to GS1 standard needed to become the focus of the collaboration in order to meet these goals.

The technical implementation turned out to be much more challenging. Both parties had to link a lot of different systems with one another to enable the digital data collection.

Schaeffler achieved this by:

purchasing a laser marking system to apply the DMC during the manufacturing process
establishing a Schaeffler-EPCIS interface for direct data exchange with the customer

Solution

A serialized Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is encrypted in a machine-readable GS1 data matrix barcode. This in turn is lasered directly onto the inner and outer ring of the bearing. A laser-engraved barcode like this is the best option in harsh environments where labels could potentially fall off. It allows Schaeffler and its customers the necessary traceability over the entire production and value creation chain – from the place of manufacture to operation, maintenance and repair work.

In short, the DMC creates the prerequisite for generating a digital twin of the bearing. It provides information and details of the features of an axlebox bearing throughout its entire life cycle.

Digital Maintenance

Since having the DMC applied to the axlebox bearings, SBB has been able to manage rail vehicle maintenance at component level. The history of a new axlebox bearing, installed and commissioned for the first time, is allocated to a specific vehicle in serialized form. Once the bearing is in operation, other defined operating data are continually added to its digital twin, allowing maintenance intervals and overhauls to be scheduled efficiently.

The DMC on the axlebox bearings allows SBB to correlate damage patterns with operating data like service life, route profile or wagon load.

Reconditioning: Data exchange based on a data matrix code

For every axlebox bearing that SBB sends to Schaeffler for reconditioning, we send back a fully functioning bearing for the upcoming operating cycle. This 100% Return service offers our customers 100% predictability. There are two models to choose from:

Model 1.0:

Following reconditioning, the customer gets back exactly the same bearings they sent in. We automatically replace defective bearings, so that the customer always has an identical number of bearings in stock again.

Model 2.0:

This model offers immediate delivery of compatible, reconditioned bearings. In other words, as soon as our customer notifies us that they are sending a batch of bearings for reconditioning, we send them compatible, fully reconditioned bearings from our inventory. In doing so, we guarantee full functional reliability for the up-coming operating cycle.

What's Special

SBB is blazing a trail

In the course of the pilot project with SBB, a comprehensive exchange of data on the axlebox bearings used and the 100% return bearing reconditioning service using the Model 1.0 option were successfully implemented. Both processes are functioning successfully and reliably in practical operation.

Thousands of axlebox bearings under digital management
The key advantages for SBB are:

Simple information about the number of bearings installed
Fast identification of those bearings showing excessive signs of wear

This is a huge help to SBB when it comes to permanently improving the availability of rail vehicles and reducing fault-related outages to a minimum.

With a data matrix code (DMC) as shown on this axlebox bearing, every single bearing can be clearly identified over its entire service life.

Reconditioning of bearings

A further advantage is the general optimization and acceleration of maintenance processes, especially through the reconditioning of bearings. So far, around 2,500 bearings have been reconditioned based on the 100% Return Model 1.0. This has reduced SBB’s workload enormously, because we replace all defective bearings and send them back along with the reconditioned bearings.

Savings thanks to reconditioning of axlebox bearings compared with new production:

Total Saving	Equivalent to
CO₂ savings of 534 t	one car journey of 3.2 million km one rail journey of 12.4 million km one flight of 2.2 million km

On top of that 1923 MWh of energy and 7055 m³ of water are saved.