Brimble continues to innovate the rail maintenance sector and bring strong asset management to the fore of its operations.
With more than 100 railbound assets in its fleet and the majority of operational machines already upgraded to include asset monitoring technology, Brimble has created a clearer picture of its machines for the maintenance team.
Rail Express spoke with Michael Curby, general manager of Engineering, supervisor Mark Tuxford, and engineer Kaiden Ritchie to learn more about what the company is doing to improve its assets and minimise downtime.
“Growing our asset monitoring ability was an internal push from the Brimble team,” Curby said.
“By doing this, it allows us to simplify our machines, making training and use far easier.”
Diagnostics
The Brimble fleet is being updated to include more condition monitoring capabilities. While new machines have much of this technology built in, Brimble has also been adding the new technology to machines of varying ages already within the fleet.
“We can monitor the machines ourselves and change components when needed but in a perfect world we want to be changing out components before failure,” Curby explained.
“In the past, often a component would be changed out every six months because historically it failed every seven months – based off a procedure written 50 years ago. But in reality, that component can last three years. This is where the asset monitoring technology will be a game changer for us.”
The asset monitoring technology can track engine hours, how far the machines travelled and even how often the windscreen wipers were used. Brimble has also incorporated sensors that can give an indication of how many times the brakes were applied.
“A machine can work for a 12-hour shift but the clamps for example, might only be closed for three of those hours, this is the kind of information that is so critical for us,” Tuxford said. “For us, it really comes back to maintaining these machines with the smallest teams available to us.”
Curby said the challenges for Brimble as it grows will be maintaining its ever-expanding fleet and minimising downtime and breakdowns across that fleet.
“In the past you would need a highly skilled or qualified tradesperson to diagnose a problem,” Curby said. “Now you can see the problem on the screen in front of you and lean on our experts that we have working with us, even if the machine is hundreds of kilometres away.
“Those experts can look at it and remember when they had the same problem back in the past and suggest fixes to the team member operating that machine.”
“Our technology upgrade gives us the ability to pre-empt any issues and gives our technicians a greater understanding of the machine before it even arrives back in the shop. This, coupled with our other monitoring systems, gives us great insights on the machines as they are working.”
The Human to Machine Interface (HMI) technology moves away from the historically complex and inconsistent technology used in track resurfacing, in many cases leaving behind antiquated control panels made up of countless dials, switches, lights, and alarms.
Brimble HMI utilises user-friendly touch-screen monitors and a network of high-definition video cameras, making it simpler for operators to oversee, operate, and optimise rail resurfacing machinery.
Tuxford referenced one of Brimble’s machines working in the Pilbara as an example of the importance of strong asset monitoring.
“We couldn’t get any more remote than out there, and if a machine breaks down, we will be in trouble,” he said.
“But we can have a team member log onto the computer and talk to the team members who are on site and having the problem. They may have seen this issue before and have a fix to get them back on track.
“This kind of insight gives us the best opportunity to keep machines operating to their maximum capability.”
Curby and Tuxford said machines are often working during narrow shutdown periods, so it remains critical to pre-empt any potential issues before they become a problem on site.
Sourcing parts
Brimble has such diverse machines of varying ages that having a stockpile of parts can ensure the company is prepared for any challenge, Curby said.
“A lot of the manufacturers are based in Europe so for us to get parts delivered it can take up to 12 weeks. By having this stockpile, we will often have a replacement part on hand to get our machines back and working as quickly as possible.”
For Brimble, setting up the teams for success revolves around strong processes for every time they use a machine.
Each time an operator gets into a machine after it has been sitting idle for any period of time, they have a checklist to go through to ensure the machine is up to standard.
Tuxford describes it as a last line of defence to any potential issues that may come up.
“Even if the machine may not be used for another week, we know about an issue before it happens, and we can ensure a project remains on schedule,” he said.
Ritchie said that the three members of the team charged with asset management success understand each other’s strengths.
“All three of us have different experiences and we utilise that to best support our machines,” he said.
Curby said that Brimble is committed to using technology in new and forward-thinking ways to ensure success.
Over the next five to 10 years, the company will continue to compile data and how it records that data to grow the dashboards for each machine and track its general wear and tear over its life.
This, Curby said, will give the company insight into how machines are performing and whether it is time for another upgrade.
“The possibilities are endless.”
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