Transportation

Transportation industries that utilize an SAP ERP framework have long realized the benefits of an integrated solution to manage both linear and rolling stock assets.

Vesta is focused on helping the transportation put together their fixed asset and rolling stock assets together in an integrated maintenance system. With SAP Enterprise Asset Management as the foundation, Vesta can help to create a solution architecture that allows transportation industries to consolidate asset master data and maximize efficiency of networks and rolling stock traversing those networks.

Vesta offers consulting services tailored to the Transportation Industry in Enterprise Asset Management, Linear Network Construction and Project Systems Integration as it pertains to Fixed Asset (linear and point) and Rolling Stock lines of business.

Industry Challenges

Vesta understands some of the critical issues that these industries face. Including,

• Manage continuous assets with dynamic segmentation.
• Automate asset lifecycle management in complex operational environments.
• Better localization events on the infrastructure network (including maintenance).
• Evaluate operational status more accurately.
• Help reduce costs and enable proactive maintenance planning
• Ensure that health, safety, security and environmental concerns are addressed throughout the planning, construction, and operational phases of a linear asset.
• Continuous operation of linear assets.

Linear Assets are typically part of a complex supply chain, so any downtime can stop other parts of this supply chain.

Linear Fixed Asset Solutions

In Asset intensive industries with linear components, the utilization of traditional hierarchical structure of assets to represent their production or infrastructure networks is a complex and difficult process. The need to represent and model assets which extend for several miles with ever changing characteristics and conditions requires modeling and management tools focused on this specific discipline. This type of asset exists as whole or in part across many industry sectors:

• Oil & Gas: Oil and Gas pipelines (consisting of linear pipe, associated valves, network pumping units and metering stations)
• Railways: Tracks, Electrification, Communication and Signaling lines, Bridges, Sidings.
• Utilities: Power Lines, Bridges, Tunnels.
• Public Sector: Roads, Sewage and Water pipelines

Having a length dimension requires more than just having a starting and end point, it requires to represent assets with changing configuration along its length requiring dynamic segmentation capabilities to represent specific characteristic of one segment of the asset.

Dynamic Segmentation

Vesta can assist a transportation customer with creating and attributing spatial data sets comprised of linear features.

• Firstly in constructing a route system by associating adjacent line segments into one or more groups that have a definite linear sequence.
• Secondly, by associating descriptive information within the route system referencing distances from the starting point of each route.

Rolling Stock Management

Vesta can assist a transportation customer with managing the maintenance requirements of their rolling stock assets. Understanding the challenges with maintaining rolling stock is an area Vesta has some experience in.

Fleet Management Data Extensions

SAP supports technical object extensions in the fleet arena as well as the linear focus area. Utilizing the standard set of fleet extension fields, improved master data capture is assured.

Work Order Management

Work Order Management is another aspect to consider when we deal with Linear Asset due to the fact that maintenance activities can be carried out just in one point of the asset or can extend for several kilometers requiring having capabilities to support the definition of linear work.

In order to keep the linear assets running with the lowest operating cost it is important that regular inspections are carried out. These inspections provide information on developing problems. Types of inspection include: check for physical damage (geometry); detect corrosion, laminations or cracking; visual inspections. There are also statutory inspections that are required to be carried out by law.

Planning and Scheduling

Vesta Partners has developed a deep understanding of the challenges within the transportation industry regarding planning and scheduling. Developing master schedules, procuring materials, delivering materials are all made more difficult given the transient nature of the rolling stock equipment with respect to maintenance facilities.

Linear assets must be holistically viewed across network sections to bundle similar work to maximize efficiency. Additionally, review of work schedules across of all maintenance crafts minimizes conflicts in scheduling and asset impact.

Vesta has experience with transportation customers in modeling solutions to address these critical planning and scheduling challenges in transportation.