Alstom signs up for machinery health management

An Emerson Machinery Health Management product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 16, 2003

Emerson Process Management has won a major three year contract to supply a selection of machinery health management technology to Alstom.

Emerson Process Management has won a major three year contract to supply a selection of machinery health management technology to Alstom.

Alstom offers cutting-edge rail products and services to rolling stock and infrastructure owners and operators worldwide.

Emerson will provide equipment, training and consultancy in developing the use of the machinery health management techniques within the Alstom train servicing centres.

Alstom delivers Total TrainLife Management services to train owners and operators across the world, frequently on performance-based asset management contracts.

The Emerson Machinery Health Management approach systematically identifies critical equipment, and applies monitoring and diagnostic technologies to increase asset availability and reduce equipment failure.

Alstom is committed to employing the most modern intelligent tools and techniques to enhance the performance of its maintenance activities and therefore welcomes the potential of applying the multitechnology platform, initially by using vibration, stresswave and ultrasonic condition based maintenance equipment and techniques within its maintenance programmes.

The agreement was signed recently by Ian Ferguson, Market Development Director for Alstom Transport Services, and Dave Dunbar, President of the Machinery Health Management business of Emerson Process Management.

"Alstom is very pleased to add the Emerson static vibration analysis equipment to our condition monitoring "toolbox" capabilities", said Ian Ferguson of Alstom.

"It further demonstrates our commitment to employing leading edge technology in our maintenance processes.

Static vibration analysis is being used to monitor rotating equipment such as gearboxes.

Once application refinements currently underway in the UK are completed, the technology will be rolled-out to other contracts where it will help engineers to extend the periodicity of maintenance and to predict component failure".

Commenting on the agreement, Dave Dunbar said: "We look forward to working with Alstom and applying the Emerson Machinery Health Management techniques to identify improved maintenance practices that will increase rolling stock reliability and minimise the time spent on inspection and monitoring.

Our team will apply core skills in rail industry asset monitoring, and collaborate with Alstom to customise specific tasks, and then roll out the expertise and equipment solutions across all relevant Alstom centres".

Emerson will co-ordinate the European consultancy and equipment requirements from its Liverpool offices, supported by its broader network of offices and consultants on machinery health management around Europe.

Andy Tudor, Machinery Health Management Business Director for Emerson in the European region, commented: "Emerson is delighted that this agreement has been formalised.

What makes it doubly pleasing is that the justification came from extensive trials of Emerson-developed techniques that complement the Alstom vision for cost savings across its operations - so the agreement represents a "business solution" in the fullest sense".

The Emerson Machinery Health Management discipline is a comprehensive strategy that helps businesses reduce mechanical maintenance costs through work process design, technology implementation, and expertise optimisation.

Machinery Health Management technology is designed to support equipment monitoring, data management, data analysis, and effective reporting of results for machinery health management programmes.

For over a decade, these Machinery Health Management techniques have helped many companies around the globe design and implement maintenance management strategies to increase asset effectiveness and reliability.