Abstract
The purpose of this research is to systematise PRASA-Rail’s wheel-set management system to comply with the ISO 55001 Asset Management Standard and the International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS). The current management system used by PRASA-Rail requires an improvement of the following:
Wheel-set measurements techniques and usage of data for decision making for maintenance execution.
Life-cycle analysis of the wheel-sets and the risk management of the old wheel-sets that are currently operating, as well as the new stock.
Data analysis processes to make informed decisions based on the condition of the wheel-sets.
Performance gap identifications for making informed decisions based on the current and forecast condition of the wheel-sets based on their lifecycle.
Financial planning for capital investment to maintain the wheel-sets at a lower life-cycle costs.
Inefficient data-capturing techniques have led to an accumulation of unreliable data and improper management of wheel-sets. The current Computer Maintenance Management System is obsolete and cannot be integrated into modern maintenance support technologies for the new rolling stock. Processes of the system needs to be sustained by creating an asset-management system that will allow for the following benefits:
Lower down-time for maintenance execution, by determining the life-cycle of the wheel-sets
Eradication of fatalities, by improving the management of the asset caused by poor decision-making. This is to ensure that the wheel-sets do not cause derailments, for the protection and safety of commuters
Reduction of maintenance, labour and failure costs achieved through knowing the condition of the asset and its expected life from the readings taken during maintenance
For the management of the assets it is important to understand different maintenance programs such as reactive maintenance, predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance and reliability-centred maintenance. The maintenance program used by PRASA-Rail is discussed as part of the framework for asset management...
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)