automated rail freight cargo

Styrian Future Conference 2024: PJM takes part as innovation award winner

Companies and scientific institutions from Styria are coming together this year under the motto of cooperation. The Future Day is a platform for new ideas, knowledge exchange and future-shaping projects. The “Future Day” is organized by SFG, the Province of Styria and JR.

PJM has been invited as a winner of the Innovation Award 2024 and will put the spotlight on its unique automatic brake test. It is the first and only approved system that automates a complex, manual process. The brake testing system is already in use at SBB Cargo and on board of several pilot trains in Europe.

Automated rail freight transport is crucial in order to become more attractive, competitive, faster and safer and to cushion the demographic-related shortage of skilled labor. The focus is also shifting to environmentally friendly rail transport in order to achieve the climate targets that have been set.

Railway Gazette provides an in-depth article on smart train technology

The international railway magazine Railway Gazette analyses the digitalisation of goods trains in Europe and takes a detailed look at our smart goods train concept. Get the in-depth article on the development steps and benefits of intelligent freight trains.

Get the full article in July's issue of Railway Gazette

2024-08-07 08_28_51-RailwayGazette-Smart-Train-07-2024

General / Waggon Tracker - 08/07/2024

TRANSWAGGON includes automatic brake testing and digital monitoring as equipment option

Together with PJM, the TRANSWAGGON Group is making a key contribution to the automation and digitalization of rail freight transport in Europe. Wagon rental customers save time and increase safety in operation by equipping their wagons with automatic brake testing. Many other digital monitoring features are available for TRANSWAGGON customers. In addition, the energy self-sufficient and powerful WaggonTracker system can be expanded with customer-specific systems. The integration of automatic brake testing and monitoring functions into the TRANSWAGGON Group's equipment portfolio is a logical step.

"The automatic brake test saves time and increases safety during operation. It eliminates the need for a time-consuming walk around the entire train. Train preparation can therefore be carried out more quickly and safely," says Bertram Wieloch, CTO and member of the TRANSWAGGON Group's Executive Board.

This is not the first cooperation between the TRANSWAGGON Group and the Austrian system specialist PJM. In the past, around 500 wagons were equipped with the so called LoadMonitor, an automatic load weight monitoring system, on behalf of Mercer Holz. The system analyses the load weight during the loading process and visually indicates the maximum load capacity. Since then, one of Europe's largest timber logistics companies has benefited from a better capacity utilization, avoids overloading thanks to the precise data and appreciates completely paperless documentation.

Media release

Photo: With courtesy of TRANSWAGGON Group

General / Waggon Tracker - 03/20/2024

FS Logistics Business Unit continues fleet upgrade with PJM’s smart train portfolio

Combining transport efficiency with safety is an important requirement for Mercitalia Intermodal in daily intermodal transport. The Italian wagon operator has therefore been focusing on digital monitoring functionalities and automated processes for several years. The transformation of the existing fleet into Smart Train freight wagons is being systematically implemented. This year, at least another 180 wagons will be modernized, while around 200 wagons - mainly of the T3000 type - have been upgraded in the past two years. Mercitalia Intermodal began upgrading its freight wagon fleet back in 2017.

The benefits of the Smart Train functions are far-reaching: shorter delivery times thanks to automated processes in the track environment, predictive maintenance logic and condition-based maintenance models reduce costs while increasing reliability, efficiency and the general safety of rail transport.

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 02/16/2024

2nd award for the "Smart Train" from Mercitalia Intermodal

The smartest goods train in Europe has been honoured for the second time. Following the Austrian Mobility Award 2023, which was presented to Günter Petschnig and Christoph Lorenzutti in Vienna in September, Mercitalia Intermodal - Polo Logistica Group FS was honoured as "Logistico dell'Anno 2023" in Italy. The goods train is equipped with a wide range of monitoring and automation functions based on PJM's WaggonTracker system. Congratulations!

Details & all functions of Europes most intelligent goods train

Artikel Auszeichnung (in italienischer Sprache)

General / Waggon Tracker - 12/05/2023

The sensation in rail freight automation: BAV’s type approval for automatic brake testing

Now it's official: the automated brake testing system has been granted type approval by the Swiss “Federal Office of Transport” (Schweizer Bundesamt für Verkehr). Hence, the automated brake taste is the first approved system worldwide and the first far-reaching automated application in European rail transport. The system was developed with SBB Cargo and is a functionally safe application that has been trialled in various phases over several years. The project milestones in brief:

2017: First test trains
01/ 2022: Pilot train
03/2022: Positive review by TÜV Süd
11/2023: Operational approval by BAV

The automated application provides many benefits:

- Enormous time saving: for a 500 m long goods train, the time saved is around 75 minutes (35 minutes each for 2 shunters)

- Faster, more reliable and safer: the brake check can be carried out automatically by the train driver, is more reliable and increases safety (thanks to the consistent quality of the brake check and the system's objective evaluation criteria).

- Freight wagon downtimes are significantly reduced, while terminal turnaround times are increased.

- The implementation of an automatic brake test brings a concrete and - this is particularly important - immediate improvement for the railway companies.

- For the shunting staff and those responsible for brake testing, the automatic brake test means an improvement in the workplace situation. The interactive operation of a clearly displayed system replaces the strenuous, physically demanding manual inspection.

- The brake test is an essential part of the "1-person operation" that is gradually being implemented by railway companies such as SBB Cargo, particularly as a measure to manage the shortage of skilled labour resulting from demographic development.

Günter Petschnig, CEO of PJ Monitoring, looks back on several years of development: "It's a long way from the vision to the innovation of a completely new system. A major project of this size can only be successfully realised if the project partners work together step by step over several years. The teams at SBB Cargo and PJM have done a fantastic job. A big thank you to the stamina and commitment of everyone involved!"

Media release

General / Waggon Tracker - 11/30/2023

PJM at Railway Forum Berlin: presentation & Styrian event

The Railway Forum Berlin is Europe’s leading management conference of the railway industry. The industry get-together is taking place for the 8th time. This year, PJM will again present technological innovations in digital rail freight transport. There are several opportunities for you to see our digital solution around the WaggonTracker system live in Berlin:

Visit us at the joint ACStyria stand, stand C 10.
Short lecture by CEO Günter Petschnig: "Automation and digitalisation in intermodal transport", Thursday, 7 September, at 11.00 a.m. on the Exhibition Stage
Styria Coffee-Break: networking meeting with coffee and wine from the region, Wednesday, 6 September, 12:50, also at the ACStyria joint stand, stand C 10

Railway Forum Berlin, 6 - 7 September 2023

We look forward to your visit!

Invitation Styrian coffee break & wine taste: https://pjm.co.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ACStyria-Berlin-2023-Web-neu_b.pdf

General / Waggon Tracker - 08/21/2023

New video: Automated brake test in operation

Automated brake testing is a crucial technology when it comes to modernising rail transport. The most important advantages are obvious:

- The time saved on a 500 m long freight train is close to 40 minutes
- Realisation of one-person operation
- Faster turnaround times due to faster handling

Check out how the automated brake test works in operational use in our brand-new short clip.

News / Waggon Tracker - 11/28/2022

Export Award 2022: Gold for PJM

Export Award 2022 goes to PJM: The digitization platform WaggonTracker with the application of automatic brake testing convinced the jury of experts

The most successful exporters are brought to the stage every year. The export award, which honors innovation, market potential and export quota, among other things, was presented on June 27th. PJM was awarded gold in the Information & Consulting category. The deciding factor was the overall digital system WaggonTracker, which makes automated rail transport a reality. This includes automated brake testing for freight trains. The automated system is the first in Europe to be fully developed and to receive a positive review. "The challenge was to automate a safety-relevant process. We saw the realization of our brake test system through to the last required document. The reward for our many years of development work is the successful market entry," says CEO Martin Joch.
The 2022 Export Award was presented in five categories at a ceremony in Vienna's Museumsquartier. Despite the global lockdowns and restrictions caused by the Corona pandemic, many Austrian companies were also successful in exporting their goods and services internationally in the previous year. "These companies are drivers of growth, jobs and prosperity in Austria. Every second job in Austria depends directly or indirectly on the export success of these companies. Every year, the Export Award honors companies for their special export achievements," emphasizes WKÖ President Harald Mahrer.
"Austrian companies are role models and pioneers - especially in the field of environmental technology. They are innovative and in many cases also world market leaders in their field," Kühnel emphasized the special achievements of domestic companies.
"Our winners this year demonstrate how digitalization is being used as a means of shaping a sustainable future. This innovative strength of Austrian companies is increasingly being recognized on the global market," said deputy chairman of the federal division Martin Heimhilcher, congratulating the winners.

Quellen:

https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20220628_OTS0076/exportpreis-2022-ehrung-fuer-oesterreichische-unternehmen-bei-der-exporters-nite

https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20220628_OTS0081/exportpreis-ausgezeichnete-wissensbasierte-dienstleister

Already the 3rd award for PJM in this year

The export price is already the 3rd honor in this year for PJM. Last week in Utrecht (NL) the RailTech Innovation Award (audience award category) was presented to PJM. The Automatic Brake Test was also awarded. In May, a metrology project for Barcelona Metro was awarded the State Prize for Engineering Consulting.

News / Waggon Tracker - 06/30/2022

Styrian railway know-how presented to Saxon enterprises

Saxony met Styria. On the initiative of the mobility cluster AC Styria, representatives of the business location Saxony got to know Styrian companies and technologies. At the networking evening, we presented our innovations, such as our pioneering solution for rail freight automation.

The trip to Styria was also organised by the Saxony Economic Development Corporation and the ERCI partner cluster Rail.S.e.V., among others.

News / Waggon Tracker - 06/20/2022

Styrian Future Conference 2024: PJM takes part as innovation award winner

Railway Gazette provides an in-depth article on smart train technology

TRANSWAGGON includes automatic brake testing and digital monitoring as equipment option

FS Logistics Business Unit continues fleet upgrade with PJM’s smart train portfolio

2nd award for the "Smart Train" from Mercitalia Intermodal

The sensation in rail freight automation: BAV’s type approval for automatic brake testing

PJM at Railway Forum Berlin: presentation & Styrian event

New video: Automated brake test in operation

Export Award 2022: Gold for PJM

Styrian railway know-how presented to Saxon enterprises

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