A milestone of digital rail freight: Product development of automated brake testing system completed

The completed automated brake test is a milestone for digital rail freight transport. The product development is completed. Without any doubt, the automated brake testing of rail freight wagons is one of the most important processes to make rail freight transport efficient and modern. “The serial operation is imminent. The system is now available and brings immediate, concrete effects for railway companies and a general impact for rail freight transport by gaining attractiveness”, says CEO Günter Petschnig. 

The automated brake test system was put on track years ago: Since spring 2018, the first pilot train has been in operational testing. Since March 2019, 105 wagons equipped with the digital system have been running in Switzerland. SBB Cargo leads the operational integration. Further nearly wagons haven been equipped with the automated system since April 2019. The brake testing system was designed and developed by PJM. The validation is expected to be finalised and the system is supposed to go into series production by the end of this year.

Get the full presse release including details on the solution and its steps to a complete system:

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A short video portrait of the WaggonTracker system provided by Houska Award 2020

All crucial features on our WaggonTracker system are shown in a less-than-2-minutes-video. The film crew of the Houska Award 2020 has packed the technology of our digital overall system in a "how to explain the WaggonTracker assets video" (in German language).

The WaggonTracker system was nominated the renowned Houska Award 2020 and thus among the best five Austrian research projects.

 

Credit: With courtesy of houskapreis.at

 

Houska Award 2020: Nomination for Austria's greatest research prize

That’s a big thing: The Houska Award is Austria’s greatest research prize – and PJM has been nominated! A very renowned jury of experts and an advisory board has nominated the WaggonTracker-system for the Houska Award 2020.

This year, everyone has the chance to participate. It’s up to you do decide for the audience award, which is the 3rd rank too and which comes with a prize money of 30.000 EUR. Make your choice till the 20th of September – we are looking forward to your vote!

A short portrait on the nominated PJM project & voting (at the end of the page, in German language):

https://bcgruppe.at/project/waggontracker-bringt-digitalen-guetertransport-auf-schiene/

 

The Houska Award is endowed with 500.000 EUR and has its 15th anniversary this year. The finale will take place on the 24th of September in Vienna. 

Get more on the Houska Award (in German language): https://bcgruppe.at/houskapreis/

 

Credit: GeorgWilke/BCGruppe

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Key player: The automatic brake test in the one-person-operated-train

10 minutes instead of 40: This crucial time saving is no longer just a future vision but reality. The automatic brake test has been in operation on rail freight trains by SBB Cargo. By the end of the tests, 1 million km will have been run. Regarding the development of the automatic brake test, crucial know-how comes from PJM. Get more about the status quo of the “one-person-operated-train” by SBB Cargo and the automatic brake test developed by SBB Cargo, PJM and Rail Cargo Austria in the latest issue of the German special interest magazine PJM.

https://pjm.co.at/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/PriMa_ABP_SBBC0720.pdf

 
 

 

 
 
 
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Nomination of the Mobility Award: Make your vote, too!

Yeah! The digital overall system WaggonTracker has been nominated for the Mobility Award of VCÖ, the public-benefit organisation specialising in mobility and transport. A jury of experts had evaluated 385 submissions. The WaggonTracker-system is one of the top 5 nominations in the category “digitalisation”.

That’s great: Everyone has a say – by the online public voting till 27th of July 2020. We would appreciate your vote:

 

  • Drag the title “Digitaler Schienengüterkehr mit dem Gesamtsystem WaggonTracker“ into the field „Ihr Siegespodest“ and nominate 2 further projects.

 

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The Mobility Award is Austria’s largest competition for climate compatibility and sustainable goods traffic. The winner will be awarded in September 2020.

The benefits of the WaggonTracker-system are clear: One digital overall system provides a wide range of functionalities and it combines monitoring and automation. Hence, digital railway transport is becoming safer, faster and much more efficient. All in all: It is more attractive. These attributes are significant to shift transport from road to railway. Furthermore, railway transport is eco-friendly and cheaper.  

 

Excellent technology: German Innovation Award 2020 goes to PJM

The digital overall system WaggonTracker was awarded the renowned German Innovation Award 2020. The international well-known honour is awarded by the German Design Council. The WaggonTracker-system was nominated in autumn 2019, among more than 700 submissios. The jury of experts appreciated the digital technology: PJM is "German Innovation Award 2020 Winner”.

PJM has developed a one of a kind overall system, providing both crucial information on the rail transport in real-time and automated processes. "Innovations are aiming at optimisation. Innovations either solve a problem or improve things. That’s what we were heading for: Catapulting the 100-year-old processes of rail transport into the 21st century and to make it more attractive and efficient”, say Martin Joch and Günter Petschnig, founders and CEO of PJM. The highly innovative WaggonTracker-system fully meets all those requirements. Thus, customers benefit from cost-savings and much more efficient processes. "The developing process from the first idea up to the serial production was very intensive. The German Innovation Award 2020 Winner is dedicated to the entire team. We highly appreciate the award!“

Get more on the overall digital system: https://pjm.co.at/en/waggontracker/

 

In the spotlight of the Swiss Touring-Magazine: Digital brake tests and automated coupling of SBB Cargo

The January issue of the Swiss Touring-Magazine provides a long story on the innovative projects of SBB Cargo (in German language). Digital brake tests and automated coupling replace hard and demanding manual work. By automatising processes, the SBB Cargo will cope with future shortage of staff which is caused by large-scales retirements of the baby-boomer generation.
 
 
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Business talk of "bahn manager": Interview the automated brake test

The German special interest magazine "bahn manager" regularly interviews experts of railway business. On the Alpine Rail Forum in Vienna, Günter Petschnig gave an insight into the innovative project on automated brake tests (in German language).

Let's have a great 2020!

 

2019 was both exiting and succesful! Our teams realised projects on four continents. Our measurement experts performed tests for passenger trains, special vehicles and rail freight trains. In terms of digitalisation of rail freight transport, PJM keeps innovations leading: More than 2.300 WaggonTracker-systems have been in operation so far (By the way: In Septemer, the WaggonTracker-plattform was awarded the innovation prize FFA). 

2019 was a big success for us. However, we have great plans for next year, too. We have started to work on many things so that we can keep informing you on innvations and novelties. What do we work on? Just some little hints: We always work to improve "the railway system" and hence provide concrete customer's benefits. Martin Joch and Günter Petschnig use to say: "We do know exactly the needs of vehicle manufacturers, railway companies, fleet operators and wagon keepers. We have the know-how and the technologies to provide cutting-edge advantages." We are looking forward to 2020!

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PJM joined the international conference Alpine Rail Optimisation

Big data and IoT were the top issues of the international conference Alpine Rail Optimisation. 140 experts of rail companies and suppliers discussed latest digital technologies and their positive effects for railway business. The German special interest magazine Bahnmanager reported from the event in Vienna. Get the full story on the conference including an interview with Günter Petchnig, co-founder and CEO of PJM, on the multiple benefits of the automated brake test (in German language):

https://www.bahn-manager.de/optimale-bahnwelt-der-alpen-%E2%80%93-big-data-konferenz-in-wien/

 

 
Alpine Rail Optimisation

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