The youngest company in the PJM Group can look back positively on its first financial year. Due to the very good order situation, three more colleagues have joined the company. Approval issues with functional safety and retrofitting of rail vehicles are particularly in demand.
The founding team of Thomas Hofer, Markus Fankhauser, Lorenz Kochan and Joachim Wagner summarize the first review of the past 12 months in an interview: Short clip
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.
PJM will be presenting itself four times at this year's industry highlight. PJ Messtechnik, PJ Monitoring, PJ Motion and RCC will be represented with their areas of expertise.
With these 4 business areas, PJM is now a strong partner throughout the entire life cycle of a rail vehicle and can take on all tasks relating to the authorization of rail vehicles. The range of services includes consulting from the initial idea and authorization management by PJ Motion, engineering and vehicle testing by PJ Messtechnik, and the portfolio as an accredited inspection body by RCC. The portfolio is supplemented by digital applications for goods trains such as automatic brake testing or the most comprehensive smart train functions currently available in the freight wagon sector. ‘Through organic, sustainable growth and the consistent expansion of infrastructure and specialist areas, PJM has firmly established in the rail industry. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that larger project volumes are being commissioned in the area of vehicle testing and engineering,’ says Martin Joch, CEO of PJ Messtechnik.
The automatic brake testing and smart train functionalities provided by PJ Monitoring are attractive applications in the freight wagon sector: ‘Our brake testing system is of great interest to large rail transport companies, smaller private railways and also wagon keepers, as it solves several key problems. Train preparation is shortened and the shortage of skilled labor as well as increasing costs due to higher personnel expenses and inflation are significantly cushioned. The system saves time and money and creates efficiency - all of which is urgently needed in rail transport,’ says Günter Petschnig, CEO of PJ Monitoring.
PJ Motion is the youngest company in the PJM group, but has already established itself as a renowned partner after just one year, particularly in authorization management. ‘The focus of our projects is clearly on authorization management. Our expertise in the 4th railway package is in hight demand because we can reduce complexity and provide objective decision-making support in terms of technical and economic challenges,’ says Thomas Hofer, CEO of PJ Motion.
PJM at InnoTrans: City Cube/ Hall A / 220
The automatic brake test and the WaggonTracker system will also be showcased on various freight wagons in the outdoor area:
PJ Messtechnik
PJ Monitoring
PJ Motion GmbH
RCC Railway Competence & Certification GmbH
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.
PJM played an important metrological role in the new Viaggio Comfort passenger coaches, which will enrich the fleet of Czech Railways České dráhy and were developed and manufactured by Siemens Mobility.
PJM carried out test runs on the entire Austrian railway network, including high-speed trains on the Westbahn line, in the Alpine terrain in Tyrol and on the Semmering Railway (UNSECO World Heritage Site). The driving behaviour and brakes were tested at 230 km/h or in extremely wintry conditions in the snow.
PJM was also commissioned with the development and production of the measuring wheelsets.
The "International Trade Fair for Transport Technology" is the industry get-together of the year. PJM will be showcasing innovations, solutions and technologies from our accredited test centre, measurement technology, digital rail freight transport, authorisation and project management and conformity assessment. We look forward to seeing you in Berlin!
Facts & figures on InnoTrans
ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG has procured a new fleet of rescue trains with 18 new service jets from Stadler. The low-emission and multifunctional vehicles will be in operation throughout Austria, travelling at speeds of up to 160 km/h. PJM was commissioned as an accredited test center in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 for the test runs. The dynamic tests are being carried out in co-operation with the ÖBB mechanical measurement group. PJM was also responsible for the production and development of the instrumented wheelsets. The vehicle tests for the areas of running behavior, brakes, acoustics and pantographs will take place throughout Austria and are expected to be completed in autumn 2024. For unrestricted track access in Austria, the test runs were carried out in test zone 5c, for vehicle authorization for radius curves down to 100 meters. "The instrumented wheelsets were specially developed and manufactured for these specifications in very tight curves. Our wheelsets have proven themselves in the dynamic tests," says Martin Joch, CEO of PJ Messtechnik GmbH.
The new generation of service jets required some innovations in the test runs. "Due to the new standards, these demanding tests were carried out on the ÖBB network for the first time. The results of the test runs are extremely precise and reliable and form a solid basis for evaluating the rail vehicle," says test manager Roman Schmid, ÖBB Produktion GmbH.
A lot is happening at our location. This week, we were honored to welcome the Governor of Styria at PJM. IT was a pleasure to report Christopher Drexler on our technologies and discuss developments in the railway industry.
Styria as an industrial centre is home to internationally renowned companies and world market leaders. The railway industry also creates products, technologies and services that are known far beyond the borders of this green province. A few figures at a glance:
The instrumented wheelset expertise is made up of several elements that PJM combines with each other. PJM perfectly matches measurement technology, experience as an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test centre, engineering expertise and 10 years of experience in the development and production of measuring wheelsets.
PJM has now also raised its infrastructure and technical equipment to a new level. The new part of the building has been equipped with a comprehensive range of equipment to ensure the highest levels of precision, stability and standard in metrological terms. In addition, the expanded infrastructure will enable even faster throughput times and project processing in future. The equipment includes, among other things
‘The dovetailing of theory with practical testing experience is a great added value for our customers,’ says Martin Joch. He continues: ‘The instrumented wheelset infrastructure guarantees the highest measurement quality for every phase and every requirement. In combination with our specialised knowledge in engineering and our many years of experience in dynamic testing, we offer vehicle manufacturers a considerable portfolio of knowledge and services.’
This makes PJM a strong partner in the field of measuring wheelsets:
https://pjm.co.at/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/PI-PJM-Messradsatzhalle-5-2024-EN-Web.pdf
A railway project was honoured with the Austrian State Prize for Digitalisation 2023. The automatic brake testing system from PJM emerged as the winner in the ‘Digital Transformation and Innovation’ category. State Secretary Claudia Plakolm and Harald Kräuter, ORF Director of Technology and Innovation, presented the award to CEO Günter Petschnig and COO Christoph Lorenzutti from PJ Monitoring GmbH.
‘We are delighted to receive this award for two reasons. The fact that a rail project was honored underlines the importance of rail freight transport in an economic and climate policy context. 10 years of development work, high investments and perseverance have been rewarded. This is great recognition for our entire team,’ says Günter Petschnig. He adds: ‘SBB Cargo is a great development partner. Such complex projects can only be successfully completed if all project partners pull together. A big thank you for the commitment, the belief in the technology and the great collaboration.’
‘The quality of the projects awarded this year as part of the State Prize for Digitalisation is impressive. You can see how much innovative strength there is in Austria in this core area, which is crucial for a successful future. I am delighted that we have been able to bring some particularly outstanding ideas to the fore with today's awards. On behalf of ORF, I would like to congratulate all of the award winners,’ emphasised Harald Kräuter, ORF Director of Technology and Innovation.
The jury of experts evaluated the open-topic submissions according to a catalogue of criteria such as degree of innovation, quality of implementation, high usability, added value for users and market potential. The submission phase was organized by the FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency). The jury's statement: ‘The submission Digital Rail Transport - Automated Brake Test enables the digitalization of the previously manual inspection of brakes in rail transport using special sensor technology and remote evaluation via mobile operating devices. This reduces the manual effort and duration of the brake test. By automating this inspection process, the physical strain on staff and the time required for the inspection are reduced. This means that the rolling stock can be put back into service more quickly and enables rail transport capacities to be increased. This patented system has already been approved and is being used successfully by the SBB Cargo.’
‘The State Prize for Digitalisation shows that Austria is a strong location for digital innovations. We must continue to develop our qualities in a targeted manner and, above all, further strengthen digital skills throughout Austria. They are an important basis for successful digital transformation and innovative companies. I would like to congratulate all the award winners who are making new digital success stories possible for the whole of Austria and are attractive role models for other companies and institutions,’ said State Secretary for Digitalisation Claudia Plakolm.
‘Digitalisation is a decisive factor for growth and broad prosperity, which we must use in a targeted manner in Austria. Openness to technology is the indispensable basis for innovations that secure our competitiveness and thus our entire way of life. I am impressed by the achievements of the award winners and congratulate them warmly. Because they tackle and implement - that is the right spirit for the future,’ said a delighted Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
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