CASE STUDY: Siemens Transportation Systems

Bear River Associates, a Pumatech Certified Partner, developed an inspection-report tracking system for Siemens Transportation Systems light rail vehicle assembly plant in Sacramento.

The Company: Siemens Transportation Systems

Siemens Transportation Systems (STS) is the leading supplier of light rail vehicles in North America, with some 700 rail vehicles in operation or on order. Its mass transit vehicle manufacturing and assembly facilities are located in Sacramento and Carson, California. Siemens is also a leading supplier of electrification, signaling, and communications systems for mass transit and mainline applications.

 

The Challenge: Efficient Track Inspection Reporting

STS inspectors were being slowed down by an old, paper-based document management system. Reports were hand-written and placed in 3-ring binders that remained in the vehicle until photocopies of the reports were distributed to production crews. Once the crews were able to fix the problems, they would document the repairs and place them back in the binders. The paper-based administration consumed up to 40% of the inspectors' time, and with over 500 rail systems operating in 10 cities across the U.S., the Sacramento-based headquarters needed to create a more efficient way of documenting track inspection reports.



The Solution: Bear River Incorporates Pumatech's Satellite Forms Software

Bear River Associates in Oakland, California, were commissioned to computerize the process by creating a back-end database and a Palm application for the QA inspectors. STS formed a committee to sketch out the elements needed for the computerized form, as well as the look and feel. Bear River chose Pumatech's Satellite FormsŪ to develop the mobile inspection system. Since paper forms don't always translate successfully to handheld devices, Satellite Forms allowed for creative drop-down menus and easy-to-follow processes that could be synced with the back-end database at the end of each day. Inspectors could also use the handhelds' infrared capabilities to send work orders to the production crew.

With the help of Bear River Associates and Satellite Forms, STS has made their document-management system much more efficient. The inspectors and production crew were able to adapt to the new technology quickly and easily, and many are using their handhelds to also manage their schedules and access e-mail.