General Dynamics Itronix and Buckeye Mountain Wireless Solutions partner to provide railway technicians with a freight car maintenance solution utilizing rugged tablet PC’s, increasing process efficiencies along the entire value stream.

Products & Services
General Dynamics Itronix Duo-Touch and Duo-Touch II Rugged Tablet PCs

 

Application
Freight Car Repair and Maintenance

 

Solutions

• Wireless connectivity facilitates greater process efficiency and revenue generation
• Lightweight, portable tablet PC travels easily with railway technicians
• Data entry less cumbersome than keyboard and more familiar to workers
• Rugged tablet PC withstands the elements and outdoor environments

Overview

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, BNSF Railway operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with 32,000 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. This network covers the western two-thirds of the United States, stretching from major Pacific Northwest and Southern California ports to the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest, and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.

BNSF is among the world’s top transporters of intermodal traffic, and moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulfur coal to generate about 10 percent of the electricity produced in the United States.

For safety reasons, the federal government mandates that all freight cars meet a set of mechanical requirements. BNSF’s Mechanical Department is responsible for the inspection of all freight cars that travel on the railway’s tracks (about 60 percent of which are privately owned) and for making the repairs necessary to meet the required maintenance standards.

If repairs are needed, the process involves:

• generation of a work order
• completion of repairs as specified
  by the work order by individual technicians
• generation of a BNSF invoice sent
  to the owner of the freight car

Problem

Railway technicians typically move from project to project. BNSF wanted a device that would travel well with each individual technician – meaning the device needed to be lightweight and extremely portable; otherwise technicians would be less likely to accept and use it for all their jobs.

In addition, technicians were familiar with the traditional “clipboard and pen” scenario for writing up work orders and information relating to repair projects. A computer keyboard mode of entry presented a challenge – particularly in a rail yard environment where typing on a keyboard while making an inspection may be inconvenient, if not difficult. Working in an outdoor environment, where weather can be extreme, also required a ruggedized device that could withstand the elements.

Seamless communication within BNSF’s existing 802.11 network environment represented another necessity, as wireless connectivity has become essential to increased process efficiency in the railway business.

Solution

Buckeye Mountain Wireless Solutions, a provider of value-added, technology-based products and services for the rail industry, selected General Dynamics Itronix to partner with and develop a rugged mobile computing solution that addressed the unique requirements of BNSF and the railway industry.

Several features such as size and weight, as well as its integrated wireless capabilities, made General Dynamics Itronix’s Duo-Touch tablet PC ideally suited to BNSF. Designed to support mobile professionals in a variety of industries, the mid-sized Duo-Touch weighs 3.7 pounds, making it the most compact and lightweight tablet PC in the rugged category – perfect for a technician’s tool belt. It also supports up to three wireless networks concurrently, including 802.11, ensuring the seamless connectivity that BNSF required.

The tablet’s stylus offers a user-friendly method of data entry for those accustomed to using paper and pen. In addition, the dual-mode screen allows the user to switch from active stylus to touch screen for rapid data input. Once a freight car has been inspected, the technician will “write up” a work order if a repair is required (e.g., a car may need new brakes). When the repair is complete, the details are added to the work order, which is completed and wirelessly sent to the main office, where a BNSF invoice is generated and submitted to the freight car owner. Wireless transmission of work order information significantly reduces the time to invoice.

The Duo-Touch tablet PC can withstand any situation a technician may encounter, including rain, snow, wind, dust, shock, vibration and chemical exposure. Designed to exceed Mil Spec 810F rugged test standards, the Duo-Touch has a die-cast magnesium casing, sealed I/O ports and can operate in temperatures ranging from -20º to 60º C (-4º to 140º F).

Results

Employees from Buckeye Mountain and General Dynamics Itronix have deployed more than 900 General Dynamics Itronix rugged Duo-Touch and Duo-Touch II tablet PCs to BNSF’s field technicians, who use the devices to electronically input all the information related to a work order, from creation to billing.

The products provided by General Dynamics Itronix and Buckeye Mountain offer BNSF Railway a lightweight, portable computing solution that facilitates work order and invoice generation. In addition, superior wireless capabilities and durability features designed for rugged conditions make the system ideal for the railway environment and improve process efficiencies.

“Customers such as BNSF rely on us to deliver the best solutions for their unique requirements and environments,” said Matthew Hunter, President, Buckeye Mountain. “We chose to partner with General Dynamics Itronix in developing a system for BNSF because their products offer superior wireless performance, durability that is second to none, and true lightweight portability. All of these features add up to a rugged mobile computing solution that can endure tough, outdoor conditions while improving efficiencies that impact the railroad’s velocity.”