This month, I’d like to share some thoughts on digital transformation within Rail. Clients are now more focused on the need for Tech and Operations to work closer together, enabling them to effectively and accurately manage, monitor, and maintain their assets to support real-time decision-making.
For digital transformation to provide real value, our Clients are attempting to merge operational and IT data, making it accessible to the whole organisation. If achieved, Operational Technology will be aligned with their business systems; IT will also help drive and deliver innovation, efficiencies, and reduce/remove downtime. To achieve this, IT will need the support of Operations to understand and control the assets. So whilst digital transformation is complicated, when done correctly, the combination of IT (the Internet of Things) and Operational Technology can create platforms allowing businesses and organisations to effectively manage, monitor, and maintain their assets.
This approach will also enable IT to connect with complex assets and Operational Technology systems. This will enable the capture of real-time data, allowing the performance monitoring, deterioration, failure, location, and safety compliance of assets, as well as delivering monitoring systems tracking scheduling and asset utilisation.
However, the creation of a digital railway system that forecasts failures, demand, customer behaviour, and the degradation of assets is not that simple. It can only be effective when all the relevant data points are captured, which includes engineering knowledge. This is because the digital engineering models created during the engineering phase of a project tend not to play a role in the operational phase. This is highlighted by the increasing number of Clients asking us about digital engineering, and how engineering technology forms part of their wider digital projects to boost system efficiency, as well as meeting the increasing demand for new product design. So for digital railway systems to provide the efficiency, customer experience, and commercial benefits desired, they will need to acquire a broad range of data points, covering design and manufacturing. This will allow the system to fully assess the condition of its assets from a fleet, system, probability of a shutdown or delay, and unexpected asset malfunction perspective.
In light of this wave of digital transformation projects, Clients are seeking to leverage our networks and sector knowledge outside of Rail, to pre-inform their digital strategy, and to make key strategic hires, either in a permanent, Interim or consultancy capacity. This is due to their personal and professional networks rarely containing the solutions they seek. More and more the candidates they seek come from out of sector, and can be found in the Consulting, Technology, Financial Services, or Life Sciences space.
If you would like to find out more about how Norman Broadbent Solutions can help you, or to discuss a specific assignment, please do not hesitate to contact Nick Behan on +44 (0) 0207 484 0106 or via nick.behan@normanbroadbent.com for an initial confidential discussion.