在瓦伯泰克的格罗夫城再制造基地，每天都是“剩余日”

Thanks to proactive investment in Industry 4.0  technologies, when a modernization order comes into Grove City, it is all hands – and data – on deck.

Introduction

When Wabtec opened its Grove City, Pennsylvania, engine remanufacturing plant in 2012, 它不仅为货运铁路行业提出了一个新的价值主张——其影响一直持续到今天——而且还为其迪士尼3彩乐园和部件的整个生命周期提供了一种技术先进的方式, extending them for decades.

它这样做是有意图的——准确地说，是“设计意图”.

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“Remanufacturing begins with good design intentions,” says Marty Thomas, 全球货运服务- Wabtec集团副总裁. “Freight locomotives are designed, redesigned, and built to withstand multiple lifecycles, technology enhancements, 以及客户和监管机构在整个生命周期中不断变化的需求要求. 我们设计迪士尼3彩乐园是为了长途运输，并考虑到不断改进. 这意味着我们的引擎和部件可以在大约十年后重新制造，并在接下来的十年里重新投入使用. And again – and again. At our Grove City remanufacturing facility, 我们使用的发动机有些是上世纪80年代制造的, ‘90s, and ‘00s, 用新技术更新它们，使它们持续使用30-40年.”

In the process, these engines become more fuel efficient, emit less greenhouse gases, and reduce waste, 对于希望实现雄心勃勃的可持续发展目标的运营商来说，这些都是主要的好处.

So how does Grove City do it? Welcome to Industry 4.0 in action.

The building blocks of Industry 4.0

正如Wabtec的再制造愿景建立在设计意图上一样，它的执行也是如此. Grove City was built from the ground up for Industry 4.0 manufacturing, 以数据增强为标志的第四次工业革命, connectivity, analytics, and human-machine interaction.

最好的思考方式是高度可变的流程, enhanced – streamlined, guided – at every step by data-driven intelligence.

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其中一个关键要素是信息流和数据捕获. 格罗夫城通过对关键的发动机组件和部件进行物理和数字标记来迎接未来, not only to “identify” and “track” them, 而是要了解退回的发动机和部件的关键特性. Today, 使用数千个机载微处理器和现代遥测技术, the Grove City plant pulls in data daily from 20,000 locomotives around the world, whether the locomotive is running in India or Nebraska, totaling 4 terabytes of data per year. 从这个角度来看，这个数据量相当于一个3.50亿页的ppt(来源:How Many Pages in a Gigabyte)? A Litigators Guide).

“Today, using data and industry 4.0 technologies, 我们可以规定正确的条件路由和后续维修程序的发动机组件和零件, in real time,” remarks Thomas.

这些“虚拟”处方通过另一种先进的人机界面触发车间的“物理”动作——一个被称为“条件路由”的动态过程, Wabtec’s manufacturing execution system (MES), 是哪一款软件运行得如此之好，以至于该公司称其为“卓越制造系统”.“数百名训练有素的技术人员在数十个制造单元中工作, MES充当最终的制造协调者, 每个工人实时分配再制造任务和更新主计划, teams, and cells complete their value-added activities.

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“Our on-site, additive-manufacturing capabilities, 迪士尼3彩乐园现代化战略加强了我们在以全球供应链波动和不可预测性为特征的世界中的优势,” observes Justin Sokol, Wabtec Senior Plant Manager at Grove City. “As an Industry 4.0 site, Grove City提供了一定程度的自给自足，帮助Wabtec减少了对海外零件运输的依赖，并加强了对交货时间和交货的控制.”

Sustainability Benefits

运营一家世界级的再制造工厂还会带来一系列可持续发展的好处. For example, up to 79% of the locomotive engine materials coming into Grove City is re-used; about 20% is recycled; and only 1% goes to waste, perfectly illustrating a circular economy in action.

Wabtec的客户并没有忽视这一循环成就.

“瓦博泰克致力于通过基于工业4的先进再制造工艺对现有迪士尼3彩乐园进行现代化改造.零原则帮助我们帮助客户减少排放，并成功推进他们的可持续发展目标,” adds Robert Bremmer, Group Vice President of Product Management at Wabtec. “为我们的主力迪士尼3彩乐园注入新的生命和技术, an act that extends their life, while improving sustainability and performance, is a big win for our customers, company and the environment.”

Designed to Lead, Built to Win

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Today, 瓦伯泰克的格罗夫城再制造基地每年为领先的铁路公司更新数百台货运迪士尼3彩乐园, 它最初的设计意图是通过不断的创新来延长迪士尼3彩乐园的寿命，创造一个高度差异化的再制造巨头，这一点似乎很到位. 在过去的12年里，格罗夫城证明了瓦伯泰克在三个方面是正确的:

1. 押注于再制造以满足客户对长寿命的需求, high-performing freight locomotives
2. Reimagining freight-locomotive design as a platform for continuous improvement; and
3. 投资于虚拟和物理基础设施以实现这一愿景, one that entails caring for, improving, 并将迪士尼3彩乐园重新释放到他们苛刻的工作环境中，为未来几十年的生产力服务

事实上，这些飞跃也推动了该行业最可持续的商业模式之一, 是变革思维和执行力的有力证明吗, at the heart of Wabtec.