2017 Railway Predictions by Matthew Scott, Vice President and General Manager of the Railway Division at ZTR Control Systems
In early 2016, we significantly increased investment in our Research & Development efforts, specifically our Railway Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. That’s because we know digital strategy will become crucial in a plethora of industrial industries and we want to be leading the charge for the railway. With an existing Industrial IoT division at ZTR that monitors over 180,000 assets world-wide, we are uniquely positioned to leverage our innovative technologies and solutions to drive new operational performance for our railway customers. Quite frankly, we plan to disrupt the railway industry yet again.
Locomotive availability, reliability and safety are all key drivers for the ZTR locomotive data platform. By connecting locomotives and delivering powerful information to the right people, at the right time, we are enhancing the customer’s ability to improve service, productivity and safety.
Looking forward into 2017 and beyond, by leveraging LESA standards and avoiding data silos, we can offer seamless integration with existing enterprise software or maintenance solutions. Not only do our solutions work with our own ZTR NEXSYS™ control system but they also integrate independently across all OEM locomotive platforms. That integration element is key and this will make a significant difference for railways planning on implementing IoT solutions and maintaining the availability of their locomotives.
Intelligent and connected locomotives are imperative for the future. One of our 2017 strategies is to help railway leaders understand digital strategy and how to implement that strategy with minimal business interruption to begin seeing ROI immediately.
You can also read about Matthew’s predictions on Railway Age online here.
You can also see a link from the Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers here.
