The year of Rapid Suite maintenance
The year 2022 marked an important milestone in the development of the two Rapid Suites: National and Dense Zone. For several weeks, the two main work trains of the two agencies, the P95 and the TEVO, were undergoing maintenance at the Brétigny-sur-Orge and Verberie rear bases.
We wanted to find out more about this year of renewal from Patrick Deyo, Equipment Director at ETF Grands Projets Ferroviaires.
Can you tell us about your position at ETF?
P. Deyo: For the past three years, I have been Equipment Director at ETF Grands Projets Ferroviaires. My role is to contribute to the performance of the Suites Rapides by managing the maintenance of our equipment fleet. I therefore oversee all matters relating to equipment: machinery, work trains, spare parts and personnel.
I am responsible for purchasing, managing and maintaining the fleet, back-end maintenance and coordinating teams. In short, I proactively ensure the availability and reliability of the Suites Rapides so that operational staff can achieve optimal linear efficiency every night.
Equipment Director
Major Railway Projects
ETF
“‘Prevention is better than cure’
How would you define maintenance, and what does it involve?
P. Deyo: Maintenance is the process by which we detect problems in order to correct them. It takes two forms:
- Corrective maintenance, which involves repairing a fault detected in a component, part, machine or wagon.
- Preventive maintenance involves preventing and anticipating malfunctions that could lead to production stoppages or poor quality. How? By making improvements and performing regular maintenance on the equipment.
These two ‘components’ are linked. Our role is to be, in a way, ‘train doctors’. Maintenance is not just about machines; it is above all about skilled people in the back office and in production who monitor the performance of our trains and the profitability of our projects on a daily basis.
How is maintenance organised at ETF Grands Projets Ferroviaires?
P. Deyo: We have given both Rapid Suites a common perspective: that maintenance should become ‘the most attractive and set the operational standard’. Our goal is to stay one step ahead of our competitors. We want to be in tune with our customer’s needs. Our services and offerings must address their issues of safety, efficiency and availability.
To achieve this, we have set up a cross-functional and global organisation, i.e. a single equipment management department for both the National and Dense Area Suites Rapides agencies.
With a common goal: 95% equipment availability.
What enables you to maintain this 95% availability?
P. Deyo: The term ‘availability’ refers to the fact that throughout the entire production process, the necessary equipment is accessible and ready for use.
Maintaining this level of performance is the result of corrective and preventive maintenance work. We must constantly analyse the causes of train stoppages. We carry out a diagnosis so that we can quickly repair the machine. We do this hand in hand with the customer through transparent and responsible communication.
In practical terms, what does a typical maintenance day look like?
P. Deyo: The trains return to the depot between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning. That’s where the maintenance staff and workshops are located, close to the work sites.
The trains are parked on the track, waiting for authorisation to be worked on. Once the track has been secured, we begin with a preparatory meeting with the team leader. The purpose of this meeting is to review the data from the CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management System) and its CORIM software.
This method is used to plan the maintenance tasks to be carried out and to monitor their performance indicators.
Next, agents and technicians are dispatched to each part of the train requiring intervention. Between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m., there is also an operational steering meeting (RPO) between the team leaders and the equipment manager to discuss the previous day’s events and the priorities for the day. At the end of the day, the team leader summarises the maintenance work that has been carried out.
“Safety, Quality and Cost
Why was maintenance of the P95 and TEVO necessary this year?
P. Deyo: Maintenance of the P95 took three months and maintenance of the TEVO took two months. For both trains, this involved:
- Regulatory work that we are required to carry out by law and current standards.
- Bringing the machines into compliance and ensuring their safety. For example, installing protective barriers between the tracks on the wagon.
- Preventive reliability work such as replacing wear parts on conveyors and bogies, and overhauling the hopper and dredger.
As maintenance engineers, we operate on an industrial scale on an operational network. We have a duty to guarantee the long-term viability of our production systems. Our work trains must constantly meet regulatory requirements and economic and safety challenges.