France: The country rail operator SNCF Voyageurs has opened a new centre for axle manufacturing at the Technicentre Industriel Picardie maintenance facility (TIP, Picardy).
The new axle centre, replacing the previous workshop which has worked there since 1973, will reportedly allow for increasing the annual production from 4,000 to 12,000 axles.
A total of €60 mln has been invested to create the site according to the Industry 4.0 standards. The centre is equipped with a digital supervision system which controls the entire production line and ensures an optimised rate of 12 minutes per axle (30% quicker than earlier). In addition, heavy axles of up to 3 t can now be processed, while previously it was possible to operate only with lighter axles weighing 1.5 to 1.7 t.
Automatic Guided Vehicles used for moving boxes and bearings. Source: SNCF
The new 4.0 axle centre integrates the most innovative robotics technologies. The Automatic Guided Vehicles, AGVs, are used for moving boxes and bearings, while an autonomous bearing washing machine, fitted with a robotic arm, handles with cleaning.
