Using an Agility CMMS has led to faster working practices and a more streamlined approach throughout for Keolis Amey Metrolink.
Over 15 years on and three changes in operators later, Agility remains at the heart of Keolis Amey Metrolink’s (KAM) asset management.
As the UK’s largest light railway network incorporating 9 routes, 120 trams and 99 stops, Manchester Metrolink needed an effective asset management solution to manage and measure the condition and performance of the assets they operate and maintain. They also needed to produce performance information and drive effective business decisions and thanks to Agility, the network has seen major improvements.
Manchester Metrolink tramway is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) originally opened in 1992 and extended in 2000 to a total of 37.5 km. This was subsequently expanded in three phases to the current 97km, incorporating 9 routes, 120 trams and 99 stops radiating from the City Centre. From 2007 it was operated by Stagecoach Metrolink Limited, who transferred its contract to RATP Dev in 2011 who then operated the system for 6 years. In 2017, TfGM awarded the joint venture of Keolis and Amey – Keolis Amey Metrolink (KAM) – a contract to operate and maintain the system for a period of 10 years.
Head of Engineering for Stagecoach in 2007 previously told us; “When we took over Metrolink we were charged with implementing an effective asset management system as part of our contract with GMPTE (subsequently TfGM). We needed an easy-to-use CMMS tool to manage and measure the condition of assets, produce performance information and drive effective business decisions.”
The system had to include a comprehensive asset register and web access, allowing controlled third-party access. Warranty status, stock management, financial interfaces, meter-based maintenance, fault analysis and component tracking were all necessary. It also had to incorporate fault logging, reports (outstanding work, historical fault and trends) and asset tracking (e.g. moving a motor from one vehicle to another).
“We visited clients using Agility to see the product in action” says the Stagecoach representative, “We were pleased with positive feedback across the board and decided Agility was right for us. Agility’s flexibility addressed our requirements.”
Documents, drawings, and photographs were linked to assets and work orders, and users were informed of work status through email and a wealth of graphical KPIs.
Caroline Howarth, Asset Manager for KAM described; “SSG Insight has been quick to adapt and respond to requirements from our team. This resulted in a robust product that meets and exceeds the original brief.”
Caroline went onto say, “Other internal systems developed in-house have also been incorporated into Agility. This has resulted in consistent access to data to all authorised users in one central tool.
We moved our control room log onto the Agility system some time ago, giving us easy access to operational information in order to make informed decisions quickly, based on up-to-the-minute intelligence. This has led to faster working practices, and a more streamlined approach throughout.
We are evolving our use of the Agility solution for example; we will use it for our competency management system, ensuring that we are tracked and notified through Agility with regards to everyone’s training and certification requirements. We will also use it for configuration management so if an engineer does something to an asset and it changes the status of the asset, this has a knock-on effect, and the workflows in Agility help us to see the impacts of this elsewhere.
More recently we have seen the team at SSG Insight develop the Guest Helpdesk functionality which is great for our staff members working with our customers. They are out on the network all the time and if they spot a job requirement, they can quickly and efficiently add a work order request there and then. The team really like this, and they have been fast to pick it up and use it.
Agility is also supporting us with achieving our ISO 55001 compliance, the checklists are great, and we’re able to carry out an audit very quickly as all the information we need is right there in Agility.
Caroline Howarth, Asset Manager
The team at SSG Insight are very friendly and always willing to help. It’s great that more customer events are happening and whilst I couldn’t attend the User Day last year, I am pleased the team are planning more events like this, and the webinars to support us to get even more from the solution.”
Between 2009 and 2016 Metrolink embarked on an ambitious £1.4 billion expansion program, trebling the size of the system to 97km incorporating eight routes, new and improved stops including CCTV and improved passenger information, new ticketing system, and a new tram control system, making Metrolink Britain’s largest tram network. In addition to the expansion, Metrolink replaced its ageing trams with a new and expanded fleet of 120 trams, providing greater capacity, and built a second new maintenance depot to house and service the fleet.
In 2017, after a comprehensive competitive tendering exercise TfGM awarded the joint venture of Keolis and Amey a contract to operate and maintain the system. Keolis is a leading passenger transport business operating internationally and Amey is a leading supplier of consulting and infrastructure support services both in the UK and internationally. Working together as Keolis Amey Metrolink (KAM) they will operate the network for a period of 10 years.
In their proposal to TfGM in 2017, KAM stayed with Agility as their CMMS. “Agility was already embedded in the organisation and has proven to be adaptable and capable of expansion to meet current and future needs. Changing systems didn’t make sense.” KAM’s then Engineering Director explained at the time, “The new contract is very demanding not only in terms of KAM’s performance but also with regards to asset management and the capture of asset data to inform KAM maintenance plans and TfGM’s renewal plans. Agility is key to delivering performance information and we look forward to working with SSG Insight on its continued development.”
“Since 2017 we have gone from strength to strength, and the system has been extended by a further 5.5 km with an extension to Trafford Park and an additional 27 trams”
Future plans include; introduction of Agility Mobile Solutions and the use of tablets for operational and maintenance staff, integration with remote conduction monitoring initiatives, enhanced materials, supply chain management and additional functionality.
Throughout Metrolink’s journey, its expansion and successive changes in operators, Agility has adapted to and incorporated the changes and remains integral to Metrolink’s asset management.
We asked Caroline about the future and what she thought might be coming for KAM and Agility:
“In 2023 we are introducing Agility mobile and we’re excited about this as it will make things quicker and more efficient for staff. It also means that we can see all of the data in real-time that is connected to all of our maintenance. We are looking at setting this up throughout our infrastructure initially, then for the vehicles department. It supports our plans to be fully digital which in turn supports us to be a greener organisation, and means we can eliminate all paper which would be great.
Part of the digital strategy is of course around IoT and integration, and this is something the team at KAM are looking at in conjunction with the team at SSG Insight. Things like remote condition monitoring initiatives and supply chain management through integrations are the future and very exciting. The partnership SSG Insight and ourselves have with UKTram, means that we have specific tram forums around shaping the Agility solution for our industry, and it’s great to have that hand-on contact with a wider team in the same industry.
Asset maintenance capability is vital to us and we are always looking at other areas and other ways in which Agility can support us to build this capability. Throughout KAM’s journey, our expansion and successive changes in operations, Agility has adapted to and incorporated the changes, and remains integral to achieving our asset management objectives. In addition, many of the SSG Insight team who started our Agility journey with us are still there, and I look forward to continuing to work in partnership.”
To discover more about how the Light Rail industry and many others utilise Agility, contact a member of our global team today, info@ssginsight.com.
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