Oqo Csx Casestudy

case study

Company: CSX Transportation Inc., operates the largest railroad in the eastern United States with a 21,000-mile rail network linking commercial markets in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.

Industry: Transportation, Field Service

Objective: Improve work flow efficiency and productivity in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandated rail yard inspections with the deployment of a paperless track inspection system.

Solution: • Integrated Track Inspection System (ITIS) application • OQO ultra mobile PCs running Microsoft Windows XP & Windows .NET • Field rugged bump case to protect OQO computers from shock, water, and dust

CSX Transportation Deploys OQO Ultra Mobile PCs for Paperless Track Inspections in Rail Yards OQO handheld computers help CSXT improve work flow efficiency and productivity while delivering a low total cost of ownership (TCO).

The challenge: Finding an easy-to-use, handheld device that integrates seamlessly with CSXT’s existing IT infrastructure A key mission at CSXT is continual improvement in railroad safety achieved through detailed inspection and maintenance of their rail network spanning 21,000 miles of track. CSXT employs 380 track inspectors who are responsible for evaluating, recording, and maintaining track conditions in accordance with company and federal regulatory standards. In 2004, CSXT launched an initiative to migrate to an electronic track inspection record keeping system with the objective of increasing efficiency by reducing manual, paperbased processes. Looking for a reliable handheld device for their track inspectors in rail yards, CSXT performed a pilot with various devices including Personal and Enterprise Digital Assistants, and OQO ultra mobile PCs. Technical and financial analysis based on feedback from participants of the pilot led to CSXT selecting OQO ultra mobile PCs for deployment. “TCO was a significant factor in our decision to deploy OQO ultra mobile PCs for our electronic track inspection record keeping system. Having an integrated notebook and handheld solution running full Windows XP has enabled substantial cost and time savings in software development, systems integration, and employee training.”

• LANDesk for systems and security management of PCs

– Joe McMillan, CSXT Technical Director

• Afaria for software distribution

OQO Ultra Mobile PCs Enable Rapid Deployment and Low TCO

• IBM DB2e and WebSphere J2EE application server, Oracle database

Results: • Enables proactive monitoring and maintenance of rails • Eliminates paper-based data collection • Increased efficiency and productivity in training and regulatory compliance • On target to realize significant annual cost savings

To equip both the road masters in vehicles and track inspectors on foot, CSXT designed their Integrated Track Inspector System, ITIS, for use with notebooks and OQO handheld computers. Track inspection data collected in rail yards are consolidated in a central database for real time trend analysis, regulatory reporting, and management review. Because OQO handheld computers run Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system, no porting of the track inspection application was required, saving software development time and cost. Seamless systems integration was achieved with common middleware and back end infrastructure supporting both platforms. Wary of device OS proliferation and associated maintenance costs, CSXT IT managers favored the familiar and trusted environment of the OQO ultra mobile PC.

case study Training of track inspectors was also simplified with the same application running on both notebooks and OQO ultra mobile PCs. CSXT created a single, platform-agnostic training manual and DVD with snapshots of navigation menus and electronic forms to train track inspectors and road masters. “In addition to the costly overhead of porting and maintaining software for PDAs, participants of our pilot complained of having to click through 4 to 5 menus on PDAs to perform the same task in a single menu on the OQO computer or notebook. The increased screen real estate of the OQO device and the ability to run a full operating system directly resulted in improved usability and greater productivity in the field.” – Srini Manchikanti, CSXT Project Manager of Engineering Applications

Mobility and Usability Key for In-Field Adoption “With the power of a full Windows XP PC in a lightweight, handheld form factor, the OQO computer enables us to proactively manage our track inspection work flow while eliminating the burden and waste of paper forms and manuals. Deployment was a major success with tangible productivity and efficiency gains.” Larry Biess CSX Director of Advanced Engineering

CSXT rapidly deployed OQO ultra mobile PCs to track inspectors in rail yards across 23 eastern states representing their regions of operation. With track inspectors on foot most of the day, the OQO computers had to meet the following requirements for practical use: • lightweight and mobile • rugged, durable, and reliable • indoor and outdoor screen readable • easy navigation and input Weighing approximately 1 lb., the OQO computer was a welcome replacement for the 4-inch-thick Maintenance of Way Instructions (MWI) binder that track inspectors had to lug around. All forms and manuals are now stored locally on the shock mounted hard drive of the OQO computer. Encased in a rugged magnesium chassis with a field rugged bump case, the OQO computer is well suited to withstand the wear and tear of all-day, outdoor use. The bright screen also enables outdoor readability even under intense sunlight. Track inspectors can navigate and enter input using the integrated keyboard, track stick, or digital pen on the OQO computer. High reliability rates of OQO handheld computers have minimized downtime. “The OQO computer makes my job a lot easier. I don’t have to carry and flip through the MWI binder because the computer will automatically suggest remediation measures based on my input. With the OQO computer, I can now access historical gauge reports to look at recurrence rates and trends.” – Wes Whitehead, CSXT track inspector

Success with Significant Productivity and Efficiency Gains Nearly a year after deployment, CSXT is already recognizing the success of their electronic track inspection record keeping system with proven track inspector productivity gains, improved training, and lower costs in software development and systems integration. On target to meet the project’s annual cost savings goal, CSXT has bolstered their preventive maintenance practices while reducing the burden on track inspectors. Rich data collected on the OQO handheld computers is also aiding CSXT in root cause analysis of accidents. Application functionality and features are continually being added and updated to further enhance automation and efficiency with OQO handheld computers.

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