8/14/2019 OQO CSX Casestudy

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case study

Company:

CSX Transportation Inc., operates the

largest railroad in the eastern UnitedStates with a 21,000-mile rail network

linking commercial markets in 23 states,

the District o Columbia, and two

Canadian provinces.

Industry:

Transportation, Field Service

Objective:

Improve work ow efciency and

productivity in Federal Railroad

Administration (FRA) mandated rail yard

inspections with the deployment o a

paperless track inspection system.

Solution:

Integrated Track Inspection System

(ITIS) application

OQO ultra mobile PCs running Microsot

Windows XP & Windows .NET

Field rugged bump case to protect OQO

computers rom shock, water, and dust

LANDesk or systems and security

management o PCs

Aaria or sotware distribution

IBM DB2e and WebSphere J2EE

application server, Oracle database

Results:

Enables proactive monitoring and

maintenance o rails

Eliminates paper-based data collection

Increased efciency and productivity

in training and regulatory compliance

On target to realize signifcant annual

cost savings

CSX Transportation Deploys OQO Ultra Mobile PCs or

Paperless Track Inspections in Rail YardsOQO handheld computers help CSXT improve work ow efciency and productivity whil

delivering a low total cost o ownership (TCO).

The challenge: Finding an easy-to-use, handheld device that integratesseamlessly with CSXTs existing IT inrastructure

A key mission at CSXT is continual improvement in railroad saety achieved through

detailed inspection and maintenance o their rail network spanning 21,000 miles o track.

CSXT employs 380 track inspectors who are responsible or evaluating, recording, and

maintaining track conditions in accordance with company and ederal regulatory standard

In 2004, CSXT launched an initiative to migrate to an electronic track inspection record

keeping system with the objective o increasing efciency by reducing manual, paper-based processes. Looking or a reliable handheld device or their track inspectors in rail

yards, CSXT perormed a pilot with various devices including Personal and Enterprise

Digital Assistants, and OQO ultra mobile PCs. Technical and fnancial analysis based on

eedback rom participants o the pilot led to CSXT selecting OQO ultra mobile PCs or

deployment.

TCO was a signicant actor in our decision to deploy OQO ultra mobile PCs or our

electronic track inspection record keeping system. Having an integrated notebook and

handheld solution running ull Windows XP has enabled substantial cost and time saving

in sotware development, systems integration, and employee training.

Joe McMillan, CSXT Technical Director

OQO Ultra Mobile PCs Enable Rapid Deployment and Low TCO

To equip both the road masters in vehicles and track inspectors on oot, CSXT designed

their Integrated Track Inspector System, ITIS, or use with notebooks and OQO handheld

computers. Track inspection data collected in rail yards are consolidated in a central

database or real time trend analysis, regulatory reporting, and management review.

Because OQO handheld computers run Microsots Windows XP operating system, no

porting o the track inspection application was required, saving sotware development

time and cost. Seamless systems integration was achieved with common middleware

and back end inrastructure supporting both platorms. Wary o device OS prolieration

and associated maintenance costs, CSXT IT managers avored the amiliar and trusted

environment o the OQO ultra mobile PC.

8/14/2019 OQO CSX Casestudy

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With the power o a ull Windows

XP PC in a lightweight, handheld

orm actor, the OQO computer

enables us to proactively manage

our track inspection work ow

while eliminating the burden and

waste o paper orms and manuals.

Deployment was a major success

with tangible productivity and

efciency gains.

Larry Biess

CSX Director o Advanced Engineering

Training o track inspectors was also simplifed with the same application running on both

notebooks and OQO ultra mobile PCs. CSXT created a single, platorm-agnostic training

manual and DVD with snapshots o navigation menus and electronic orms to train track

inspectors and road masters.

In addition to the costly overhead o porting and maintaining sotware or PDAs,participants o our pilot complained o having to click through 4 to 5 menus on PDAs

to perorm the same task in a single menu on the OQO computer or notebook. The

increased screen real estate o the OQO device and the ability to run a ull operating

system directly resulted in improved usability and greater productivity in the eld.

Srini Manchikanti, CSXT Project Manager o Engineering Applications

Mobility and Usability Key or In-Field Adoption

CSXT rapidly deployed OQO ultra mobile PCs to track inspectors in rail yards across 23

eastern states representing their regions o operation. With track inspectors on oot mos

o the day, the OQO computers had to meet the ollowing requirements or 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 or the

4-inch-thick Maintenance o Way Instructions (MWI) binder that track inspectors had to

lug around. All orms and manuals are now stored locally on the shock mounted hard driv

o the OQO computer. Encased in a rugged magnesium chassis with a feld rugged bum

case, the OQO computer is well suited to withstand the wear and tear o all-day, outdoo

use. The bright screen also enables outdoor readability even under intense sunlight. Trac

inspectors can navigate and enter input using the integrated keyboard, track stick, or

digital pen on the OQO computer. High reliability rates o OQO handheld computers haveminimized downtime.

The OQO computer makes my job a lot easier. I dont have to carry and fip 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 t

look at recurrence rates and trends.

Wes Whitehead, CSXT track inspector

Success with Signifcant Productivity and Efciency Gains

Nearly a year ater deployment, CSXT is already recognizing the success o their electron

track inspection record keeping system with proven track inspector productivity gains,

improved training, and lower costs in sotware development and systems integration. O

target to meet the projects annual cost savings goal, CSXT has bolstered their preventiv

maintenance practices while reducing the burden on track inspectors. Rich data collecte

on the OQO handheld computers is also aiding CSXT in root cause analysis o accidents.

Application unctionality and eatures are continually being added and updated to urther

enhance automation and efciency with OQO handheld computers.

case study