reference
CZ LOKO
Implementing Engineering Base in CZ LOKO's processes. Discover how Engineering Base supports the development of diesel-electric locomotives.
Digitalization of Locomotive Development with Engineering Base
CZ LOKO is among the leading European manufacturers of diesel-electric shunting locomotives. The company has long specialized in the design, production, modernization, and leasing of rail vehicles that find application across Europe.
With the increasing complexity of modern locomotive development, the company began searching for a more efficient way to manage electrical documentation and change management. The existing solution based on a combination of AutoCAD, Excel, and Word brought limitations in data consistency, versioning, and coordination between departments.
The challenge of managing increasing complexity in design
The transition to advanced diesel-electric locomotives resulted in a significant increase in the complexity of both the design and technical documentation. The traditional way of working led to increased errors in design, complicated change management, and challenging data synchronization between different disciplines.
Therefore, CZ LOKO sought a solution that would allow:
to unify project data into a single environment,
to accelerate work with documentation,
to minimize errors arising from change management,
to standardize design processes,
and at the same time create a foundation for further digitalization of development.
The solution is Engineering Base as a unified database platform
The collaboration began with the processing of complete functional and assembly documentation for the locomotive series 742. This step allowed for a detailed analysis of technical requirements and the establishment of a systematic way of organizing design and engineering work.
The result of the implementation was the creation of a data model for the locomotive, which today serves as a standard for further projects in this series.
Engineering Base provided CZ LOKO with a unified database environment connecting electrical design, pneumatic systems, and technological documentation. The project also included integration with the superior system Windchill, which significantly accelerated production preparation and management of technical data.
Benefits of Implementing Engineering Base
More efficient change management - automated data integration significantly reduced errors and accelerated documentation updates.
Standardization of projects - unification of graphical and data structures of projects simplified work across teams and contributed to better consistency of outputs.
- Time savings - a unified database and integration with the Windchill system accelerated production preparation and work with documentation.
Better collaboration between departments - the shared database environment supported more effective coordination between electrical design, pneumatics, and technology.
- Readiness for future requirements - the system allows for easy creation of variants and flexible adaptation to new technological and legislative requirements, including ETCS.
“TECHNODAT showed us the way to work effectively in Engineering Base while considering our specifics. The collaboration is dynamic and very beneficial. It confirmed my belief that development with TECHNODAT is possible and correct.”
Ing. Aleš Kabourek
Engineering Manager, CZ LOKO
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impact
What impact did the solution have in practice
The deployment of Engineering Base brought CZ LOKO primarily more efficient change management, a significant reduction in errors during design, and faster documentation updates due to automated data integration. At the same time, there was standardization of projects, unification of data and graphical structures of documentation, and better collaboration between individual technical departments. The result was also time savings in production preparation and the creation of a unified data model for the locomotive, which became the foundation for further projects.
relevance
When does a similar approach make sense
A similar approach makes the most sense for technically complex products or devices with a long life cycle, a large number of variants, and frequent changes in documentation. Typical examples include rail vehicles, energy equipment, industrial technologies, or extensive engineering units, where it is necessary to coordinate multiple disciplines and ensure consistent technical data across the project and production.
position
Why TECHNODAT was part of the solution
TECHNODAT was not only a supplier of the Engineering Base platform but also a partner for the entire digital transformation. It participated in the implementation of the system, the creation of the locomotive data model, the establishment of processes, the adaptation of solutions to the specific requirements of CZ LOKO, and the training of the team. The integration of Engineering Base knowledge with practical experience in design and management of technical data enabled the creation of a solution that meets the real needs of the rail vehicle manufacturer.
Partnership for Further Development
CZ LOKO plans to expand the use of Engineering Base to other projects and related departments. The implementation confirmed the correctness of the decision to invest in database design and created a solid foundation for further development of digital engineering.
If you are facing a similar situation, you are probably dealing with the same problem
Are you developing technically complex products with a high number of variants, changes, and requirements for precise documentation? Then you are probably facing the same challenges from coordinating data across teams to ensuring consistency of documentation throughout the entire project life cycle.
Engineering Base helps to unify, accelerate, and prepare these processes for further digitalization.
Engineering Base helps to unify, accelerate, and prepare these processes for further digitalization.
