Background

A large cement company faced challenges in managing the quality of railway wagons used for material loading. The inefficiencies caused by damaged wagons, such as missing or broken parts, led to delays in maintenance and impacted plant throughput. The plant also struggled to keep Indian Railways officials informed about the condition of wagons, which affected negotiations for demurrage waivers and overall logistics efficiency.

Solution

To address these challenges, the company implemented a Wagon Inspection System, a highly automated solution designed to inspect wagons for loading suitability as they enter the plant. The system uses six cameras mounted on the track-side, combined with a server-based processing unit to detect defects in real time.

The system can identify:

• Missing doors

• Broken doors

• Missing panels

• Broken floors

• Wagon number recognition

• Bulging or deformed parts

Key Features

• Real-time Inspection: As wagons enter the plant, the system inspects them for any defects and categorizes them as damaged or non-damaged within 20 minutes.

• Automation: The system automates the process of defect detection, reducing the need for manual inspection, speeding up both maintenance and the loading process.

• Data Sharing: Defective wagon reports are automatically generated and shared with Indian Railway officials. This helps the company highlight the percentage of defective wagons received, making the case for demurrage waivers.

Impact on Operations

• Faster Maintenance and Loading: Early visibility of defective wagons allows the logistics and maintenance teams to focus on repairs and prepare good-quality wagons for loading, resulting in a significant reduction in maintenance time.

• Improved Throughput: By ensuring only functional wagons are loaded, the plant could increase its dispatch throughput, reducing idle time for both equipment and manpower.

• Demurrage Waivers: Sharing the defect reports with Indian Railways officials not only improved transparency but also led to the company obtaining waivers on demurrage fees, as it provided proof of the time spent on repairing defective wagons.

• Deterrent for Poor-Quality Wagons: The regular sharing of defect data with Indian Railways became a deterrent, ensuring that the company received higher-quality, loadable wagons over time. This helped maintain a smoother logistics flow and fewer disruptions in the loading process.

Results

The Wagon Inspection System dramatically transformed the way the cement company managed its incoming wagons, leading to:

• 20% reduction in maintenance time

• Increased plant throughput by 15%

• Obtained demurrage waivers, saving approximately 10% in logistics costs

• Improved relations with Indian Railways, leading to better wagon quality over time.

The successful implementation of the Wagon Inspection System not only streamlined operations but also positioned the company as a leader in using automation to drive efficiency in the cement industry.

Conclusion

This case demonstrates how the use of advanced machine vision technology can enhance logistics operations, reduce costs, and improve the overall efficiency of a plant. The cement company’s use of real-time inspection and data-driven decision-making significantly reduced operational bottlenecks and positioned it for long-term success.