For several decades Bombardier has been an integral part of the Quebec scene. But what about its role on a global scale? That’s what we had the chance to discover today. Bombardier has three main divisions, with aeronautics and transportation being the main ones. Germany is a leader in the field of rail transport, so we had to visit the facilities of this company originally from Quebec during our mission. Here is a summary of our Thursday, April 25, at Bombardier Transport, Hennigsdorf.
We first discussed the impact of digitalization on the manufacturing industry, more specifically related to transportation. It must be understood that in an environment where everything must be more competitive while remaining economical, each piece of data that can be extracted and analyzed in order to improve a product or optimize a process is valuable. With the technologies now available, it is possible not only to extract a significant amount of data from our products, but also to analyze them in real time to allow better control over operations. For example, Kanban, a widely used tool in many areas, can easily be replaced by alerts in the system indicating a need for impending supply. Also, manufacturing execution tools save significant time and greatly reduce error rate. Digitization is so accessible and beneficial that to deprive oneself of it could be very detrimental to the development of a business.
Subsequently, we had the chance to talk with Mr. Ural, director of digital innovation and product development. We discussed the importance of start-ups in the development of large companies, including the development of technology solutions that fit the reality of Bombardier. We have even explored some of their projects that have already passed the Proof of Concept stage and are, to say the least, promising for the transportation sector. For reasons of confidentiality, it is not possible for us to disseminate the nature and the state of these projects. We also discussed a new platform concept, called « Beyond 1435 ». It is a technological innovation congress bringing together start-ups, companies related to the railway transport sector and even some customers to answer local problems or to develop new concepts. The Bombardier Transportation team are very proud of this unique platform.
We must not forget the contribution of virtual reality in the field of product design. A widely used tool at Bombardier Transportation, which greatly facilitates the work of product designers and engineers by giving them a global vision of the design. It’s also a very persuasive tool when it comes time to sell a product.
During the day, we had the opportunity to visit two assembly lines. The first is the Talent 3 train, which can travel at a speed of about 160 km/h and is mainly used for regional services. This train is used in several countries in Europe, including Germany of course, but also Austria. In the factory we visited, they can assemble a car every 1.2 days or so. Once the car or locomotive has been assembled, the hole train is assemble, which can hold up to 6 cars, depending on the customer’s needs.
In the second visit, we had the opportunity to visit is the final assembly line of the ICE 4 high-speed train, a Bombardier project in collaboration with Siemens. About a third of the project is managed by Bombardier. It’s responsible for the bodywork, locomotive assembly, passenger car assembly and the motorized bogies. ICE 4 will be implemented only in Germany. With a value of 6.3 billion € for around 220 trains, it is the largest contract ever awarded by Deutsch Bahn, the German public railway company.
During the visit, we were able to see the greater complexity that this train requires if we compare it to Talent 3. The wiring was much more complex, so was the suspension. In addition, electrical and leak tests are carried out directly on the assembly line to avoid wasting time during the train test, which is partly carried out by Siemens.
With the current order, the assembly plant is operating at full capacity until 2023. Each car takes about 2 days to be assembled.
Finally, to end the day in style, we were able to visit the test facilities used by Bombardier. They have 2 different railways used for their tests. One is about one kilometre long and the other about four kilometres long. We were able to board a train during the test. Some of us, including Professor Hany Moustapha who accompanied us during this visit, were able to drive the train under the supervision of the driver. Others had the chance to activate the horn or speak on the intercom. In short, this visit brought out the child inside of each of us.
Another day that end perfectly for the members of the Technology Mission!