eMaint > Case Studies > Watco's Transition from Paper to Centralized, Multi-Site Maintenance Data

Watco's Transition from Paper to Centralized, Multi-Site Maintenance Data

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)
Sensors - GPS

Applicable Industries

Paper & Pulp
Transportation

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Asset Health Management (AHM)
Transportation Simulation

Services

System Integration
Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Watco is an international transportation and logistics services company that owns and operates a network of short line railroads, terminals, ports, and repair terminals throughout North America and Australia. They own thousands of assets, including locomotives, rail cars, and other heavy equipment, across nearly 200 locations. Each location has its own critical assets, which differ from site to site. Watco employs numerous internal teams, each focused on different elements of the transportation system. They have been focused on improving their maintenance processes and reducing their capital expenses for several years.

The Challenge

Watco, an international transportation and logistics services company, faced significant challenges in managing their complex operations. They owned thousands of assets, including locomotives, rail cars, and other heavy equipment, spread across nearly 200 locations. Each location had its own critical assets, which varied from site to site, and numerous internal teams focused on different elements of the transportation system. This complexity made reporting a major challenge, especially as they were using paper documentation to record engine hours and odometer readings. These paper reports were collected manually from bins around the site, a process that was not only time-consuming but also prone to error. While they were using Teletrac fleet sensors for GPS tracking, inspections, and electronic logs, they lacked a centralized system to track, manage, and act on this data.

The Solution

Watco implemented eMaint, a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), to automate many of their most time-consuming and tedious tasks. This included automating their documentation processes and providing more data transparency for compliance purposes and visibility throughout the organization. They worked with eMaint’s support team to build custom tables and data fields for better visibility into their operations. After demonstrating the value of the system at a few locations, they gained buy-in from leadership and scaled the implementation across other areas of the organization. The eMaint system integrated seamlessly with their existing tools and systems, like their Teletrac sensors, thanks to eMaint API integrations. With eMaint, critical alerts and information were centralized in one system, and Watco’s teams now had clear visibility on what needed to be done and when.

Operational Impact

With the implementation of eMaint, Watco has seen significant improvements in their operational processes. Critical alerts and information are now centralized in one system, enabling teams to know exactly what needs to be done and when. This includes tasks like pulling an oil sample or scheduling an inspection. eMaint can automatically generate the necessary work orders to help the team stay on track with preventive maintenance, saving on costly emergency repairs. Technicians now have all the information they need at their fingertips, allowing them to pull up asset records and check documentation at any time to more easily diagnose problems. This has helped Watco stay on top of asset maintenance, saving time and costs. eMaint has become the go-to place for teams to find the information they need, serving as the centralized database for all of their assets and asset detail.

Quantitative Benefit