Operation Management in History of Freight Trains - Literature review Example

Operation Management in History of Freight Trains Introduction A freight train transports large volume of goods and materials in different types of containers through normal or specialized freight for different purposes. For the bulk transportation in optimistic time, railways are determined to be organized, effective, cost saving and systematic way of transportation as compared to other transportation means. Freight trains are means of transportation that crash cost and time, so that the transport activities are completed in a short span of time. Increasing physical stress on rail tracks required inspections that are more resilient with advanced technologies and devices. Failures and defects in rail tracks have caused major accidents. With the help of matrix organization and work breakdown structure, the management can avoid this type of catastrophe. Manual and visual inspections should be provided in that section to avoid hindrance in operations. There should be a benchmark and breakthrough strategy to achieve a quality based outcomes from a particular project, so that the standard of work is maintained (The Heritage Foundation, 2015). This sector is growing rapidly and accordingly, facilities and employment in the railway sector is developing in a rapid manner. Different types of functions like commercial function, train formation and disposition, rail logistic service, national and international operation, planning and scheduling are associated with freights trains. These functions are needed to be performed by experienced personnel (Avante International Technology, Inc., 2015). In this context, the paper provides information, tools and strategies to build long-term cooperation and enhance the railway service. Capture of American Rail Roads Railway roads played a big responsibility in the development of America. The extension and growth in the present day context has been witnessed in every section. Due to the changes of economic needs and increasing automobile, bus, and air transport sector, the American rail industry has faced repeated disruption. In this respect, different measures relating to development of rail tracks and innovative engines by the Federal government have been efficient in developing the railway system to a large extent. Measures are adopted, as it plays a significant role in exporting and importing containers and shipment of oil and coal among others. The American rail industry was developed in 1910, when the passenger trains were more preferred by the people. The interconnected network was the main was the main reason for the development of the rail system after the civil war. Procurement process of inputs was previously very slow, but due to advancement of technologies and latest warehousing system has been accountable for developing the rail network and system for effective order fulfillment. Through the supply chain management synchronization, customer needs are focused and targets are achieved easily and correspondingly, the bullwhip effects are minimized. Computerized and improved technologies constantly assisted in reducing the cost and save time (Aalam, 2014; Stover, 2008). From the documentary, it has been witnessed that the railway lines or tracks are organized very systematically, so that the performance specification could be analyzed. Railroad should be brought under control, so that the incident of utilization factors could be minimized. Proper service concept and service blueprint should be utilized for effective work atmosphere. Innovative process planning and strategies are allotted to the employee for better customer satisfaction. The United States is the worlds successful national economy in the world. The scope for the railroad industry is very high in the country. As the inputs or material are conveniently procured, this kind of industry and related sectors have a better growth as well as development opportunity. Moreover, availability of financial resources by the US government has assisted in expanding the business and accordingly, development prospect of the country is high (Aalam, 2014; Miller, Costa & Cooper, 2012). Due to the facilities of high value, investment and return, different countries have been investing in the US rail industry to expand their business or to invest in new companies. In addition, the service sector in the country is determined to play an important role in terms of total GDP. Major industries like chemical, steel & iron, electronic machines, valuable metal as well as petroleum products are developing largely owing to which export and import services are majorly handled by the railways. Here the development lies on individual or the industrial development, so railways have a consequential role in development. Financial uplifting in this sector has initiated stability and enhancement of the economic situation of the country. Inflation can be reduced by taking effective actions and financial relief can be tossed in the form of tax relief (Aalam, 2014; Miller, Costa & Cooper, 2012). Operating and Management Process of freight train Supply chain management manages the flow of inventory or services from producers to consumers in order to fulfill the objectives of the rail industry. It includes the production process and also maintaining the standard of products through effective planning. From the process of storing raw material to supply of finished goods, the key performance indicators can be estimated with which supply chain performance can be measured. Value of the inventory can be computed by inventory turns and for the sustainability of the system, the supply chain process is needed to be checked properly. Fulfillment of the increasing demand in goods transportations can be accomplished by continuous replenishment and on demand delivery by the rail industry. By warehouse management, the day-to-day operation of different supply channels and distribution channels are managed. Tariffs of different kinds of material are required to be analyzed regularly. Sourcing is a very important aspect of the chain value supply. When the production process is going on the carbon footprint, limit and eco-labeling should be decided and as per this production, the process will continue (CSC, n. d.). Products are design as per the requirement, so that it can be produced economically. Cause and effect analysis of the products should be scrutinized with the aim of determining the performance of the rail industry in the US. Perceptual map is comparing consumers’ perception with that of the products as well as services provided by the rail industry. Reliability of a product or service is an important aspect for the rail industry, because satisfaction of the consumers is important for long term sustainability and growth in future. Quality function deployment is a process by which the products or services are designs as per the customers’ requirement. By Pareto analysis, the causes of poor production quality can be ascertained. With the use of process flow chart, different kinds of job are allocated to different sections, so that the chances of fault could be minimized in the industry. Productivity is measured with the help of quality management system, which is under a small group of people recognized as quality circle. Latest finish time and start time can accelerate the production process (Miller, Costa & Cooper, 2012). Assembling Freight Trains From the documentary, it can be identified that the US freight train system is a vast network connecting every region of the country. Advance technology has been an important consideration for managing as well as coordination the rail network. For the advanced technologies, huge amount of capital is invested in the department of Research and Development. With the implementation of advanced technology, every section is connected with each other and time is saved for the betterment of production. Every 113 to 118 trains are controlled by this technology. Workers processed 10,000 freight cars each day. Parts installed in freight trains are sorted in different sections, so that production of these parts can be made in an effective manner. The wheel sets are changed on a daily basis. The employees do their work 365 days in a year. Bailey yard is one of the largest rail yards in the US. Its tracks expand to every corner of America. Americans railroads have a hold of 22,000 locomotive and 1.3 million freight cars, which crosses the country each year. Freight trains are assembled on a daily basis as per the necessity of the consumers. These freight trains assembled from cars, which were developed from different stations. Many classifications and sorting to be performed in local manufacture area and this process is called classification of yard (Aalam, 2014; Miller, Costa & Cooper, 2012). Classification of Yard Source: (Jacob, M´arton, Maue, & Nunkesser, n.d.) Multistage Methods for Freight Train Classification Source: (Jacob, M´arton, Maue, & Nunkesser, n.d.) In the receiving yard, the incoming trains arrive first and after this, the train reaches up to classification area where sorting is done and at last, in departure area, trains are organized. From the receiving tracks, the trains move to a track, which is called hump track. In this hump track, the cars of the freight train are disengaged and by turning aside the engine, the finished freight trains are shoved to the hump track. After that, the cars are moved through the switches in classification area and this procedure is known as roll in operation. At last, in the departure yard, complete freight trains are plucked by the locomotives (Aalam, 2014; Jacob, M´arton, Maue & Nunkesser, n. d.). Use of advance technologies By the use of advanced technology in every sector, different kinds of tasks are completed in a time and cost effective manner. During the manufacturing process of freight trains, various kinds of internal flaws in railroads would be detected. Detector is used to spot the glitch made by an employee unintentionally. The ultrasound technology creates detailed and dynamic images of the project using high frequency sound waves. The induction technology uses the power applied by an induction coil to create controllable heat in electrical material and helps to diagnose the faults before any hazard occur. Lesser-based railroad surveillance system is developed to fix the error. To keep the alignment and elevation of tracks, track geometry, electronic and optical instrument are used. Railway tracks are made of rocks, which help to transfer the load into a strong foundation (Aalam, 2014; The Heritage Foundation, 2015). Proper drainage system of the waste water and minimizing flora is required because this cause trouble with the track system. To monitor the bridge health and detect the damages in the time of production or other activities is very essential. Advanced monitoring equipment provides regular feedback on each section. An effective Research and Development system helps to enhance the lifespan of rail bridges. Wheel bearing is important to rotate the wheels independently along the tracks. Oils help the wheel to run smoothly on the tracks. If the bearing of the wheel is not right, then a noisy sound will occur, which means wheel could not run properly. Wheel images captured through laser with the intention of detecting wheels, so that the wheels can be repaired (Aalam, 2014; Association of American Railroads, n. d.). Source: (Association of American Railroads, n.d.) Modern marvels freight trains From the documentary present by the History Channel, it has been recognized that the railroad industry in America is considered central in terms of economic development. In America, most of the valuable products are carried by the freight trains. If the freight trains are not able to perform their task, the total economy gets collapsed because the economy is balanced with the use of distribution channel for better supply of goods. The freight railroads connect to commerce and keep expanding the business in every section of the country. This sector serves every industrial sector of the economy like wholesaler, retailer and consumers. By using the natural resources, freight trains are giving their best to develop each sector and it contributes in GDP. Thus, by using different progress chart, this sector has been able to expand effectively, so that services are offered rapidly (Aalam, 2014; Jacob, M´arton, Maue & Nunkesser, n.d.). Modernization of the industry Mass production is the main process of producing trains and by continuous production, consumers demands can be fulfilled in optimum time. By providing a process flow chart, every task can be finished on time; operation chart helps to take decision on assembling the products. Process innovation is very important, as based on innovative ideas, product or services are upgraded as per the requirement of the consumer and accordingly, previous faults can be corrected. Break even analysis is a mechanism by which fixed and variable cost is measured for ascertaining cost and revenue. Delivery specification is needed to serve the infinite queue by understanding the customers’ line of influence. A service concept has to be created to analyze the market targeted and the interest of the customers. Different kinds of software like collaborative product design and different computer aided machines are introduced. By the computer aided design modification, construction and creation of new design are easy and convenient. Computer aided engineering helps in analyzing the information from the database and necessary decisions can be taken (Aalam, 2014; Jacob, M´arton, Maue & Nunkesser, n. d.). Different kinds of faults are scrutinized by the fault tree analysis, which minimize the risk of losses. By the product life cycle management, the lifespan of the products or services can be increased. Rapid prototyping, robust design with simple standard makes the products and the design model useful for future invention. Standardization and utilization of the product plays a significant role in this sector and by value analysis, futile and worthless features are removed. Labor index helps to utilize the skills of labors to some extent. Different kinds of quality based problems are minimized by cause and effect matrix. Break through strategy helps to extract the potential from individuals, as they get motivated by empowerment. By enhancing its supply chain, they integrate the demand forecast and makes production plant to meet the customers’ desires (Aalam, 2014; Jacob, M´arton, Maue & Nunkesser, n.d.). By e-commerce or e-business, the industry enhances its capability to serve every corner of the world. E-market place is the platform to conduct business-to-business activities and by e-procurement, purchase and sales of products or service are made directly through websites. Investment and other financial resources have to be reformed without increasing the spending. By minimizing the investment gap and rehabilitate the resources in future, the rail industry is able hold a top position in the industry, which enables future prosperity (Aalam, 2014; Jacob, M´arton, Maue & Nunkesser, n.d.). Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be comprehended that freight train industry is a well-organized sector, which needs constant up-gradation and advanced technologies to serve the consumers. By improving its capacity and safety measurement, the US economy can be strengthened. By improving tracks, rail roads, bridges, freight cars, development of the country can be boosted. By providing affordable freight transport, goods can be delivered with better effectiveness. As it blooming rapidly, more than million jobs are allocated by this sector and the per capita income is increased through this process. It also shields the environment, as it produces fuel efficient locomotives and computer aided software system among others. By increasing fuel efficiency and advanced freight cars, pollution is minimized to a large extent. By enterprise resource planning, the industry is able to share information as well as data. References Association of American Railroads. (n.d.). 21st century railroads: safety through technology. Retrieved from http://archive.freightrailworks.org/freight-rail-21st-century-railroads-safety-through-technology/#slide-1 Association of American Railroads. (n.d.). Advanced technology safety initiative improves rail safety. Retrieved from https://www.aar.org/Pages/Advanced-Technology-Safety-Initiative-Improves-Rail-Safety.aspx Avante International Technology, Inc. (2015). Real-time rail integrity and rail switch point position monitoring system for rail safety management. Retrieved from http://www.avantetech.com/products/rail-cargo-security/ CSC. (n.d.). Single view rail cargo management system. Retrieved from http://www.csc.com/travel_and_transportation/offerings/43437/81345-rail_cargo_management_system Jacob, R., M´arton, P., Maue, J., & Nunkesser, M. (n.d.). Multistage methods for freight train classification. Retrieved from http://www.inf.ethz.ch/personal/rjacob/Publications/jacob-marton-maue-nunkesser.pdf Miller, K., Costa, K., & Cooper, D. (2012). A plan for investing in our freight infrastructure. Retrieved from https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2012/08/pdf/freight_infrastructure.pdf Stover, J. F. (2008). American railroads. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. The Heritage Foundation. (2015). 2015 index of economy freedom. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/unitedstates Read More