Where does innovation come from? From necessity, which "sharpens the wits," as well as from research and development. Even before that, innovation comes from a desire to improve performance, whether of process or product. But, as Joseph Schumpeter suggested, innovation is intimately connected to the nature of the entrepreneur and the business organization.
At Mattei Group, this is well-known: the innovation division is always looking for radical, novel solutions, as well as improvements to be implemented on Mattei machines that are already active, so much so that it has become a real model for other similar maintenance projects.
Incremental product innovation on the one hand and process innovation on the other: it was a double challenge for Mattei Group on the service carried out on the RVM series compressors installed on board the rail carriages of the Automated People Mover train that transport passengers between Concourse D and Terminal 1 at Dubai International.
"This was a project that involved a client of MTE (Mattei Transit Engineering, a Baltimore-based subsidiary of the group) and the engineering teams of MTE and MCO (Mattei Corporate, headquartered in Italy)," explains Ida Costanzo, Mattei's Innovation Manager and Project Manager of this specific project. "Our goal was to improve the Life Cycle Cost and performance of the compressors installed on board the rail vehicles.
Mattei has extensive experience in the transit and rail sector, and offers customized solutions for all types of transportation, from streetcars to subways, commuter trains to automatic passenger shuttles, traditional locomotives to hybrid locomotives, as well as shunting locomotives, high-speed trains, and systems for rail applications.
The Dubai project was an ambitious one, proposed by Mattei to its customer Alstom, the French worldwide leader in the sustainable mobility and main manufacturer of trains and rail infrastructure. It’s another example of Mattei’s reliability and care for its customers, offering a highly-developed after-sales service, which not only provides support, but also proposes improvements on machines in operation. The partnership between Mattei and the French multinational corporation is an important one that goes beyond the simple supplier/customer relationship. The Vimodrone-based company has been one of the French giant's suppliers for over 10 years, and its high-quality compressors have been key to the success of Alstom's high-performance, sustainable and green transport solutions.
The entire project lasted several months, from September 2020 to May 2021, and consisted of 12 milestones involving the U.S. and Italian engineering teams and the customer itself: "The milestones were coordinated with the head of the U.S. team, Tony Murgia, who had the role of Technical Supervisor and interfaced with the final customer, while the upgrade design was conceived by our team in Italy on two machines sent to us from Dubai," Costanzo explains. "Once the improvements were completed and the results were tested, the machines were sent back to and approved by the client. Only then did we create an upgrade kit and send a specialized technician to carry out the work on the entire fleet of compressors."
The upgrade was performed on RVM compressors and included the following work: replacement of the lubricant with a new, higher-performance product, the introduction of a flow control system to prevent the creation of condensate, the introduction of a pressure sensor to enable activation of the compressor when necessary, and a redesign of the entire electronic architecture to accommodate the improvements.
"One of the main innovations introduced is the implementation of a control system that allows the compressor to switch off when activity is not required and to start it only when there is a need for compressed air. This feature has made it possible to lengthen the life of the compressor itself since it will only operate when needed, ensuring better performance. It will also positively impact the Life Cycle Cost of the compressors by making them greener: by activating the compressor only when necessary, energy use is optimized, with a consequent benefit for the customer," Costanzo explains.
The project had several complexities: firstly, the location of the vehicles to be worked on made it necessary to ship them to Italy; and secondly, the rail industry has incredibly detailed and very high-quality standards, both in the materials used, from cables to electronic components, and stringent regulations. Furthermore, the project required implementing a procedure that would allow the client to test and confirm the results to ensure continued compliance with the necessary safety standards.
"It was a real challenge," Costanzo comments, "that allowed us to apply some innovations we had designed, to establish an even closer relationship with the U.S. team, thanks also to daily stand-up meetings, and to create a procedure that also involves the client in the approval phase, a tool that will be applicable on other occasions as well.
Upgrading has thus achieved operational results of great benefit to the end customer: more sustainable, higher-performance, and more durable compressors, while the company also benefited by strengthening internal ties between engineering teams and implementing an approval procedure that also involved the customer as an active participant, transforming the supplier-customer relationship into a true partnership.
From Vane Magazine 20, July 2022
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