{"id":27591,"date":"2021-11-04T09:52:16","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T23:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/?p=27591"},"modified":"2022-03-29T13:23:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T03:23:08","slug":"aussie-metal-marking-business-helps-digitise-the-railway-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/aussie-metal-marking-business-helps-digitise-the-railway-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Metal Marking Business Helps Digitise the Railway Network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Presented by <\/span><\/i>Nichol Industries <\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Australian owned and operated metal marking business, Nichol Industries, is helping the Aussie rail network power into the digital age. <\/span><\/p>\n

Currently the rail industry uses a paper-based system, which means in the event of breakdowns there are costly delays in getting trains moving again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Project i-TRACE is an initiative by the <\/span>Australasian Railway Association<\/span><\/a> leveraging GS1 Global Data Standards. A not-for-profit organisation, GS1 provides standards for identifying, marking and sharing data across the supply chain. These standards underpin the rail industry\u2019s digital future by providing a global standard for rail component identification through the use of GS1 DataMatrix codes. The goal is to trace every component from manufacture to installation and ultimately disposal, providing a better understanding of their \u201cwhole of life\u201d performance. <\/span><\/p>\n

But in order to bring this project to life, GS1 required expert assistance with the physical implementation of marking these components. As such, they turned to Australian metal marking business, Nichol Industries. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the GS1 Data Standards have been around for more than 43 years, the application in rail is new. We worked with GS1 to test different techniques for marking the Project i-TRACE barcode directly onto the product and we were able to partner with them to solve the challenges,\u201d says Nichol Industries Managing Director, Adam Nichol. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nichol Industries\u2019 GS1 Certification<\/span><\/h2>\n

Nichol Industries has provided marking solutions since 1958, moving from traditional \u2018stenciling\u2019 and \u2018hammer-and-chisel\u2019 marking through to advanced techniques using technology such as laser marking and dot peen machines. <\/span><\/p>\n

Achieving GS1 certification for the Project i-TRACE program \u201cBuilding Rail\u2019s Digital Capability\u201d is no small feat for Nichol Industries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe GS1 certification was a few years in the making,\u201d says Adam. \u201cWe worked with GS1 and our machinery suppliers in Italy to ensure the software was compatible to format and produce barcodes to suit these requirements. We went through about 12 prototypes before finally getting to the right one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
An example of a Project i-TRACE GS1 DataMatrix code. Source: Supplied.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With over 60 years operating in Australia, Nichol Industries was an obvious partner for GS1 on Project i-TRACE. Their long-standing presence in Australia, combined with their extensive experience in implementing similar projects within other industries, meant Nichol Industries had the commitment and know-how to get i-TRACE moving. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked on projects like this before. We worked closely with component manufacturers within the automotive industry to computerise their marking. What we\u2019re doing with rail is also very similar to what we\u2019ve been doing with the Defence industry for over 15 years,\u201d adds Adam. <\/span><\/p>\n

Michiel Ruighaver, Senior Account Manager \u2013 GS1 Australia said, \u201cWe are very excited to have Nichol be the first solution provider to be certified for Project i-TRACE barcoding. By using a certified solution provider, suppliers can rest assured that their parts and components will be marked according to the Rail Guidelines for implementing GS1 standards.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Need for a Digital Rail Network<\/span><\/h2>\n

Digitising the rail network will mean better visibility across parts and components, ensuring proactive maintenance to keep trains running and minimise the risk of breakdowns. <\/span><\/p>\n

Project i-TRACE allows for more efficient processes and outcomes by providing more data transparency, stronger asset management, and the ability to identify components that might require maintenance or replacement, before they fail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe end game is every component used in rail has a GS1 DataMatrix code on it, which is like a QR code, but in a different format. So if a train breaks down or a component breaks out in the network, they can read the code and get the part replaced as efficiently as possible,\u201d says Adam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rail suppliers now have two options for their marking solutions: they can send their data to Nichol Industries to make the tags for them, or they can purchase a <\/span>laser machine<\/span><\/a> directly from Nichol Industries so they can mark their tags or components in-house.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about Project i-TRACE, or to organise marking solutions for your machinery or rail components, head to <\/span>https:\/\/nichol.com.au\/laser-marking-machines\/project-i-trace\/<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Presented by Nichol Industries Australian owned and operated metal marking business, Nichol Industries, is helping the Aussie rail network power into the digital age.  Currently the rail industry uses a paper-based system, which means in the event of breakdowns there are costly delays in getting trains moving again.  Project i-TRACE is an initiative by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":27593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,6488,6405],"tags":[3031,23815],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-27591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-metalworking-innovation","category-news","tag-metalworking","tag-nichol-industries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27591"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28347,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591\/revisions\/28347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27591"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=27591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}