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Train Pantograph equipped with diagnostic system for reduction of faults and maintenance cost

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIAG-PANTOGRAPH (Train Pantograph equipped with diagnostic system for reduction of faults and maintenance cost)

Reporting period: 2017-06-01 to 2017-11-30

Thanks to the success of the Phase 1 proposal submitted to the Horizon 2020 SME instrument call in February 2017 and granted in June 2017, Contact s.r.l. had the opportunity to prove the technical and economic feasibility of the Diagnostic Pantograph for low speed trains.

In parallel to the technical development of the project, the feasibility study has also proved that the railway market requires innovative products to improve the performance of the pantographs and reduce their Life Cycle Costs. To confirm this trend two new request of pantograph diagnostic systems arrived in November 2017 from Schunk Spain and ECM (an Italian company that supplies components for the Tunisian Railway Market).
The pantograph for low speed train JRC15 and the Pantograph Optical Unit are the basis of the development of the DIAG-PANTOGRAPH proposed in Phase 1 and to be further up scaled.
During the SME Phase 1 we have completed the “Type” tests of the pantograph JRC15 for low speed train, which has led Contact to get the TSI certification, according the European Technical Specification of Interoperability TSI-2014, in September 2017. Furthermore, in November 2017 we completed the “Type” tests of the Pantograph Optical Unit with optical accelerometer, according the European standard EN50155.

The results of the feasibility study as well as of the technical tests and the new requests of the market confirm the usefulness, attractiveness and innovativeness of the DIAG-PANTOGRAPH product.
The preliminary financial breakdown of Profit and Loss and ROI analysis over a 5-year was drafted, highlighting that the market introduction will allow in a timeline of 5 years, an increased turnover of 5.795.000€, cumulate profits of about 1.000.000€, a positive ROI of 107%.
The outcomes of the feasibility study and the market requests has strongly convinced Contact srl to continue with the development of diagnostic system for pantographs and overhead contact line.
DIAG-PANTOGRAPH schema