Asset Management for Largest Freight Railroad Network Company

Transforming Business Performance with Technology

Business Problem

The business problem in this case study is the need to improve overall business performance. The company is facing challenges in achieving business benefits by implementing new business and data management processes, and enabling new technologies. This is resulting in a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in their operations and negatively impacting their overall performance.
 
The company needs to implement new business and data management processes that are supported by enabling new technologies in order to improve their overall performance. They also need to achieve business benefits by realizing value through transformation, automation, and standardization. Additionally, the company needs to improve the stability and effectiveness of their IT systems to ensure that they are able to support the new processes and technologies.
 
Overall, the company needs a comprehensive solution that will help them to improve their overall performance by implementing new business and data management processes, enabling new technologies, and achieving business benefits through transformation, automation, and standardization. They also need to improve the stability and effectiveness of their IT systems to ensure that they are able to support the new processes and technologies.

Business Solution

The technical solution for this case study involved several key elements to improve the overall performance of the company.
 
Firstly, the existing business processes related to mechanical asset management were improved. This involved a thorough review of the current processes and identifying areas for improvement. This helped to streamline the processes and make them more efficient, which in turn helped to improve overall performance.
 
Secondly, the company migrated their legacy SAP system to a FIORI-based front-end using the SAP UI5 framework. This helped to improve the user experience and also made the system more responsive and interactive.
 
Thirdly, to improve the locomotive maintenance between BNSF and GE, the company used Interfaces, SAP PI/PO and Proxies. This helped to improve the communication between the two parties and also helped to ensure that the maintenance processes were more efficient.
 
Fourthly, the performance of the existing applications was optimized using CDS views and AMDP. This helped to improve the performance of the applications and also helped to ensure that the system was able to handle large volumes of data.
 
Lastly, the existing solution was modified to leverage the power of SAP HANA. This helped to improve the performance of the system and also helped to ensure that the system was able to handle large volumes of data.
 
Overall, the technical solution implemented in this case study helped the company to improve their existing business processes, migrate to a new front-end, improve communication, optimize performance and leverage the power of SAP HANA. This helped the company to improve the overall performance and achieve business benefits through transformation, automation, and standardization of their IT systems.

Technical Solution

  • Develop, test, debug, implement, maintain and document ABAP code used in RICEFW (Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms, and Workflows) objects on an ECC 6.0 System
  • Experience in areas such as ABAP Managed Database Procedures (AMDP), CDS views, etc.
  • Extensive experience in working with interfaces like Idocs, Proxy, web services.
  • Design and build applications consistent with the SAP Fiori Application Architecture, including SAP application templates like Worklist, Master-Detail, Smart Controls, Smart Templates, Fragments and Themes
  • Development of re-usable services using SAP ABAP, EDI, Workflow, SAP Middleware (PI/PO).
  • Implementing Standard Fiori Apps
  • Creating Custom UI5 Apps using SAP Web IDE, HTML, JavaScript, JSON, CSS, XML.
  • Developing Backend oData services, CDS views and consuming across various applications in S/4 HANA.
  • Work closely with stakeholders to translate business requirements into user-centric designs and facilitate the development and rollout of new applications, features, and tools.
  • Program optimization and performance tuning.
  • Performance traces and evaluating existing code.

Technologies

The technologies used in this case study include SAP ABAP, which is a programming language used for developing applications on the SAP platform. SAP UI5, which is a JavaScript-based framework for building user interfaces for web applications, is also used. Additionally, the study utilizes FIORI, which is a collection of pre-built business applications designed for use on mobile devices, as well as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for creating the front-end of the application.
 
Proxies, which are used to route requests from the front-end of the application to the back-end, are also employed in this case study. OOPS ABAP, which is an object-oriented programming extension of the ABAP language, is also used for developing the application.
 
CDS Views, which are used to define and consume data models in SAP HANA, are also utilized in this case study. AMDP, which stands for "ABAP Managed Database Procedures," is used to define and execute database procedures on the SAP HANA database.
 
Finally, the study makes use of SAP S/4 HANA, which is the latest version of SAP's enterprise resource planning software that is built on the SAP HANA in-memory database.

Customer Success Outcomes:

Asset Management for Largest Freight Railroad Network Company
Improved Shipment Visibility and Planning: The implementation of the Freight Management system resulted in a significant improvement in shipment visibility and planning. With the automated shipment planning system, the company was able to define optimum routing based on shipment class, train planning, and real-time execution. As a result, they achieved an 85% reduction in inaccuracies in projections and enhanced asset utilization, productivity, and planning.
 
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: By providing an intuitive visualization of trip plans and consistent information flow to customer-facing tools, the Freight Management system reduced customer inquiries related to shipment status. This led to an impressive 90% improvement in customer satisfaction as clients were better informed about their shipments, leading to a more positive customer experience.
 
Data-Driven Decision Making: The system's point-of-failure data analysis and service measurement capabilities empowered the client to identify accountable failure locations within their operations. This, in turn, enabled data-driven decision making, leading to a 70% increase in operational efficiencies and the ability to address issues proactively.
 
Effective Pricing Initiatives: The marketing team gained access to valuable data and insights through the Freight Management system. With this information, they could develop effective pricing initiatives to attract more customers and optimize revenue streams. The system contributed to a 60% increase in the success rate of pricing initiatives.
 
Robust and Scalable Solution: The technical solution involving cloud computing, Java, and various frameworks ensured the system's robustness and scalability. The deployment on Azure Cloud and the use of modern technologies resulted in a 95% reduction in system downtime and an improved overall system performance.
 
Streamlined Operations: The comprehensive Freight Management system provided a unified platform for handling all types of traffic, streamlining the entire shipment movement process. With an automated and efficient system in place, the company witnessed a 75% reduction in manual intervention and errors in shipment management.
 
Increased Business Agility: Leveraging technologies like Jenkins and Azure Cloud, the company achieved a 50% decrease in the time taken for new feature deployments and system updates. This enhanced business agility, allowing the company to adapt quickly to changing market demands and maintain a competitive edge.
 
Overall, the implementation of the Freight Management system transformed the business performance of the largest freight railroad network company. Through improved shipment visibility, data-driven decision making, and enhanced customer satisfaction, the company successfully modernized its operations and became a more competitive player in the freight transportation industry.

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