Major Transit Authority Moves Parts As Smoothly As Its Passengers
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Documoto
Tech Stack
- Cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS)
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Waste Reduction
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Inventory Management
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) is a major transit authority that serves a population of 9.6 million people within its 1,433-square mile service area. The company operates a system with 2,200 buses and over 270 rail cars. Metro's primary goal is to move people from point A to point B as directly as possible. In addition to this, the company also has the responsibility of moving parts needed for repairs and maintenance efficiently to keep the buses and rail cars running on schedule. Metro had invested heavily in an automated parts distribution warehouse with robotic parts pickers and a conveyor system that delivered parts directly from the warehouse to the maintenance shop. This parts delivery system was linked to Metro's enterprise asset management (EAM) platform, Infor's M3.
The Challenge
LA Metro, the operator of a system with 2,200 buses and over 270 rail cars, had an inefficient and outdated parts lookup and ordering system. Mechanics diagnosed vehicle problems, then created a parts list by viewing PDFs and manually writing down part numbers. Then they would open the EAM portal and enter the part numbers to create an order. However, obtaining accurate part information from manufacturers' PDFs remained slow and tedious, and submitting an incorrect part number could result in lengthy delays. One of the major sources of staff and vehicle downtime is order accuracy. Before implementing the new solution, technicians ordered an incorrect part on 25% of orders. Re-ordering the correct part involves at least a 30-minute delay before the right part arrives back at the service bay. With 2,000 mechanics losing a half hour of work on 25% of their jobs, fixing this problem was a major goal of Metro's maintenance division.
The Solution
Metro implemented Documoto, a cloud-based parts ordering system, to improve their parts lookup and ordering system. Documoto is accessible and robust enough to provide users the information they need around the clock, with little or no downtime. Metro needed to give mechanics direct access to critical parts information that was both current and accurate, making wait-time at the service window a thing of the past. With Documoto, Metro mechanics can quickly find parts catalogs and manuals within the Documoto web library. Instead of clicking through static PDF pages, they use advanced search capabilities to find parts and confirm them with exploded illustrations linked to interactive parts lists. From there, parts can quickly be placed in shopping carts and transferred directly to an open M3 material request. Documoto allows administrators to update part descriptions, supersede part numbers, and update entire manuals with an integrated set of tools that includes the Documoto Publishing Suite, Web Services (with a rich API for easy integration), and powerful administrative functions to define users and access permissions.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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