Hitachi Rail to acquire Perpetuum

摘要

Hitachi Rail Ltd in the UK has agreed to acquire Southampton based condition monitoring specialist Perpetuum as part of a strategy to strengthen the use of digital technology in rail operations. Established as a university spin-off less than a decade ago, Perpetuum developed the use of bogie-mounted self-powered vibration sensors to monitor the condition of rolling stock. Wireless equipment fitted to around 3000 vehicles operating across three continents sends back real-time data about the performance of wheelsets, gearboxes, motors and bogies. This information can be combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-led analytical tools to identify potential faults, allowing them to be addressed before any failure can impact on train operations. This reduces the need for maintenance and cuts costs, while extending the average life of critical components before replacement by more than 25%.