Future of Operations & Maintenance 2024

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We are excited to run the Future of Operations & Maintenance (FOM) program again in 2024 together with our strong partners DB Netz, DB Fernverkehr and DB Station & Service.

This 100 day signature program gives startups the chance to customize and live-test their solutions to real challenges that DB is facing. What is in it for you?

Exclusive access to DB experts, data and markets
EUR 25,000 funding, no equity taken
Exclusive access to a network of selected coaching and mentoring experts

You will be supported by a dedicated DB mindbox startup manager and will have 24/7 access to our coworking space.

This is a great opportunity to lay the foundation for joint projects and successful long-term collaboration with Deutsche Bahn Group, Europe’s largest mobility and infrastructure provider.

Questions? Check out our FAQs.

01 – Mobile service facilities

DB Netz operates many remote service facilities that currently could benefit from mobile technologies to improve working conditions, increase time efficiency and reduce long term costs.

Do you have an innovate hardware solution that can help us and our partners at DB Netz to reach these goals and upgrade a crucial part of our infrastructure?

Advanced illumination

Locally installed light solutions can‘t always illuminate all work areas in our service facilities. To increase safety and working conditions we are looking for your illumination concepts – both mobile and stationary.

Mobile service infrastructure

Repairs of locally installed infrastructure sometimes take longer than expected. Additonally, available infrastructure can‘t handle the current utlilisation needs. To counter this, we are interested in quickly deployable, mobile service infrastructure solutions.

Mobile vehicle charging

With increasing deployment of hybrid and electric vehicles in our company fleet the demand for charging stations rapidly increases. Do you have a self-sufficient solution to bridge the gap until permant infrastructure is built?

02 – Improved information technologies

We are looking for innovative and cutting-edge solutions to improve our information technologies. Together with DB Netz and DB Fernverkehr we want to help our employees manage the day-to-day operations by equipping them with tools that make it possible to better create, access and understand information.

Show us what you can offer!

Intelligent resource allocation

When repairing infrastructure unforeseen damages require additional resources that are not on-site. Do you have a tool that helps locate and dispatch equipment and personnel intelligently from other locations?

Usability of standardised interference scenarios

Our dispatchers encounter interference situations on a regular basis. The corresponding information on how to handle these scenarios is currently only available in form of a simple, but extensive document. Do you have a solutions to help access the relevant information more quickly and intuitively.

03 – Inspection of concrete railway sleepers

Regular inspection of our infrastructure is crucial for a well functioning rail network, but with over 33.000 km these processes require a lot of time and human resources. One of these processes is the inspection of concrete rail sleepers, where workers visually check every sleeper for crack formations. Thus, a highly manual process might benefit significantly from the incorporation of complementary state-of-the-art technology.

With our partners at DB Netz we are looking for your smart solutions to automate this process and increase the efficiency of the inspection.

Automation of visual inspection process of the surface

Today, our teams inspect concrete sleepers visually, up to 4 times a year. Do you have a technology that supports the experts and empowers them to quickly and accurately check sleepers for cracks and anomalies on the surface?

Technology that can see through the entire sleeper

We are looking for solutions that uncover crack formations and other anomalies inside the concrete sleeper. Can you bring in the latest advances in non-destructive testing to help us?

Train-mounted scanning technologies

Can you offer solution that could be mounted to one of our measuring trains? This way, the inspection process can be carried simultanously to other activities, therefore avoiding additional locking periods.

04 – Novel facility maintenance

Processes to clean and maintain certain parts of our railway stations are often labor intensive and therefore require a lot of time and resources.

Together with our partner DB Station & Service we‘re a looking for new, innovative ways to clean and inspect our railway stations. The goal is to introduce new tools and systems to improve the cleanliness of our train stations.

Gutter maintenance

Do you have a solution that helps our employees to clean gutters – both roof and floor mounted – and make the process quicker, safer or less labor intensive?

Rain gutter cleaning and monitoring

We‘re looking for innovative systems that help to determine necessary maintenance for rain gutters. We want to address potential issues like clogging before they arise. Do you have a suitable solution for these problems, or can you offer a solution for cleaning rain gutters efficiently?

Roof maintenance

Our train stations often have big and elaborate roof constructions, that are not easy to access or clean. Can you offer a solution that helps our employees to inspect and clean these roofs more effectively?

Corrosion protection maintenance

We‘re looking for innovative solutions to maintain the corrosion protection of our railway station roofs. Do you have a solution for quickly removing and applying corrosion protection or a new, innovative way of protecting roof structures from corrosion?

05 – Advanced train station security

With ever growing passenger numbers the need for advanced facility management tools and methods arise. Together with DB Station & Service we are searching for new digital and flexible solutions to improve our railway stations and safety standards.

Digital ban system

To keep our passengers safe our security personnel sometimes must issue house bans. This process currently involves many steps, and it can take several days to update a case in the database. Can you offer a solution that helps our security personnel in digitally access and update the house ban database?

Transitory fire protection

When fire protection systems fail repairs take time. Currently we utilize fire guards that patrol the affected areas to bridge the gap. Do you have an effective transitory solution that can be quickly installed and still complies with regulations?

Timeline

03. Dec. 2023 – Application deadline

Last day to apply for the program (eod).

22. Dec. 2023 – Announcement of candidates

Invitation of selected teams.

29. Jan. 2024 – Selection day

Pitch your solution live on stage to a expert jury and audience in Frankfurt am Main.

19. Feb. 2024 – Start of program

Start of the 100-day Proof-of-Concept (PoC) to develop and test a prototype in cooperation with DB.

28. May. 2024 – End of program

End of 100-day Proof-of-Concept and presentation of results in May 2024.

Future of Operations & Maintenance 2024

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