Mike McClellan

Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer

Title

Telematics Adoption In the North American Freight Rail Market

Sub headings

The use of telematics in the N.A. freight market is in its early stages
RailPulse has been formed to accelerate the transition to this technology
While hurdles exist, the N.A. rail freight market is poised for rapid adoption

Bio

Mike McClellan was named Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer in March of 2021.

Mike joined Norfolk Southern in 1998 as Assistant Vice President of Intermodal Planning. Since he has served as Vice President of Intermodal and Automotive Marketing, Vice President of Industrial Products and Vice President Strategic Planning before assuming his current role. He began his career in 1985 in Conrail’s commercial division and since then has worked for the Transportation Practice of Ernst & Young, as well as serving as an independent transportation consultant.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati, and attended the Executive Management Program at Harvard. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board as well as the boards of RailPulse and the Virginia Symphony.

David Bisterfeld

Head of Strategy, Innovation Management & Technological Development

Title

About IoT and building a perfect burger

Sub headings

How corporates tackle digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation
Why technology advancements only work with integrated collaboration models
What IoT means in terms of maximizing asset availability and reliability

Bio

David Bisterfeld is part of the CTO division of Deutsche Bahn AG since 2023. Together with his team, and more than 1000 highly dedicated people within the CTO department, he cultivates digital transformation of DB´s rail-tech system – including the group-wide Strategy, Innovation Management, and Technological Development. David started as Project Lead & Digitalization Manager at DB Management Consulting in 2018. In 2019 he took over the Digital Strategy department for the group CDO. During this time, he was involved in developing DB#s CDO organization within the different divisions as well as the strategic playing fields & initiatives, such as scaling Data & AI, Digital Skills and New Digital Business & Partnerships.

Before entering the mobility sector and Deutsche Bahn Group, David worked in Strategy Consulting & IT-Management Consulting for small & midsize businesses and corporates across different industries, such as financial services, transport and manufacturing.

Pierre-André Rulmont

CIO

Title

Alternative leadership for IT in the rail industry

Sub headings

Railway organisations are well known for their strong history and culture. But they are also time facing the challenge of upcoming competition and digital transformation
In this context, leadership of IT organisation plays a key role that require a new approach to deal with this technology and heavily human challenge
The proposed approach enables people leveraging their potential by creating a context of empowerment and responsibility

Bio

Electromechanical engineer with a master's degree in industrial robotics, Pierre-André Rulmont began his career in 1994 at Belgacom (now Proximus) to work on the innovation in the emerging telecom sector. In 1998 he moved into the International Telecom market with Level 3 communications and 4 years after, at BICS (Belgacom International Carrier Services).

He entered the public mobility world in 2013 as CIO of STIB (Brussels Public Transport) and further in 2022 as CIO of SNCB (Belgian National Railway).

Paolo Masini

Head of Rolling Stock Technology and System Engineering

Title

Data Driven Maintenance and Digital Twin for railways

Sub headings

Digital Twin (DT). What does it means for railway
How to integrate DDM with DT
Data driven Maintenance (DDM) impact on operations

Bio

Paolo MASINI was born june 1963, 17th. He graduated in Electronic engineer in 1990 in Florence University. From 1993, work in Ferrovie dello Stato S.p.A., as rolling stock test engineer responsible for performance and traction test. From 2002 was chief of electrical test department and from 2006 chief of the whole Trenitalia’s test laboratory. In this period he responsible for authorization tests for many of the new Trenitalia fleets (ETR500, ETR600, Minuetto, E464, Vivalto etc). He partecipate in the activation of italian HS project and ERTMS as responsible of test activities. From 2009 he is head of rolling stock technology and maintenance engineering at Trenitalia. He was CER speaker on Cross Acceptance and member of the Task Force for Interoperability of European Union. He is also responsable for Predictive Maintenance Project introducing Condition Based Maintenance based on Big Data system and Internet of Things.

Luca Cuppari

Technical Director

Title

CBM implementation in Norway

Sub headings

Norske Togs role in the Norwegian railways
Fleet strategy and asset management
Data architecture and responsibility

Bio

Luca Cuppari is an electrical engineer born and raised in Genoa, Italy. He graduated from the University of Genoa and began his career in Norway with the train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda. In 2003, he joined Mantena, where he was responsible for class 72 trains. In 2007, Luca moved to NSB, the Norwegian state-owned operator, where he eventually became the head of the technical department, overseeing engineering, maintenance, safety, and documentation.

Since 2016, Luca has worked as Technical Director at Norske Tog, Norway's ROSCO. In this role, he is responsible for technical specifications and design processes for new trains, as well as asset management of the existing fleets. He is also the project owner for the Norwegian Flirt fleet's condition-based maintenance initiative.

James Heslop

Head of Strategy & Transformational Strategy Development

Title

Full Steam Ahead: Exploring the Power of IoT and Big Data in Railways

Sub headings

IoT's Impact on Railways
Leveraging Big Data for Railway Advancements
Future Prospects and Challenges

Bio

In my capacity as Network Rail's Head of Strategy, I am actively engaged in shaping the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) portfolio for the forthcoming funding Control Period, 2024 to 2029. Furthermore, my role involves crafting comprehensive, long-term technology capability roadmaps, which mark a significant milestone in introducing a pioneering 20-year vision for technological advancements in the UK's railway sector.

My professional background is rooted in the realm of transforming people, processes, and technology. This encompasses the implementation of new safety protocols, the enhancement of train planning systems, and the optimization of operational structures. This multifaceted experience has equipped me with the expertise required to navigate the complex landscape of the railway industry and drive forward innovation, efficiency, and safety.

Marco Pagani

Head of Asset Management

Title

Stability vs. Evolution: Finding the Right Track for Innovation in Rail

Sub headings

Stable Requirements: The Backbone of Reliable Rail Operations
ERTMS: Syncing Evolution with Implementation
Future-Proofing Rail: Adding Modularity

Bio

After completing a degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in Mechatronics Marco Pagani gained experience in various positions in the Health Care and Railway sector in Switzerland. International work and training opportunities complement his track record.

Joining BLS Cargo as part of the technical department he led major projects, such as the procurement of multisystem locomotives. As part of a pool of experts Marco Pagani is involved in constantly developing technical rules in regard of ERTMS with the Swiss office of transport.

Accepting a major role in the merging process of Crossrail Benelux and BLS Cargo Marco’s focus shifted temporarily to Antwerp, where he lived during this period.

Back home as head of Asset Management, he is now part of BLS Cargo’s management team and with his team responsible for the loco management and maintenance organization of the entire BLS Cargo Group.

Marco is 33 years old and lives with his partner in Spiez – right in the heart of trans-alpine freight traffic.

Thomas Mensch

Head of Data Science

Title

Unlocking the value of data through Data Science - Application to railway industry

Sub headings

Harnessing Data Science for utilization of IoT data
Improving data-driven maintenance for infrastructure and rolling stock
Illustrating impact of Data Science: railway industry use cases

Bio

Thomas Mensch obtained a PhD in Mathematics Applied to Geophysics from the University of Paris, France. He has accumulated over two decades of experience in the Oil & Gas industry, holding various R&D positions where he led the creation of innovative technologies for sensor data acquisition and analysis. His main areas of expertise included advanced data processing and improving operational performance from the use of data.

In 2021, Thomas made the transition to the railway sector by joining the SNCF Group. Currently, he holds the position of head of the Data Science team at Factory Data & IA. In this position, he manages projects dedicated to optimizing the use of data and data science approaches within the SNCF Group.

George Copeland

Digital Programme Manager

Title

Digital trains – a moving target

Sub headings

Onboard asset monitoring
Off train asset monitoring
Northern’s maintenance and support toolkit

Bio

An accomplished advisor and practitioner, with significant experience leading change and a highly successful track record of mitigating cyber risk and delivering outstanding business results. My experience and expertise spans over 20 years and a wide range of business-critical development and support environments, including operational and corporate technologies, across sectors and internationally for leading brands. Most recently, I have focused on cyber-physical system implementations for rolling stock and associated customer data and asset cybersecurity. My pragmatic approach to the introduction and achievement of best practice cybersecurity controls and management capabilities has been well received by clients in the railway industry. I hold a Masters Degree in Cybersecurity from Northumbria University London, UK

Thibaut Goelff

Innovation, Digitization & Data Officer

Title

The Future of Railways (continued)

Sub headings

IoT and AI at Infrabel: a few use cases
Data Centricity: how are we becoming data-centric at Infrabel
One specific use case about Condition Based Monitoring

Bio

Thibaut is an electromechanical engineer with a passion for transport and energy issues. He is particularly interested in how data can help solve these challenges. He graduated from the École Polytechnique de Louvain (Belgium) in 2006. He also holds an Executive Master in Geomatics from the Université catholique de Louvain (2015) and in Data Science from the Université de Namur (2019).

He has worked for Infrabel (the Belgian railway infrastructure manager) for 15 years. He has held various positions at Infrabel in project portfolio management, engineering, overhead contact lines monitoring and even finance. He now works as Innovation, Digitisation & Data Officer.

He has developed several internal applications for long-term work possessions management, geographical budget monitoring and asset condition management.

In his spare time, he also co-organises meetups in Charleroi (Belgium) on the subject of data and artificial intelligence.

-->

Gerhard Paal

Head of Digital Services Sales

Title

Seamless Train IT Solutions supported by Railigent X

Sub headings

Digital Train Solutions to help operators, maintainers, and asset owners to enhance passenger experience
The core of these solutions is the seamless integration of on-train IT with wayside systems
IT Care services will maintain Digital Train Solutions over the life time of rail assets

Bio

Gerhard Paal is the Head of Digital Services Sales within Siemens Mobility Customer Services since 2015.

His focus and passion are Digital Services, which includes the Railigent X Application Suite for rail systems. Railigent X helps to improve the maintenance and operation process and increases the availability of rail assets.

Gerhard has studied Industrial Engineering at Muenchen University of Applied Science. He has worked over 25 years in the field of IT, Telecommunication and Digital Services for Siemens and Nokia, where he was responsible for the sales of various IT and Digital Services solutions.

Jude Carey

Head of Asset Management

Title

Our Asset Management System delivers – “Trusted Information at your fingertips”

Sub headings

Irish Rail Infrastructure has an ambition to be able to capture, manage and use data to inform decision making across the organization, by implementing in effect an Intelligent Asset Management system or “Digital Twin”.
We require an integrated data set for our assets so that the right decisions can be made, at the right time and in the right location by the right people
The key principle is that data is captured/created ‘locally’ by the appropriate functional team but is also available for use ‘globally’ across the entire IÉIM enterprise though a “Trusted Digital Twin”.

Bio

His key responsibilities include raising the Asset Management Capability of the Irish Rail network to align with ISO55001 and the development of Irish Rail’s Asset Management Information Systems. Jude represents Irish Rail in a number of benchmarking projects including Imperial College’s “International mainline railway” benchmarking group. He is Co-Chair of the European Commission Prime “KPI and Benchmarking” group and has been active member of the Asset Management expert working group in the International Union of Railways (UIC) since 2011. He is participating in a UIC project to “Assess the existing and potential usage of Artificial Intelligence for preventative maintenance in Rail”.

Dr. Uwe Jasnoch

Director EMEA for GTD

Title

Digital Twins and the Digital Transformation of Rail

Sub headings

Digital twins are real and getting traction
Examples of how they improve efficiency
How digital twins are linked to an industrial metaverse

Bio

Dr. Uwe Jasnoch joined Hexagon in 2007, and is currently director, EMEA government, transportation and defense for the Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. His prior roles at Hexagon include global vice president for business development, as well as director, pre-sales for APAC; EMEA industry leader for government, transportation and defense; and sales manager, government and defense for DACH.

From 2003 to 2007, he served as a curator for the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics.

In 2001, he founded the company GIStec and was the managing director.

Between 1998 and 2005 he served as reviewer for the European Commission.

From 1992 to 2003, he was head of the Geographic Information Systems department of Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics.

Maximilian Eichhorn

Vice President & Global Head, Digital Products & Services

Title

Digital Products & Services – a major lever to enhance safety, increase availability and reduce cost

Sub headings

Connectivity and digitalization enable totally new products and services
Digital products and services provide additional value to both operators and OEMs as well to their customers
Examples and concrete benefits

Bio

Maximilian (Max) Eichhorn is responsible for the global business of Digital Products & Services at Knorr-Bremse Rail Vehicle Systems.

Before joining Knorr-Bremse in 2020 he was working 13 years for Siemens Mobility, among other roles as Global Head of Strategy & Business Development, Global Head of Software Solutions for Railways and as Country CEO in Australia and New Zealand. Before that he worked seven years as a Management Consultant supporting his clients in the Rail Transportation, Building Technologies and Healthcare industries. He started his professional career in the construction supply industry.

Max graduated as an electrical engineer from the Technical University Vienna, Austria, and holds a Ph.D. in Logistics from the Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on the boards of Rail Vision (Israel), Railnova (Belgium) and as an observer to the Board of Nexxiot (Switzerland).

Jonas Podszuweit

Manager for IoT & Analytics Railway Technology

Title

IoT & Analytics in Railway Technology at Deutsche Bahn AG

Sub headings

Successful implementations from research to production
Practical examples of overarching IoT approaches
Methods and implementations

Bio

In his role as Innovation Manager IoT Railway Technology in the Group Management of Deutsche Bahn AG, Jonas Podszuweit helps with the development and implementation of the technology strategy with a focus on IoT and analytics. In this context, the strategic approaches are implemented in concrete initiatives via so-called IoT lighthouse projects. Jonas Podszuweit studied production engineering and management in Hamburg and supplemented his school education with a part-time MBA. In his first roles at a leading international automation and robotics company, he gained experience in the automotive sector and helped establish and implement the Industry 4.0 strategy in industrial environments.

Christoph Schulze

Head of Data Analytics

Title

Turning Asset Data into Value - Prescriptive Maintenance using digitized infrastructure

Sub headings

Intelligent assets
Analytics
Life cycle asst management

Bio

Chris holds a PhD in Technical Mathematics from the Technical University of Vienna and has extensive experience in the automotive industry. He spent 8 years in data science, simulation and software development for electrified powertrains for a German carmaker and another 5 years in project management for safe electronics and software for automated driving for an automotive supplier.

In July 2023 Chris joined the railway industry as “Head of Data Analytics” at voestalpine Digital Track Management. He is especially committed towards the digitalization of the voestalpine railway products and the exploitation of the full potential of modern, data-driven software and hardware development.

Achim Leister

Head of Stationary Diagnostic Systems

Title

AI-based utilization of high-resolution camera images in rail freight

Sub headings

High resolution camera images provide a significant benefit for rail freight
The amount of data cannot be managed manually and requires an enhanced utilization strategy
AI methods provide a tremendous opportunity for the improvement of condition monitoring and the provision of additional services for end customers

Bio

Achim Leister manages the utilization of high-resolution images of freight wagons with artificial intelligence (AI) at DB Cargo. As part of his previous responsibility as fleet manager for freight wagons, he was already in charge of the implementation of infrastructure-based camera systems to generate up to 300.000 images of freight wagons per day. At DB he managed spare parts, as director of supply & demand management for globally procured railway components and later as head of supplier quality management. Before his railway experience, Achim Leister was in charge of the implementation of an automated logistics center for spare parts at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen as well as for the supply & demand management of components in order to secure global service parts availability for customers in the graphic industry. He started his professional career at Siemens as a systems engineer and project manager in various assignments in international logistics & automation projects.

Babette Müller-Reichenwallner

CRO

Title

Time to get serious! How to build a sustainable digital strategy

Sub headings

How to achieve data sovereignty
How to manage interfaces
How to ensure success

Bio

Babette Müller-Reichenwallner is a seasoned railway professional, currently holding the role of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Railnova. As an engineer with 15 years in the industry, she’s widely recognized for her expertise in supporting railway companies in their digital transformation. Babette's career journey has taken her through diverse roles at a locomotive manufacturer, a leasing company, and a full-service maintenance provider, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of the industry. Her passion lies in developing sustainable and successful digital strategies by reimagining processes and designing customized solutions for Railnova's clients. In complex transformation projects, Babette seamlessly combines modern technologies, process optimization, and change management across all levels of an organization. Alongside the Railnova team, she is dedicated to helping their clients streamline their manifold processes and building future-proof organizations. Babette Müller-Reichenwallner has been an integral part of Railnova's journey since 2017, contributing her expertise to reshape the railway industry for the better.

Dr Jonathan Birch

Technical Director

Title

Converting Insight to Action Through Engagement

Sub headings

Integrate advanced analytics into everyday tasks
Enable people to make better decisions
Understand when, how and why to intervene

Bio

Dr Jonathan Birch, is the Technical Director for Instrumentel. An engineering led company that provides not only physical hardware but transformational analytic software capable of providing insights into asset based degradation.

With significant experience within the technology sector both as an engineer and a director of the business, Jonathan has had great success in driving projects within harsh and difficult to access environments including the rail industry.

Instrumentel is a world-leading provider of asset monitoring solutions for precision measurement in extreme environments. Our solutions include Condition-Based Predictive Maintenance, Condition Monitoring of remote assets and predictive analytics to improve asset performance.

Anthony Ashbrook

CEO

Title

The IM data positioning problem you don’t know you have, and how to solve it!

Sub headings

The issues caused by relying on GNS/INS, and their consequences
How other sources of position can, not only bridge the gap, but enhance your data
The benefits of better positioned data, for prediction and cross discipline analysis

Bio

Anthony is a technology entrepreneur specialising in computer vision and machine learning, with a track record of commercialising leading-edge vision technology across different industries.

He received his PhD in computer vision in 1996 and worked for three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the prestigious department of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh and at the University of Glasgow. His real passion is working with customers to solve difficult real-world problems using the latest vision technology, which he has been doing for the past 22 years.

Anthony’s successes span many sectors including bio-tech, finance, medical, gaming and film post-production, image-based search and augmented reality for smartphones and clothing manufacture. Notable world firsts including the first example of augmented reality on a mobile phone and creating the first 4-dimensional movie. His latest venture into the railway industry follows a number of years of work on autonomous driving.

Jarek Rosinski

CEO & Founder

Title

Trains with Brains® - Redefining rail infrastructure and rolling stock monitoring and maintenance regimes

Sub headings

Train borne infrastructure and asset monitoring solutions
AI/ML supported condition monitoring, data analysis and predictive maintenance
Real-life case studies of how Trains with Brains® is revolutionising the rail sector globally

Bio

Jarek Rosinski holds an MSc in Vibroacoustics and PhD in machine dynamics. He started his career as a lecturer of machine dynamics at the Institute of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics in Krakow. In 1989 he joined the National Gear Technology Centre at Newcastle University. As an internationally renowned consultant in the field of instrumentation, machine dynamics, power transmission systems, he then founded Transmission Dynamics in 1996. He worked extensively with industry solving highly complex cases across all industrial sectors. In 2006, after 18 years of service, Jarek left Newcastle University, to pursue his company Transmission Dynamics full time.

Jenny Hudson

Business Development Director

Title

Trains with Brains® - Redefining rail infrastructure and rolling stock monitoring and maintenance regimes

Sub headings

Train borne infrastructure and asset monitoring solutions
AI/ML supported condition monitoring, data analysis and predictive maintenance
Real-life case studies of how Trains with Brains® is revolutionising the rail sector globally

Bio

Jenny Hudson (BA, MBA) is Business development Director at Transmission Dynamics, who specialise in Industrial Internet of Things solutions that utilise advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to support remote condition monitoring of high value assets globally. Having spent her career supporting SMEs to grow through innovation, she has been with Transmission Dynamics since October 2020, helping them take scale up deployment of their technologies to all critical industrial sectors around the world. Jenny’s day to day role is to support this extraordinary multi-disciplinary team and their clients, with the highest level of relationship, project and business.

José Antonio Marcos

Head Area Manager of Smart Maintenance Engineering

Title

AI Generative to empower maintenance servicies

Sub headings

The democratizarion of AI generative for the industrie
Industrie 4.0 technologies applied in maintenance servicies.
Challenges for next future, manpower vs robotics

Bio

Jose is Industrial Engineer ( Polytechnic University of Valencia), Master in Data Science (Mbit School), MBA (Deusto Business School), Master in Rolling Stock (ICAI). He started to work in TALGO in 1998 as Maintenance deputy manager Madrid Workshop. From 2002 to 2019 has been Head Manager Area of Maintenance Engineering applying new technologies to Talgo operations.

In 2019, he was designed to lead a new area, "Smart Maintenance Engineering", to promote and manage the paradigm shift of Talgo maintenance towards a 4.0 digital intelligent adaptive maintenance to optimize maintenance costs, based on new disruptive technologies such as IoT, Cloud computing, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine vision.

Krzysztof Wilczek

Head of Track Analytics

Title

DRS Alliance – Integrating technologies for more trains on existing infrastructure

Sub headings

Existing infrastructure is the cornerstone for a successful railway system
Existing technologies and products already deliver benefits in their respective fields
DRS Alliance helps reducing integration cost and streamline new technology application

Bio

Krzysztof Wilczek is Head of Track Analytics at Plasser & Theurer, where he supports infrastructure providers in building their predictive track maintenance regimes.

Krzysztof has worked for the SBB (Swiss Federal Railway) where he developed swissTAMP, a system for track analysis and predictive maintenance planning. He also founded and headed the data laboratory for infrastructure at SBB, where research and big data analytics meet the challenges of asset managers.

Krzysztof’s expertise is deeply rooted in the railway industry. At the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railway) and the Technical University Graz, he focused on the life cycle management of railway tracks.

He obtained a Master’s degree in Mining Engineering from the Montanuniverstät Leoben, while also studying at the University of New Orleans and the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He recently received his MBA from the Vienna University of Economics and the University of Minnesota, in a joint programme.

Krzysztof is an ambassador on a mission to transfer new developing technologies into the railway industry for a safer, cleaner and more efficient means of transport.

Manuel Urstoeger

Product Manager

Title

DRS Alliance – Integrating technologies for more trains on existing infrastructure

Sub headings

Existing infrastructure is the cornerstone for a successful railway system
Existing technologies and products already deliver benefits in their respective fields
DRS Alliance helps reducing integration cost and streamline new technology application

Bio

Manuel Urstöger is Product Manager at tmc, spearheading strategic initiatives to enhance the tmc’s digitalization solutions, which encompass assistance systems for track machines and state-of-the-art track measurement and digitalized maintenance fleet management solutions. With a rich background spanning both technology and economics, Manuel brings a unique perspective to his role. Prior to joining tmc, he garnered experience in technical project management and sales.

Transitioning from a background in mechanical engineering and electrical technology, Manuel switched to the realm of IT software solutions and measurement systems for railway tracks, infrastructure, and fleet management three years ago. Since then, he has been an integral part of a dedicated team that harnesses emerging technologies to optimize safety, efficiency, and sustainability in rail infrastructure measurements and maintenance. Manuel's economic background primes him to never lose sight of the practical application of software solutions in railway infrastructure maintenance, ultimately ensuring that tmc solutions are user-friendly.

Ivan Rochford

Digital Train Manager

Title

How digitalisation is unlocking new opportunities for rail operators

Sub headings

Role of digitalisation in an active supply chain
Digitalization is driving carbon footprint reduction – right or wrong
Solutions in action at rail operators

Bio

Ivan is a qualified electronic engineer with a master’s degree (MAI) from Trinity College Dublin. He has worked in railway within SKF for over ten years in a variety of engineering and business-development roles– all with a focus on maintenance optimization and condition monitoring. He has hands-on experience in working with data from throughout the full life cycle of SKF products– from design to testing, manufacturing, operation on trains, to remanufacturing and eventual end of service.

In his current role as Digital Train Manager within SKF, Ivan is responsible for leading global digitalization activities related to railway, including the development of new products and services that can drive further improvements in the safe, reliable and cost-effective operation of rolling stock.

Alex Pavlickovski

Head of Asset Intelligence and Digital

Title

Telling Compelling Stories Using Data

Sub headings

Organisational culture is the cornerstone of digital transformation
What is the point of data if you can’t tell stories?
We have all this data, what do we do with it?

Bio

Alex is an Aerospace engineer with over 15 years’ experience in asset management in Australia. He has a passion for digital technology and their ability to transform asset intensive industries and how they manage their assets through their whole life cycle. He brings his experience of transformation projects from the water and aviation sector into rail and is championing V/Line’s effort to modernise their asset management practices through the deployment of machine learning, AI and spatial systems. He is a strong advocate of “telling better stories using data” and how organisational culture is critical in digital transformation success.

Alan Dittrich

Head of Digital Solutions, Rail Drive Systems

Title

Benefits and challenges of a comprehensive condition monitoring solution for rail vehicles, components, and infrastructure

Sub headings

How connect@rail can increase efficiency, reliability, and safety in rail transportation
How to keep the wheels round and detect impacts on rail tracks with wireless sensors, gateways and analytics
What makes connect@rail even more beneficial for customers

Bio

Alan Dittrich studied Mechanical Engineering with a focus on automotive engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Constance, Germany, until 2007.

He began his career at ZF Friedrichshafen AG as a system engineer for hybrid drives for trucks before moving to the Rail Drive Systems Product Line in 2013. As Head of Project Management, he was responsible for the development of digital products for rail vehicles at ZF until the Digital Solution department was founded in 2019. Today, as Head of Digital Solutions Rail, Alan Dittrich is responsible for the development and operation of digital products for the rail industry at ZF.

Todd Snyder

Senior Director, Sensors & Analytics

Title

Revolutionising Freight Rail Telematics: Unleashing Innovation with Sensor-Free Technology

Sub headings

Real-time brake and wheel monitoring without external sensors
Accurate tracking of load state change and mileage without external sensors
Leveraging AI/ML in the cloud and on the edge

Bio

Dr. Todd Snyder is a mechanical engineer and metallurgist with a Ph.D. in chemical and materials engineering. He currently serves as Director of Sensors & Analytics for Amsted Digital Solutions, where he and his team focus on asset health monitoring with machine learning augmentation. A Six-Sigma Black Belt and level III NDT expert, Snyder has over 30 years of experience designing, deploying, and managing onboard and wayside sensor systems in the rail industry. Prior to joining Amsted Digital Solutions in 2019, Snyder directed derailment prevention and other mechanical reliability improvements while also leading many AAR initiatives at Union Pacific Railroad. Snyder is an inventor with a passion for numerical methods, computer programming, and the cutting-edge capabilities of today’s digital sensors.

Manuel Simon

Sales Director

Title

What Digitalising Railway Operations globally implies:

Sub headings

Talking to railway innovators. Those who are looking for cutting edge technology to solve their problems in rail operation and optimize their operations.
Learning from the railway experts. I want to know about your “rail problem” and we will find how CEMIT AI Data Platform can be the tool to solve it.
Looking for partners around the globe. We cannot build this alone. We are looking for the pioneers who are willing to create something unique and lead together the transformation of the rail transport system.

Bio

Specialized in international business development in the rail sector. With almost 15 years of experience in several countries. From Spain, to China. Through the Middle East to Scandinavia. Educated and trained civil engineer but with a passion for entrepreneurship. I’ve been dedicated to start-up companies and open market as well as designing new railway tracks.

Now I’m committed to develop CEMIT, a fast-growing technological company, to become the global leader in AI in the rail industry.

Simon Giovanazzi

CEO

Title

X2BIM and Digital Twin – end-to-end approach for digital infrastructure data

Sub headings

Methods of data capturing and standardized processing by X2BIM
How digitalised design and construction projects benefit from X2BIM
Realising the vision: end-to-end digitalization

Bio

Simon is the CEO of infraView GmbH, a 100% subsidiary company of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH, and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Deutsche Bahn International Operations and in this function a member of the CTO Board of Deutsche Bahn.

Simon is a dyed-in-the-wool railway man, having worked in operational service in various positions before taking up his studies in transport engineering.

During his more than 20 years in the railway industry, he has built up an unparalleled expertise in rolling stock and infrastructure asset maintenance. He is a sought-after expert, driving optimization of railway operations and maintenance worldwide and in Germany. He is a key player for the digitalization of Deutsche Bahn, especially in further developing condition monitoring and predictive maintenance solutions based on infraView’s DIANA IoT platform. Simon is member of the CTO Board of Deutsche Bahn.

Dr Viktor Ratza

Technical Director

Title

AI-driven Wayside Monitoring of rolling stock: Use cases to improve operations in harbours as well as industrial and conventional networks

Sub headings

RailWatch as Wayside Monitoring solution for different use cases
Using various sensor technologies and AI for rolling stock analysis
Vossloh Connect: One platform, many solutions for the railway infrastructure

Roundtable Title

How to help harbours, industrial and conventional networks to improve their railway processes using digital solutions?

Bio

Dr. Viktor Ratza was born in Bonn where he also studied physics at the University of Bonn. During his PhD, he was strongly involved in the research of new detector technologies as well as in the context of the technical upgrade of the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, Geneva. In 2019, Dr. Ratza joined RailWatch as Coordinator Development and Operations while directing the technological development of the RailWatch product map. As Head of Research and Technology he was responsible for the R&D of new technological developments that exceeded the hitherto existing portfolio of RailWatch technologies. In 2023, Dr. Ratza became the CTO of RailWatch and is nowadays responsible for the overall technological development and roadmap.

Plasser & Theurer - has influenced the progress in the construction and maintenance of railway tracks more substantially than any other company. As a full-range supplier operating worldwide, the Austrian family business supplies track maintenance machines of almost all kinds and sizes and provides high-quality services over the entire life cycle of the machines. Our success story began with the production of tamping machines that stood out from all other products on the market due to their technical superiority. To this day, Plasser & Theurer tamping machines are the standard in track maintenance. Over decades, new machine models have been added to the machine programme. Today, the machines we offer cover almost all works to be performed when maintaining, laying and renewing railway tracks. In addition to machines for all track gauges in all parts of the world, we offer machines in all output categories meeting our customers’ needs. From a classic machine manufacturer to a modern full-range supplier.

Today, Plasser & Theurer is more than just a machine manufacturer. As a full-range supplier collaborating with 19 partner companies around the world, Plasser & Theurer offers comprehensive after-sales services, covering training, spare parts supply and technical service. The farreaching innovations in mechanised track maintenance not only involve new machine technologies, but also set new standards for the cost-efficient operation of machines. Developed by Plasser & Theurer, the PlasserSmartMaintenance initiative provides digital solutions that ensure greater transparency, connectivity and efficiency for both the maintenance of individual machines and entire machine fleets.

Sustainable quality increases cost-efficiency The contributions we make towards the cost-efficiency and sustainability of the railway system define our success. We set store by quality, innovative technologies and solutions providing the customers with real economic benefits.

View Website

Meet the Speakers

SPEAKERS IN 2024

Mike McClellan

David Bisterfeld

Pierre-André Rulmont

Paolo Masini

Clara Grajal

Luca Cuppari

James Heslop

Marco Pagani

Lukasz Strzelecki

Thomas Mensch

George Copeland

Thibaut Goelff

Gerhard Paal

Jude Carey

Dr. Uwe Jasnoch

Andreas Hornich

Maximilian Eichhorn

Jonas Podszuweit

Maurizio Giovannelli

Stephanie Schalbetter

Christoph Schulze

Achim Leister

Babette Müller-Reichenwallner

Konstantin Jonas

Stefan Kalmund

Dr Jonathan Birch

Anthony Ashbrook

Pedro Conceição

Jarek Rosinski

Jenny Hudson

José Antonio Marcos

Eric Garzon

Krzysztof Wilczek

Manuel Urstoeger

Michael Berndorfer

Ivan Rochford

Marc Silverwood

Alex Pavlickovski

Paul van der Voort

Alan Dittrich

Todd Snyder

Manuel Simon

Simon Giovanazzi

Dr Viktor Ratza

Florian Kittelmann