Jacksonville, Fla.-based Duos Technologies Group, Inc., a provider of intelligent security and analytical technology solutions, has been awarded a new contract from a major railroad operator for a complete train imaging system, the company announced Dec. 1, 2015.
The system's design is based on Duos Technologies' latest innovation, the proprietary Railcar Inspection Portal (ripTM) technology. The ripTM combines several proprietary intelligent technologies and sub-systems, and the analytical algorithms developed by Duos' R&D team have been optimized and combined to process and evaluate a broad range of data from multiple sensor technologies. One of the major objectives of this new technology focuses on reducing "terminal dwell time" of rolling stock.
Terminal dwell time is the period rolling stock is held in a yard for maintenance. Minimizing dwell time is key to improving operating ratios and is one of, if not the most significant industry metric for profitability. By deploying Duos Technologies' ripTM technology, the operator expects to improve the efficiency of preventive maintenance strategies; thereby significantly reducing network costs associated with current inspection practices, the company says.
"Our railcar inspection portal system substantially improves the capability and effectiveness of railcar inspections and allows for high resolution 360-degree imaging of railcars as they pass through our portal at speeds up to 70 MPH, before they get to an inspection yard," stated Felix Krupczynski, Executive Vice President & General Manager for Duos Technologies. "Monitoring and maintaining the structural health of railcars is important to ensure safe and efficient railroad operation and is a paramount focus of today's rail industry."
Over two million freight cars travel daily over North America's approximately 200,000 miles of tracks. Each time one of these cars departs a yard, terminal, or industrial facility, it is required to be inspected under Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations.
"This is a strategic award as we expect that once implemented, it will change industry-wide maintenance practices and improve the bottom line of rail operators," stated Gianni Arcaini, CEO of Duos Technologies. "The implementation of this next generation technology as an assistance to the industry's workforce will further improve operating ratios, increase capacity and improve efficiencies while increasing safety."