The life cycle of products is determined more or less actively by product availability and maintenance options. The control of this “expiry time” is called obsolescence or cancellation management and regulates when a product, module or component becomes obsolete.
At FELA, obsolescence management follows the principle of “form-fit-function”. The guarantee our customers that, despite ever shorter innovation cycles, our systems remain available during the agreed lifetime of the contract:
Form-fit-function means that we prioritise economic efficiency, and so low costs, for our customers. Our obsolescence management ensures that your FELA hardware and software components can be maintained and supported by us over the guaranteed lifetime.
As a rule, the rolling stock in railway systems is written off after several decades, which results in a considerable heterogeneity in the fleets of transport companies. These become quickly obsolete, driven by the rapid advance in, for example, processor technology. To realise a high return on investment, the operational capability must be maintained over decades.
The original electronic components are then often no longer available and must be replaced. This usually involves a high degree of adaptation.
It is therefore important to compile queries such as end-of-production, end-of-service, inventory level of spare parts and availability and monitor these during the service life. This makes it possible to plan and set up the refit project on time and with the appropriate lead time.