The importance of innovation by design
James Morrissey, Engineering Director for Rail at Telent Technology Services, considers the importance of innovative design for the future of the UK railway.
Innovation is essential to the future of the UK railway. Without innovation, the railway may not even survive in its current form.
This is because the railway – both operators and infrastructure managers – are being asked to deliver more work and services for less money.
As the old adage states, if you keep on doing things the same way as you always have, then nothing else will change either.
So, to do more for less, things have to change – and that means innovation.
There has been much talk of innovative new products and technologies, as well as new and innovative ways of working. But I believe there is another, even more important form of innovation – design.
Innovation in design is the driving force behind progress and transformation in the rail industry. At Telent, we are looking to create new ideas, products or methods that significantly enhance the way we operate and maintain the railway and interact with our environment.
While it could be argued that the use of any innovative product, technology or method of working would naturally need alterations in design, I believe that the design process itself needs to be innovative.
A key aspect of innovative design is its ability to anticipate and respond to the evolving needs and desires of users. Designers must be forward-thinking, constantly exploring new products, technologies, and approaches to create solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but are also practical, efficient and cost effective. This requires a deep understanding of technological advancements combined with the minimum viable product our customers expect us to deliver.
Moreover, innovation in design often involves a collaborative process, bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise from various fields. By fostering a culture of creativity, teams can push the boundaries of what is possible and develop ground-breaking concepts that redefine the norm.
Whole life
Asset owners and maintainers are becoming increasingly concerned about whole-life cost. They are starting to realise that buying a low-cost product and then having to spend money maintaining it is false economy. Buying a product which is initially more expensive, but then requires little or no maintenance, is actually better over the long term.
Coming up with innovation and cleverer ways of doing things not only reduces the whole-life cost but reduces the overall maintenance cost. Here at Telent, we are developing several such innovative ways of improving performance while reducing cost.
For example, we are now using wireless communications rather than running fibre to remote locations, improving reliability and reducing installation cost. We are trialling new units that have wireless access rather than running various types of communications cables to remote substation locations and field devices.
Using wireless technology is so much more efficient than using cables, which may need to be run for miles through areas such as Rannoch Moor in Scotland, central Wales, Dartmoor or Exmoor and the Pennines. These cables would need maintenance, may need to be installed inside troughing, and would potentially be at risk of cable theft, requiring urgent replacement and even more maintenance.
There are a number of other new techniques and technologies that we are trialling with our customers. These include providing low-voltage power at a remote location using a combination of solar power, a wind generator and a battery, and then passing signals to and from the control centre using a SIM card and the public GSM telephone network – no cables are needed!
In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of innovation in design cannot be overstated. As we face challenges from our clients around whole life costs, the role of design in shaping a better more sustainable future becomes increasingly vital.
Successful innovation in design not only addresses immediate needs but also envisions long-term impacts, ensuring that solutions are adaptable, scalable, and sustainable.
Ultimately, innovation in design is about creating meaningful change.
Minimal Viable Product
Telent is also working with Network Rail on the concept of Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Network Rail defines this as providing a framework for scoping and undertaking a project, from the concept stage through to delivery, against the minimum requirements to meet the objectives of the project. This ensures projects are scoped to provide for customers’ needs but are not ‘gold-plated’.
Applying MVP principles in the design and scoping of projects will both deliver design outcomes at a lower cost and reduce initial capital investments as well as whole-life asset costs.
These are just a few examples. My colleague Luke Simpson will be speaking on these and other new development at the Railway Industry Association Innovation Conference in Newport, Wales, on Wednesday 26 March. If you are planning to be there, be sure to listen to what he has to say.
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