Consortium Members

Partners Countries: Sweden, Belgium and Portugal.

Sweden

Damill AB

A Swedish engineering company that specialized in measurement techniques & machine diagnostics. The company develops and produces systems and services for branches such as railway, hydropower, and mining industries. Typical applications are condition monitoring, railway weighbridges, and sensor applications based on machine vision technology. https://www.damill.com/ External link.

Tasks and added value

Damill is able to assess the railway asset using condition monitoring and a predictive maintenance scheme for the reduction of the carbon footprint and cost reduction at the same time.

Strategic Importance

Damill is participating to gain insights on how to implement sustainability and environmental impact assessment in their current methods

Luleå University of Technology

One of the few Universities in the world that currently offer training and research in operation and maintenance engineering. LTU is a strategic center of excellence for the infrastructure sector, which conducts research and development with a focus on streamlining operations and maintenance of the railways, mining, paper mill, process industry (vehicle production and vehicle part manufacturer), and construction industries. LTU also has experience in leading several national and EU projects. LTU provides a platform for effective interdisciplinary collaborations between universities, businesses, companies, and authorities. Its role in the project is a knowledge provider as it brings its expertise in lifecycle cost modeling (LCC), RAMS, predictive analytics, programming, business models, and reliability and maintenance engineering.

Tasks and added value

LTU will use the research findings and other project outcomes in different scenarios, mostly education,
and research. In education, the bachelor, master, and doctoral programs in maintenance engineering of
LTU will be positively fed by the fresh and up-to-date knowledge of NRPCES in terms of maintenance
of infrastructure, and production system. Regarding research, LTU will exploit
NRPCES outcomes in other linear assets like cables, roads, oil pipes, etc. in terms of implemented technologies and methodologies. Finally, LTU will be active in the dissemination and exploration of the project outcome by different means e.g organizing workshops, publishing articles in journals and conferences, defining Master, PhD, and doctoral theses, organizing summer schools, etc.
LTU will lead two working packages WP1 and WP5 and will be active participant in other WPs.

Strategic Importance

When the project is executed and by disseminating knowledge from the project to the participating industry partners, its competitiveness, capacity, as well as their product quality, and environmental performance will be strengthened.

Mälardalen University

A knowledge provider in NRPCES as it brings its expertise in multivariate analysis of data, data mining, predictive analytics, design and architecture of the decision-support system. Furthermore, within NRPCES, Mälardalen University intends to contribute with research and tool development regarding methods for automated prediction and estimation of machinery lifetimes given sustainability parameters. This will contribute to better energy consumption and sustainability planning of machines used in various sectors of our daily life.

Tasks and added value

MDU leads WP7 on "Project dissemination, exploitation and marketing activities". In terms of technical contributions, most of our effort is in WP3 ("Environmental impacts and circular economy") and minor in WP5 ("Economic replacement time (ERT) model development"). In these WPs, we contribute in Tasks T3.1, T3.2, T3.4,T3.5 & T5.2. MDU will add value in NRPCES through our knowledge creation into KPIs for monitoring and environmental impact assessment. Also, we will provide expertise into factors influencing the optimal replacement time of machineries as well as emission and life cycle cost computations.

Strategic Importance

MDU is one of the best known universities in Sweden for industry-relevant research. MDH has a track record of successfully completing several ITEA projects, such as ATAC, TIMMO-2-USE, ASSUME and TESTOMAT. NRPCES represents a natural extension to our portfolio of industrially relevant research supporting close co-production with the industry. In addition to international projects, a closely related project is underway that is funded by The Knowledge Foundation on the topic of "secondary life management of electric vehicle batteries". MDH plans to extend the knowledge gained in this project to design an automated solution that can estimate and predict machinery and component life time with accuracy and by taking into account necessary sustainability factors.

Predge AB

Predge delivers a sophisticated decision support service for operation and maintenance for both Rolling Stock and Rail Infrastructure. By utilizing existing data sources, failures of assets are forecasted, the remaining useful life is quantified, and actionable insights are provisioned. Our approach is unique, as it combines domain knowledge, first principles and AI in the analytics to generate the actionable insights. Data sources include condition data from wayside monitoring equipment such as wheel impact loads, acoustics, hot box, hot wheel, and wheel profile data. The solution utilizes various other data sources from the customer relating to operation and maintenance for a more holistic view on the asset degradation. It can also include assessments and inspection data by maintenance personnel, see www.predge.se External link..

Tasks and added value

Predge is able to optimize refurbishment and replacement of asset analysis using condition monitoring and predictive maintenance scheme with reduction of the carbon footprint and a cost reduction at the same time.

Strategic Importance

Predge will participate to gain insights on how to implement LCC and environmental impact assessment in their current methods

Trafikverket

The Swedish transport authority that takes responsibility of infrastructure development of roads, railway, maritime, and air transport. Trafikverket will be a use case provider in NRPCES. In particular, the use case will consist of multiple scenarios, each dealing with equipment replacement strategies in road and railway domains.

Tasks and added value

Trafikverket (The Swedish Transport Administration) is responsible for long-term planning of the transport system for all types of traffic as well as for the construction, operation and maintenance of state roads and railways. Trafikverket is a public authority, which means that it does not conduct any business activities, including sales. On the other hand, Trafikverket is a large public procurer of construction, operation and maintenance and components for infrastructure. For railway infrastructure, great demands are placed on operational compatibility and traffic safety, which means that Trafikverket has a special unit “Material Service” which is responsible for the purchase of railway-specific material, Material Service is also responsible for the production of long rails and the reuse of worn exchanged rails. Since the railway is to be considered a very environmentally friendly transport system.

Strategic Importance

Trafikverket strives to procure all its operations so that LCC is reduced, logistics and production are optimized and that the components that are procured have been manufactured so that they minimize climate impact. NRCPES enables the Swedish Transport Administration to set requirements for suppliers and tools to evaluate and validate the best solution.

Belgium

Sirris

A Belgian private collective research center founded in 1949 by Agoria, the multi-sector federation for the Belgian technology industry. It has about 2.500-member companies, which range from small and medium- sized businesses to multinational companies (> 95% SMEs), active in 13 technological sectors. Sirris' mission is to improve the competitiveness of its member companies through technology and innovation. It has currently about 140 employees in several domains of expertise: artificial intelligence, software engineering, mechatronics, materials, sustainability, advanced manufacturing. The team of in-house experts focuses on knowledge acquisition (fundamental and applied research) and knowledge transfer (industrial projects). sirris.be External link.

Tasks and added value

Sirris will mainly be involved in task related to data acquisition and data modelling. We will add our knowledge on exploring influential factors on lifecycle cost drivers and on how to reduce the carbon footprint. We will further provide knowledge related to precision manufacturing which will be beneficial with respect to refurbishment and replacement time. On top, we will provide our input and perform research on platform architecture and secure platform design.

Strategic Importance

The estimation of carbon footprint will be more and more important for manufacturing companies in the future, given FitFor55 and the European Green Deal. With this project, we will be forerunners in the Belgian and European landscape and will be able to transfer our knowledge to the broader manufacturing industry.

Portugal

Dosta Tec

Dosta Tec is a Porto-based consulting company in the field of sustainability. We provide LCA and simulation services to our clients, framing our recommendations within existing legislation. Our holistic approach is based on Life Cycle Assessment, balancing upfront and operational costs that impacts environmental impact of materials. Dosta Tec has been also developing a set of tools and a platform that evaluates the impact of renovation processes in the furniture industry.

Tasks and added value

Dosta Tec is working on two areas: LCA expert, to ensure that impact categories selected for the project aligns with the actual impact of the industry and its processes, and on development of a platform that integrates data gathered by other partners.

Strategic Importance

Dosta Tec is a Portuguese SME with experience in both LCA and digital products development, this allows the team to focus on the most important elements of the project, hierarchise priorities and apply agile methods efficiently.

FEUP

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto (FEUP) is the largest faculty within the University of Porto, playing a key role in advancing research, innovation, and development. Under Horizon Europe (2021-2027), FEUP is actively involved in 17 funded projects and leads 5 as coordinator. During Horizon 2020, FEUP participated in 35 funded projects, coordinating 10 of them. FEUP is also helping to turn the northern region of Portugal into a centre for innovation. Since 2014, FEUP was Co-financed in over 25 M€ by the European Regional Development Fund, spreading modern, structural change across the north of Portugal. FEUP maintains strong partnerships with industry, particularly in the infrastructure sector, engaging in research and development with a focus on asset inspection and predictive maintenance of railway assets, including tracks, bridges, tunnels, and construction. The faculty fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between academia, businesses, and industry. In this project, FEUP will provide expert knowledge in data-driven methodologies aimed at improving operational efficiency and promoting environmental sustainability.

Tasks and added value

FEUP plays a leading role in upgrading a freight railway line for passenger use, addressing complex urban constraints related to geometry, social, economic, and environmental factors. Through advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques, FEUP focuses on predictive analytics and data-driven methodologies to enhance railway infrastructure management. Key contributions include selecting KPIs for operational and environmental impact assessment, developing predictive maintenance strategies, and estimating the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of railway assets. Additionally, FEUP conducts sustainability impact analyses, including emission cost evaluation and life cycle assessments, to ensure environmentally and economically sustainable railway operations. By identifying innovative inspection and monitoring techniques, FEUP enhances maintenance processes for urban railways, ensuring efficiency and longevity. Furthermore, FEUP applies cutting-edge tools to assess the economic replacement time and CO₂ footprint, contributing to sustainable urban railway redesign and maintenance strategies. Through these efforts, FEUP brings added value by integrating AI-driven innovation, optimizing railway efficiency, and promoting environmentally responsible mobility solutions.

Strategic Importance

This project is strategically significant for FEUP as it enables the institution to showcase its expertise in advanced railway engineering, data-driven methodologies, and sustainability. By contributing to Use-case 5, focused on the redesign of a railway line in the Porto Metropolitan Area, FEUP strengthens its position as a leader in transportation research, particularly in optimizing operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, and environmental impact. The project also reinforces FEUP's role in tackling real-world challenges, providing valuable insights into urban infrastructure development, while fostering collaboration with industry partners. The strategic importance of the project lies in FEUP’s commitment to advancing academic projects and dissertation work across bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering, with a focus on consolidating and enhancing skills developed during the project.

ISEP

The Polytechnic of Porto – School of Engineering (ISEP) is an organic unit of P.PORTO, founded in 1852, which has been pioneering in education and research in Engineering. ISEP offers a wide range of programmes in different fields of Engineering with several A3ES and EUR-ACE accreditation. With more than 6500 students the school is also a trademark of Porto. In 2024, ISEP has seen the approval of the fist doctoral plan on AI and Intelligent Systems in Portugal. ISEP hosts 11 research groups, 4 of which are recognized as top national research centres by the FCT. The Department of Civil Engineering of ISEP has a long tradition on initiatives related to the digitalization in construction, hosting the research group iBuilt - Center of Innovation in Digital Construction, encouraging initiatives like the ISEPBIM academic group which promotes the use of BIM on the academic and professional communities, or 3 post-graduation courses on Digital Construction, BIM Coordination and Modular Construction. In the last few years several R&D projects, mostly in collaboration with industry, have been developed, particularly focused on the fire safety code-check using BIM (FireBIM), digital management of industrial asset maintenance aided by robotic and AI (DigiMaTRIA, INSPECDRONE and MAPDRONE), construction with intelligent robotics and revolutionary architecture of emerging technologies (CRIARTE), digital geometric high-precision surveys during the construction stage (CHECK METALLIC), implementation of BIM strategies on a construction materials Lab (BIM4Lab), wayside monitoring systems to detect defects on railway vehicle wheels using AI (WAY4SAFERAIL), among others.

Tasks and added value

ISEP brings to the consortium knowledge and experience in digital solutions, including BIM, Common Data Environment and dashboards. Also, ISEP experience on sustainable railway infrastructures will support the development of a use-case for redesigning a railway line on urban environment. Within this use-case, ISEP will be involved in: i) definition of a strategy regarding monitoring system architecture, data collection & processing strategies, communication protocols and data storage; ii) establishment of a Common Data Environment based on a dedicated commercial platform; iii) definition of BIM strategies for maintenance involving the development of comprehensive BIM models (at local and global levels), data integration from monitoring systems, simulation and predictive maintenance KPIs, and continuously updating of the BIM model; iv) development of dashboards using dedicated tools including real-time interoperability with BIM models, development of embedding BIM views using APIs or web viewers, and synchronizing data with the BIM models to update the current condition state of the asset.

Strategic Importance

For ISEP the project has a strategic importance and will provide several benefits: i) update the curricula of the existing high-education courses (mainly bachelor and master) with the incorporation of contents related to digital technologies and methodologies, sustainability and life cycle, applied to different types of civil engineering assets; ii) promote project works and dissertations framed on the development of the NRPCES digital platform for railway assets; iii) create new training courses (mainly short-courses and predictable at post-graduation level) related to sustainable digital solutions, and particularly on the digital platform developed under NRPCES project; iv) facilitate the knowledge transfer to companies with specialized consulting activities on digital construction through the Center of Construction Studies (NEC-ISEP) and iBuilt - Center of Innovation in Digital Construction; v) widening of international scientific collaborations/partnerships in the project area to enhance new developments and applications; vi) strengthen the global positioning of ISEP as a national and international reference in digital construction, focusing on the development of sustainable digital solutions.