Infrabel is responsible for the Belgian railway network. Every day, 12,364 employees ensure the optimal functioning of the equipment: track, catenary, points, signals, level crossings, etc. Infrabel’s mission is to develop a safe and high-quality railway network for all the trains of tomorrow. As infrastructure manager and operator of the Belgian railway network, Infrabel distributes the space on the track and coordinates all train journeys on Belgian territory. Infrabel’s infrastructure department consists of a number of technical departments. In addition, the country is divided into 5 areas and 22 districts. These different entities have historically had a relatively large autonomy, which has resulted in a great diversity of culture, processes and IT tools.

The task
In a period characterised by declining financial resources and a considerable staff turnover due to retirement, Infrabel needed support in the transition from Maintenance Management to Asset Management.

The approach
Mainnovation supported Infrabel by making Change Coaches available in the field of “Work Preparation and Planning” in order to set up and maintain the improvement engine. These change coaches supported this change process in the change process, from “Shop Floor to Top Floor”. The actual maturity of the executing teams and their knowledge & expectations were taken into account. A Change Coach also controlled the “continuous improvement circles” in the field of processes, content, IT and organization for each area. As such, established processes are refined based on experiences. Best Practices were collected, communicated and updated where desired.

Mainnovation’s added value
A complete set of tools and Best Practices has been introduced to integrate with asset management. Furthermore, workshops have been facilitated to guide the desired change in the transition from current state to future state and a roll-out plan has been set up. At the same time the change management and communication process is supported.

A complete set of tools and Best Practices has been introduced to integrate with asset management.

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