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Today, GE Equipment Services, Rail Services introduced Maintenance Max(sm), a service designed to help shippers improve asset management and reduce rail-car maintenance costs. The company is offering the service to leasing customers and non-customers.

Maintenance Max enables users to integrate all maintenance costs, and budget maintenance and administration costs for upcoming years. Using historical data compiled from the company's fleet and current information on a user's fleet, Rail Services officials try to customize a predictive tool designed to anticipate equipment problems, extend maintenance intervals and reduce bad orders.

The service also enables users to manage car maintenance and repairs through Rail Services' national network of service facilities, register cars, and audit and pay bills.

"As a company's fleet ages, material costs change and compliance issues emerge, making it more and more difficult to manage maintenance costs effectively from year to year," said Ted Torbeck, GE Equipment Services/Rail Services president and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement. "Rail Services integrates routine maintenance and repairs, auditing and administration, and compliance activities into one program at a fixed monthly cost."

Rail Services manages a fleet of more than 180,000 coal and grain hoppers, and tank, steel and intermodal flat cars, as well as about 150,000 containers and trailers.