• CN forms Short Line Council to help solidify small-road relationships (5/6/2002)

9/6/2023

L.B. Foster Expands Remote Performance Monitoring Solutions

L.B. Foster's Remote Performance Monitoring (RPM) solution provides immediate, intuitive insight into the operating performance of friction management assets for railroad operators and owners.

The L.B. Foster RPM platform is built specifically around helping railroads run an optimized friction management program and maximizing their return on investment. RPM makes it easy to maximize system uptime, ensure application rates are optimized, and minimize the operational costs of running the program.

Joel VanderMarel is L.B. Foster’s Senior Global Product Manager, Trackside Systems. He explains, “When we completely rebuilt RPM in 2018, our goal was two-fold. First to provide RPM users with actionable insight into their friction management program, so they can run an efficient program without wadding through data. And second, to make RPM flexible and easily customizable to meet the differing needs of individual customers. As the global friction management experts and heavy users of RPM ourselves, L.B. Foster is continuously taking what we learn about running an efficient friction management program and turning this knowledge into new tools within the RPM platform. The beauty of RPM is that it provides both high-level insight into the performance of entire territories, while allowing user to quickly drill down and troubleshoot problems at the system level.”

RPM delivers a wide range of benefits, from enabling operators to check system uptime for both individual units and territory performance, to optimizing maintenance activities and minimizing track access requirements. Systems can also be interrogated remotely for troubleshooting or to be activated/deactivated. All key system parameters are monitored, including product levels, power levels, system settings, and product application rates. RPM also enables instant alerts for system alarms, problems, or key operational information.

Stand-Alone RPM Device
This year, L.B. Foster is launching the Stand-Alone RPM device, a new product capable of easily adding RPM to existing trackside application systems without the need to replace existing control systems. The Stand-Alone RPM device is compatible with both L.B. Foster and competitor trackside systems, allowing friction management programs consisting of multiple equipment types to all be managed within the industry-leading RPM portal. It will be available in both cellular and satellite communication configurations.

For more information, contact Joel VanderMarel jvandermarel@lbfoster.com