It is true that, in terms of volume and production flow, the Brazilian railway network is still moving slowly compared to the entire flow of freight absorbed by the highways. However, in recent years, a movement led mainly by private initiative has strengthened the sector and, as a result of this initiative, the market for railway parts is beginning to recover.
After all, it is precisely through the railway that large volumes of mineral, grain greece phone number list heavy cargo arrive at Brazilian ports, opening the way to the foreign market and moving a series of parallel segments of the economy, including the service sectors and the railway parts industry. That is why, in this article, we will study this movement and its implications for the industrial routine, take a look!
Understanding the role of the railway parts market
When it comes to the quality of Brazilian roads, everyone knows there is no consensus: while some regions have high-quality, well-signposted and maintained roads, other parts of the country suffer from long stretches of precarious and rough terrain, full of holes and obstacles and with little or no signage.
Yet logistics does not stand still. Carriers everywhere are faced with the most adverse conditions and, one way or another, loads reach their final destination. However, unlike road transport – where trucks can even travel on precarious tracks – trains can only operate when railway maintenance is up to date. This is an issue that goes beyond productivity.
This is where the spare parts market comes into the picture. After all, the maintenance of these types of trains involves three major industrial pillars: companies that develop technologies to control and technically supervise trains, heavy industries that develop components for locomotives and, finally, foundries and metallurgical plants that are responsible for supplying inputs for permanent tracks and freight cars.
It is worth remembering that, in most cases, this last branch always occupies the centre of attention, since one of the main demands of the railway spare parts sector is derived from the wear of the tracks and rolling stock. Being continuous, the rails are used a lot during the passage of trains and suffer wear.
But does this mean that rail transport is ultimately expensive to maintain? Not at all! Just keep in mind that when it comes to roads, the route manager needs to invest in lighting, physical protection and efficient signalling. Meanwhile, railways basically only have to worry about maintaining the network.
That is why it is important to look for quality suppliers that are recognised in the market and capable of offering railway solutions developed with high-level engineering and technology. In addition to increasing the durability of rails and railway installations, a qualified supplier can better deal with the complicated relationship between production and innovation when it comes to the railway spare parts market!
Additive manufacturing and the railway spare parts market
You may not know it, but the spare parts market is one of the great challenges of rail transport. Just keep in mind that, when they are put into operation, the wagons and locomotives on the tracks have an estimated useful life of more than 30 years.
Due to this timeframe, suppliers have to store the tools required for the production of spare parts for long periods, which can be dangerous. This is because, over the course of decades, this supplier may no longer be active when the time comes to recover this tooling (factory closure or even business discontinuation).
And if there is no original tooling, there is no way to manufacture compatible spare parts. This is where additive manufacturing comes into play and can make all the difference. With this technology, the need to stockpile old tooling is eliminated and new suppliers are therefore no longer held hostage by the original manufacturers of the parts.
This is because additive manufacturing makes it possible to manufacture new casting models from blueprints, designs or even a scan of an existing part. This makes it possible to create new casting models in high-strength polymer and put them at the service of fast and cost-effective production.
Do you know how the railway parts market works in Brazil?
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