Mobile Quality Assurance in Rail Vehicle Manufacturing: How PG Is Revolutionizing Bogie Assembly at Stadler Rail

In the rail vehicle industry, precision and seamless documentation determine safety and quality. An impressive example of how mobile worker guidance optimizes complex assembly processes can be seen at Stadler Rail, which successfully implemented PG in bogie assembly and overhaul.

Stadler Rail: Tradition Meets Innovation

Stadler Rail has been developing and producing rail vehicles since 1942 - from regional trains and trams to fully customized one-off solutions.
The company employs around 7,000 people at eleven sites worldwide and stands for the highest level of precision in rail vehicle manufacturing.

In production, precision, reliability, and quality are essential - particularly in safety-critical bolting processes on bogies manufactured and overhauled at the Winterthur site and other facilities.

High-quality trains at Stadler are the result of cutting-edge technologies and experienced specialists. The high variety of variants in production demands flexible yet safe processes - especially regarding product liability.

The Challenge: Complex Documentation with High Variant Diversity

In bogie assembly at Stadler Winterthur AG, the company faced several critical challenges - especially regarding precise and traceable documentation of bolting operations.

Product Liability and Documentation

“For liability reasons, exact inspections and seamless documentation are required for bolting processes in production. This ensures that individual bolts remain traceable even years later,” explains Ronny Böhler, Head of Bogie Assembly, Stadler Winterthur AG.

With the European standard DIN EN 17976 for safe bolting in rail vehicles, the requirements for process reliability and traceability have become even stricter.

Technical Challenges

• High variant diversity in customized customer projects

• Complex data volumes - up to 1,000 data records per torque wrench daily

• Unclear and fragmented documentation in previous software systems

• Lack of manufacturer independence in existing solutions

• Additional training effort when variants change

“Before introducing PG, we worked with table-based lists that were sometimes barely manageable. A lot of information existed, but it simply wasn’t relevant for daily work,” says Böhler.

The Solution: Mobile Worker Guidance with PG

Upon the recommendation of project partner Intool, the supplier of the Wi-Fi-enabled torque wrenches, Stadler learned about CSP. The presented PG (Process Guidance) software convinced them with its manufacturer independence, simple integration, and consistent support of DIN EN 17976.

“The introduction of PG was modular and straightforward. Within a very short time, our workers could operate step by step directly at the bogie - with clear instructions and without additional training.”
- Ronny Böhler

PG offers:

• Manufacturer-independent solution for various systems and tools

• Mobile worker guidance via tablets directly at the bogie

• Step-by-step instructions with photos and graphics

• Wireless communication with tools and measurement systems

• Complete electronic documentation of every work step

• Modular implementation without production downtime

“Digital worker guidance allows us to clearly define the production sequence and ensure best practices are consistently followed.”

Implementation: “Keep it simple” as a Principle of Success

Implementation was fast and smooth: within a few days, the first workstations were operating productively with PG.

“The key principle of PG is ‘Keep it simple.’ The instructions for the workers, based on images, were very easy and quick to create internally,” says Böhler.

“Process changes - such as adding a work step after an error - can be implemented flexibly and quickly. Employees are automatically informed the next time they run through the process.”

Mobile Production for Flexible Requirements

Mobile worker guidance is particularly suitable for assembly projects without a standardized sequence. Stadler Winterthur AG also uses the system successfully in bogie overhaul and at additional locations.
The major advantage: processes can be flexibly adapted to space availability, order volume, and production requirements.

“Since introducing worker guidance, we have significantly reduced the error rate in production and documentation. In addition, overall production is more flexible because instructions are centrally managed and easily adjusted.”

Advantages of the Mobile Solution

• Flexible workstation setup depending on project requirements

• Direct guidance at the bogie via tablet

• No separate training needed when variants change

• Reduced error rates through guided work steps

• Electronic instead of paper-based documentation

“The paper-based documentation was completely replaced by digital instructions. This saves time and prevents outdated drawings from being used accidentally.”

Impressive Project Results

The introduction of mobile worker guidance shows clearly measurable success:

• 18,829 work processes successfully digitalized

• 6,960 images integrated for visual instructions

• 487 workstations equipped with PG

• 1,004 active system users

• Significantly reduced error rates in production and documentation

• Rapid implementation within a few days without production downtime

A particular success was the simultaneous programming of worker guidance and the initial assembly of three new bogie types for the EC 250 Giruno project.

“The visual support and clear structure of the digital instructions increase process reliability and minimize questions. New employees also find their way around much more quickly.”

System Reliability and Support

Particularly noteworthy is the high stability of the system.

“The worker guidance runs almost without interruption - contrary to other typical experiences with new software.”

“High flexibility, smooth processes, and full compliance with standards - the system has become indispensable in our daily production,” says Ronny Böhler.

“The onboarding time for more complex workstations has noticeably decreased due to the step-by-step instructions. This allows us to qualify new team members more quickly without additional training effort.”

Future Potential: Beyond Production

The mobile solution offers additional potential: information and work instructions are now digitally available across locations - even outside production, such as in quality assurance and maintenance.

Conclusion: Mobile Worker Guidance as a Model for the Future

The success of PG at Stadler Rail impressively demonstrates how mobile worker guidance can revolutionize complex assembly processes in the rail vehicle industry.
From confusing Excel spreadsheets to intuitive, visual step-by-step instructions - PG has significantly improved quality, efficiency, and transparency.

With support for DIN EN 17976, manufacturer independence, and mobile flexibility, the PG worker guidance system is setting new standards for process reliability and productivity in rail vehicle manufacturing.

Would you like to learn how PG can optimize your assembly processes as well? Contact us for a non-binding consultation.

Stadler Rail has been a satisfied CSP customer since 2015 and uses PG continuously for quality assurance in bogie assembly.