iaf 2022:
Finally back to experiencing machines live!

For the first time after a five-year hiatus, the largest trade fair for track technology, iaf, has taken place in Münster in May 2022. Right on time and in line with the slogan “future track technology – NOW”, the Austrian technology leader Plasser & Theurer has presented several new solutions tailored to meet current market needs. Technologies which facilitate an even more efficient use of existing capacities are central to these solutions. 

Plasser & Theurer has been synonymous with technological progress in track maintenance for seventy years. Time and time again, the company has introduced machines to the market which make track maintenance work even more efficient, fast, and cost-effective. Particularly over the past years, a clear focus has been placed on expanding the machine, fleet, and infrastructure product portfolio. Digital technologies form the basis of essential innovations that promote greater automation of work processes. The latest machine generation clearly reflects this trend.

In times of climate change and growing political and societal pressures, the track industry has to take responsibility. For machine operating companies, energy and resource efficiency are no longer only a question of profitability. Track maintenance solutions that are green and low in emissions are also increasingly becoming a competitive factor.

The digitalisation mega trend opens up enormous opportunities, especially with regard to networking, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. This makes it possible to design more secure, more efficient, and faster work sequences. At the same time, this data becomes the basis for observing the entire life cycle of a track maintenance machine.

Digitalisation also offers numerous possibilities for automation in track maintenance machines, the same way it does for vehicle technology. These technologies cannot replace humans, but they are playing an increasingly essential role. They will provide crucial support during the highly complex work sequences of a track maintenance machine.