100%
Improvement in safety performance
Boosting Locomotive Productivity Through Operational Excellence in a Major Rail Terminal
Industry: Transportation, Logistics and Services
Service: Manufacturing
Service: Operations Strategy and Transformation
Service: People and Organization
Our Client
A leading national freight railroad company sought to improve the performance and throughput of one of its busiest mechanical terminals in Waycross, Georgia. As part of a broader strategy to increase volume through key hubs, ensuring locomotives were service- and inspection-ready became mission-critical. Mechanical leadership needed a rapid improvement in locomotive availability to meet growing demand.
The Challenge
The rail company’s Waycross terminal was experiencing performance bottlenecks and variability in servicing and inspection throughput.
- Labor productivity was below target, resulting in delays in locomotive releases.
- Leadership lacked a standardized approach for workflow execution and performance measurement.
- Safety and quality incidents suggested gaps in frontline execution and operational discipline.
- There was no existing Professional Operating Playbook or structured frontline leadership development framework.
Real Results Achieved Together
Through the application of Operational Excellence, the client transformed rail terminal operations , reducing inspection hours 28% and delivering $6.8M savings.
$6.8M
Projected annualized savings
$1.8M
Labor productivity savings in the same year
Transformation Impact
- Locomotive inspection labor hours reduced from 82 to 59 hours
- 17% reduction in 10-day Line of Road failures
- 13.6% increased productivity of daily locomotive releases
Our Approach
EFESO implemented its transportation-specific Operational Excellence model to rapidly improve throughput and productivity. Key components of the approach included:
Data-Driven Diagnostics
- Conducted a thorough preliminary data analysis to identify variances in performance and uncover root causes of delays in servicing and inspection workflows.
On-Site Validation
- Engaged in field-based process observations and interviews with local leaders and staff, guided by industrial engineering principles, to confirm the analysis and operational understanding.
Frontline Leadership Enablemen
- Designed and deployed a hands-on, engaging implementation plan to equip frontline leaders with the tools and mindset for high-performance execution.
Operational Excellence Execution
- Rolled out a tailored workflow model that leveraged business intelligence to drive performance rigor, elevate leadership behaviors, and standardize work practices.
Playbook Development
- Created and embedded a Professional Operating Playbook to sustain improvements, clarify expectations, and ensure repeatable success.
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Facing Similar Challenges?
- Utilize data analysis to identify variances in performance and uncover root causes of delays.
- Leverage business intelligence to drive performance and establish key performance indicators.
- Establish operational discipline and structured, frontline leadership development frameworks.
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