The management of drawings in our industry is challenging. Many railroads have a mix of computer generated CAD drawings, both raster and vector, along with huge numbers of manually produced drawings. The complexity of managing this venue increases because the larger railroads are comprised of a number of smaller predecessor railroads, which introduced numerous drawing and engineering standards, as well as filing systems.

The basic theory of managing drawings is not unlike managing books in a library. You need a safe and secure place to keep them when they are not being used, you need to have the capability to check them out and check them in to meet user demands, and you need to know where each one is at any given time. Demands that require a departure from the basics are placed on drawing management because drawings represent a physical asset, and physical assets are always subject to change. This places demands on managing change as well as just managing drawings. While assets are simply being maintained and drawings are used to support that function, drawing management and logistics supporting locating the appropriate drawings, reproducing them, re-filing physical drawings, and then distributing them as required. When changes occur in an asset, planned or unplanned, drawing management and logistics meets its true challenge. Changes must be managed and tracked in great detail to enable coordination between and among other initiatives supported by the same drawings. This includes project related changes, as well as changes that are required due to maintenance activities. Project related changes increase the complication of drawing management and logistics when driven by multiple project phases and numerous locations within the scope of a given project. This creates the demand for managing multiple drawing versions for a single asset, reflecting changes required at varying points in time during a project. The meta data that describes each drawing, regardless of format or version must also be managed.

This venue creates unique challenges that are not easily met, and if mismanaged, could lead to project overruns, increased maintenance costs, and overall increased cost of doing business. 10East's Document Management and Logistics services provide everything a railroad needs to meet the demands of running a streamlined and efficient operation. 10East's highly qualified document management staff provides railroad expert resources for plan management, reproduction, and distribution, and the processes are all managed through the RailDOCS Plan Management Program (PMP). This powerful combination allows 10East to meet the most demanding needs of our customers.

If you are not looking for a turnkey solution, RailDOCS PMP empowers self service of electronic drawings from any Internet connected computer with nothing more than a web browser. No software licenses, no capital purchases. Just point and click to view and print/plot CAD files. Easily find anything you need based on railroad specific information like mile post, location name or type, or even GPS coordinate. If you just need better tools to manage your paper-based or mixed media requirements in house, RailDOCS PMP is the only railroad focused solution. Need someone to convert your paper to CAD? We can do that too. Just imagine how that changes your ability to maintain your railroad. RailDOCS PMP also provides self service of native CAD files to support engineering collaboration, which makes supporting engineering and construction projects a breeze. RailDOCS gives you full control, while enabling you to assign and track user and vendor accountability.

There is simply no better way to manage your drawings!
There is simply no better way to manage your entire railroad operating infrastructure!!