Deutsche Bahn’s most modern plant is being built

Achieving project success together at record speed

The “New Cottbus Plant” will be Deutsche Bahn’s most modern maintenance facility for the new ICE 4 trains. Planning began at the start of 2022 and the first trains are to be serviced here as early as 2024 – two years earlier than originally planned. To ensure that the ambitious schedule can be implemented, DB is breaking new ground and relying on the “rail partnership model”, which was developed together with TU Berlin. According to this model, all contractors start the planning phase together. They communicate and work in integrated teams across all plants. Through common project goals and a focus on cooperation, this new integrated project management (IPA) is intended to ensure that deadlines, costs and quality are much better controlled and adhered to.

As one of the eight project alliance partners, LOGSOL is responsible for warehouse and complete intralogistics

In line with the IPA concept, the LOGSOL project managers are involved in all construction-related issues right from the start. Two factory planners are also part of the team to contribute their planning experience and expertise to the new buildings. In total, the LOGSOL team consists of 15 project participants. LOGSOL software tools such as RoutMan^® are also used.

Integrated project management on site

With this ‘rail partnership model’, the holistic view and collaboration in integrated teams are very exciting for us right from the start. The IPA concept fully reflects our mindset – with the advantage that we have the opportunity to help shape the project at a very early stage. For example, we can help to ensure that exactly the areas and heights are built that we will need later during implementation and for optimal intralogistics and warehousing,” explains Uwe Wenzel, Managing Director of LOGSOL and member of the strategic management team (SMT) ‘New Cottbus Plant’.

Integrated working takes place directly on site in the new co-working space on the factory premises in Cottbus.
Since January 2022, despite the coronavirus pandemic, the teams have been working together on-site rather than remotely, in strict compliance with the hygiene measures in place at the time. “That was a major challenge, but working together in person was very well received despite the pandemic. This is a great advantage in this dynamic project. There is a budget to work against. We are constantly looking together to see how we can map it out in order to maintain the new ICE 4 trains even better, more efficiently and faster and to optimize intralogistics. A project partner often has to set aside their own goal to a certain extent and focus on the common goal in order to make progress,” says Mario Henneberger, LOGSOL project manager responsible for logistics planning, describing the special integrated work on site.

In well-functioning cooperation

A central aspect here is the well-functioning cooperation between the more than 400 participants.
Two consultants from Deutsche Bahn pay attention to the spirit and partner culture in the project team. They develop formats to promote cooperation and team spirit. For example, through targeted team workshops or joint activities outside of work, such as beach volleyball, for which a new beach volleyball court was specially built on the company premises. “This closeness – both to the customer and to the other project participants – is something very special for me in this project close to my heart. And I believe that the new cooperation in the ‘rail partnership model’ is a key aspect of this, as many countries, such as Australia, show that large-scale construction projects can be handled in exactly the same way. Fortunately, we have three experienced people in our SMT who have already carried out IPA projects abroad and who encourage us that it can work and how it can work.

All partners have a pioneering role in this. The project model is being continued as a pilot project by the TU Berlin together with us. And if the project is successful, we believe that it can also change the market,” says Uwe Wenzel, Managing Director of LOGSOL, describing what is special about the ‘rail partnership model’.
“I originally come from the construction industry and was a contract management specialist. So it is very motivating for me to show that there is another way: There is another way to achieve a goal together so that everyone is satisfied,” says LOGSOL project manager and member of the project management team, Mario Henneberger, summarizing his experience with the project work so far, adding in conclusion:
“This spirit – ‘we all want to do it a little differently and prove that it can be done’ – is also challenging for all eight project participants from the most diverse areas. Because we all have to keep learning. Sometimes there is a tendency to continue on the old path and to maintain the old way of doing things. However, a healthy degree of excitement and challenge promotes our project.
Together with those responsible at Deutsche Bahn, we always act as mediators and promoters in order to demand this cooperation and partnership. Because we see that it helps us move forward together more quickly.”