Austria’s federal railway achieves 80% efficiency gains in spare parts management with 3D Spark
May 27, 2025
The railway maintenance provider for Austria’s federal railway, ÖBB -Technical-Service GmbH (ÖBB-TS), headquartered in Vienna, has signed a two-year enterprise agreement with 3D Spark GmbH, based in Hamburg, Germany. The agreement builds on previous collaboration and aims to deepen the integration of 3D Spark into the ÖBB TS digital warehouse for enhanced spare parts management and improve the procurement workflow for additively manufactured parts.
The extended partnership follows ÖBB-TS’s successful deployment of 3D Spark’s software for automated Make-or-Buy decisions, auto-quoting, live price indications from suppliers, and large-scale spare part screenings. As highlighted in the recent case study, ÖBB has achieved substantial gains in operational efficiency, and cost savings.
It was stated that 3D Spark’s AI-powered platform played a pivotal role in ÖBB’s spare parts management transformation. By automating key processes, improving operational efficiency by 80%, 3D Spark helped ÖBB set a new standard in railway maintenance.
ÖBB transports over 494 million passengers and 78 million tons of freight annually. To maintain this vast fleet, ÖBB relies on a large inventory of spare parts, many of which are no longer in stock or production. Additive Manufacturing helped address part availability and obsolescence, but manual processes for manufacturability analysis, technology selection, costing, and Make-or-Buy decisions were inefficient. To overcome these challenges, ÖBB implemented 3D Spark’s AI-powered platform, automating key spare parts management processes and significantly boosting efficiency.
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Markus Goeberndorfer, Application Engineer at ÖBB, stated, “The manufacturing costing estimates from 3D Spark were highly accurate, within 2-3% of our in-house calculations. This accuracy built trust and saved 90% of manual time, enabling us to make confident decisions.”
Patrick Klein, Application Engineer at ÖBB, added, “3D Spark allows us to accurately calculate part costs and analyse our 100,000+ spare parts portfolio for cost and lead time savings. It’s essential for managing our complex inventory efficiently and supports our mission for sustainable, low-cost mobility solutions.”
The new contract includes the implementation of rail-specific AI models for analysing 2D technical drawings and seamless integration of 3D Spark into ÖBB’s Digital Warehouse and SAP systems— enabling even greater automation and data-driven decision-making across its supply chain.
Ruben Meuth, CEO & Founder of 3D Spark, commented, “ÖBB’s continued trust is a strong signal of the value we provide. By combining precise manufacturability analysis and costing, with real-time supplier prices, we’re unlocking a new level of efficiency in Make or Buy decisions, improving resilience for rail supply chains.”
“3D Spark combines technical excellence with a unique understanding of the rail sector,” Klein added. “Over time, they’ve earned our trust through results and responsiveness. With this long-term agreement, we’re confident we have the right partner to shape the future of our spare parts and procurement strategy.”
