IEEE 802.11 technologies are expected to remain the popular wireless local area networking solution for home and office environments. With growing interest within the process and manufacturing industry to go wireless, these technologies are a natural choice for enabling tetherless control and maintenance. However, the use of IEEE 802.11 suite of protocols for wireless access in unconventional, harsh environments is limited and their behavior and performance in these settings is not yet well understood. A prime example of such a setting is the LKAB underground iron-ore mine in Kiruna, Sweden. LKAB envisions an economical and effective wireless access solution in the mines for increasing automation, e.g., remotely control mining equipment such as mobile loading machines and drilling equipment. In this paper, we present our experiences of operating an IEEE 802.11g based wireless network in the LKAB underground iron-ore mine. Using measurements, we characterize and model the environment and its effect on the performance of higher layer protocols. We derive the theoretical limits of IEEE 802.11g and compare them with our experimental results. We observe a highly reflective environment in the mine, which causes multipath fading and in turn, considerably degrades the maximum achievable throughput in practice.

The nature of maintenance is complex and greatly influenced by relationship among various actors involved in execution of maintenance tasks. The relationship factor becomes more critical when outsourcing maintenance tasks. The most important success factor is creating mutual "goodwill trust" between partners. Another important factor is the use of economic incentives for both parties. A formal partnering process, top management support and relevant outcome measures are also important for a partnership to be positive. Partnering is a potential "tool" to create success. Based on a review of the partnering literature and experiences from Swedish railway sector, a partnering framework for maintenance contracts has been developed. The partnering framework considers four main factors, namely requirements and potential for partnering, the partnering process, success elements and measures on partnering success.

In 2000, the concept of partnering was introduced as a pilot project in an in-house contract for operation and maintenance of railway infrastructure. A facilitator introduced the client, the Swedish National Rail Administration (Banverket), and the in-house contractor, Banverket Produktion in partnering procedures before a contract was finalised. A contract with a target cost combined with incentives was negotiated. The partnering process was started by forming a team consisting of key personnel from the client and contractor. A charter containing mutual objectives was developed. Expected targets from the partnering process were achieved during 2001 and Banverket has decided to continue with the partnering process during the current year 2002 and expects to improve upon results to date. This paper presents the experiences from the implementation of partnering process to enhance the effectiveness of maintenance processes in order to enhance railway network efficiency in Sweden.

Syftet med projektet var för det första att undersöka hur anbudsgivare och potentiella sådana ser på Vägverkets upphandlings- och konkurrensutsättningsstrategi. (Hur bör en modell se ut som verkligen skulle intressera anbudsgivarna?) För det andra ingick att analysera svaren från anbudsgivarna i samverkan med personer (med upphandlingskompetens) vid Vägverket och med utgångspunkt från denna dialog föreslå en ny upphandlings- och konkurrensutsättningsstrategi. Analysen av svaren gav att fyra skilda delmarknader kan identifieras. Norr- och västerbottens kustland inklusive kustnära kommuner typ Vännäs och Boden Gränskommuner mot Finland Städer i Norrlands inland (Lycksele, Gällivare och Kiruna) Norrlands inland (exklusive städer) Utmärkande för konkurrensen i respektive område är att; i område ett förväntas konkurrensen kunna upprätthållas med nuvarande upphandlingsstrategi. i område två ökar konkurrensen pga. de finska åkarna som kan gå in med låga timpriser. i område tre medför gruvverksamheten i Kiruna och Gällivare att de stora anläggningsbyggarna är aktiva i området vilket upprätthåller en viss konkurrens. I område fyra (och eventuellt tre) kommer troligen en kraftigt minskad konkurrens att inträffa de närmaste åren och särskilt om nuvarande upphandlingsstrategi bibehålles. Seminariet och den efterföljande analysen resulterade i ett förslag till ny upphandlings- och konkurrensutsättningsstrategi vilken behandlar följande rubriker; Marknad Kundfokus Riskfördelning Utveckling Kalkylerbarhet Ekonomiska drivkrafter