The term 'Cargo Handling' refers to the air cargo management and baggage handling systems at airports. The focus for this practical example is mainly on business air cargo traffic, and less so on passenger traffic - but the solution also works for regular baggage handling.
Global air cargo traffic is increasing significantly, and there is a growing need to develop more dedicated cargo terminals to handle the increasing global air cargo traffic. The many forwarders and handling agents operating side by side at an airport invest heavily in their logistics organisation so that their teams can process incoming and outgoing cargo as efficiently as possible. But precisely because so many players are operationally busy at the same time with - usually very similar - trailers and trolleys that are constantly criss-crossed through the airport, it is extremely difficult to maintain a real-time overview of where all own assets are located.
We initiated an innovative project for Swissport Cargo, which employs more than 45,000 people worldwide and handles some 4.6 million tonnes of air cargo annually at 298 airports in 47 countries. The company focuses on continuous innovation in key areas such as service, quality and reliability, while taking into account the overarching security and operational rules specific to an airport.
With so much air cargo to handle, a huge number of trailers, cargo carts, pallet trucks, and other rolling stock are required to move arriving or departing cargo between involved aircraft and warehouses. These non-battery-powered assets are often parked somewhere temporarily, or not placed back where they belong. The team must therefore often search for the correct location of an asset. Unfortunately, this is not that simple: an airport site is immense, and the asset may be in a hangar somewhere, taken by a competitor, set aside next to a maintenance building, ... With all the searching, valuable time is wasted that is never available. Aircraft are always bound to a very short 'timeslot' and hefty fines are issued if an aircraft cannot take off on time because the cargo is not loaded. On top of that, hefty fines can follow for an incorrectly parked asset, as this is seen as a security risk. It doesn't matter if it is your own fault, or that of a colleague who accidentally leaves a trolley behind. Annually, these unbudgeted costs can amount to as much as €50,000 or more.
It is therefore not surprising that the company has long been looking for a system that can identify and locate all company assets in and around the airport. Previous tests with digital technology did not meet the high demands.
Through an intelligent combination of the right hardware and software, with smart sensors and a central online management platform, we were able to offer Swissport a watertight solution. Important considerations were reliable connectivity for fast action - time is money - and sufficient direct reporting possibilities for own staff as well as external airport staff.
Let us explain how we solved this challenge in practice. Hardware-wise, the towing company assets such as trucks and lorries were equipped with a sensor that can send location data to the online platform via a wireless network. In order to determine the location as precisely as possible (up to 10 metres accurate), the GPS sensor has an integrated Bluetooth gateway that sends out a continuous signal. In addition, all non-powered assets (carts, trailers) were fitted with a sensor that can communicate via Bluetooth or the Sigfox network with the gateway of the towing asset.
To enable urgent intervention to move misplaced, lost or stolen carts, each asset received another TAG.QR sticker with a QR code. Anyone - a colleague, security guard or other airport personnel who does not have access to the online tool - can use this QR code to request that the asset in question be moved as quickly as possible.
Our customer's employees can use the same QR code to submit a maintenance report or receive a task for that asset.
All employees involved have a perfect overview of where all towing vehicles and non-powered assets are, and can send the nearest colleague to pick up a trailer or cart. Thanks to incoming QR code alerts, they can monitor the repairs and maintenance of their assets much better and quickly move an incorrectly parked asset to avoid the high fines. The accompanying stress and frustration due to endless searches are a thing of the past. The planning team can now also work extremely efficiently, because they can see all the data on one platform, check whether the reports have already been carried out by their colleagues and make adjustments where necessary. The system has been active for some time now, and during a questionnaire among the staff we received a big 'thumbs up' from both the ground staff and the people in charge.
Request a demo now to discover all the features, or calculate for yourself how much the monthly investment is to manage your business materials and equipment through our online platform.
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