INNOVATION
PODIUM
NEXT SESSION
12:30 - 01:00
BAG FACTORY UNCOVERED
Dirk Fransen, Director of BEUMER Innovation and
Automation (BIAA), BEUMER GROUP MIDDLE
EAST
BAG FACTORY UNCOVERED
Global Airport Leaders Forum
Dirk Fransen
Introduction
• Dirk Fransen
- Director of BEUMER Innovation and Automation (BIAA)
- Background in the manufacturing and car industry
- Involved with innovation and automation for airports since 2006
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Challenges for London Heathrow Airport Baggage
• Need for more capacity within existing footprint
• Operational cost
• Capacity constraints
• High labour costs
• A growing appreciation of operational safety issues in particular ergonomics
• Significant volume peaks
• Complexity
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Basic ideas and principle
• Is it possible to adapt and implement manufacturing principles into an airport?
• Possible opportunities with manufacturing principles?
- Batching
- Material flow
- Automation to eliminate safety and operational constraints
• But how?
- Break the link between check-in and make-up
- Manage the flow of bags to the make-up positions into suitable batch sizes
- Principle known as “Synchronized Material Flow” (SMF) within the manufacturing
industry
- Provision of automation at make up and for the container movements within a baggage
hall
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Principle – Extension of the System
Flight build
Direct
and
Transfers
Reconciliation
Baggage
Delivery
Check-in
Container emptied
Conventional
baggage system
Handler responsibility
System responsibility
Baggage
Delivery
Arrivals
Container
Arrivals
Container (In part)
Flight build
Direct
and
Transfers
Reconciliation
Baggage
Delivery
Container emptied
Baggage Factory
Automation Phase 2
Check-in
Baggage
Delivery
Current operation
Baggage Handling Solutions – the future
Automated Container Handling System
Baggage Manipulator
Batch Build Concept
Automated Container Unloader
First Steps
• Identify opportunities in a “Manual handling” study
• Perform a detailed evaluation of the existing baggage handling ‘as-is’ processes
• Develop Innovative equipments, solutions and concepts, which are based on the
team experience from car industry (manual handling aids, lean concepts, batch build,
etc.)
• Enhance the current processes and propose ‘to-be’ processes
• Build a Test Cell (Bree) and a set of Pilot areas to support a business case
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First Findings
• The analysis of BIAA showed possibilities for
- Removing heavy lifting (improved ergonomics)
- Removing manual handling of baggage by the use of a semi-automated system
- Improving working environment (full vehicle and operator segregation) : safety
- Reducing the number of laterals (MUPs) in the loading area
- Maintaining a continuous flow of bags to the make-up operator, by creating batches
of bags per ULD in a dedicated storage facility
- Automating transport of ULD to and from baggage make-up
- Storage of containers to reduce volume inside baggage hall
- Increasing capacity within existing footprint
• Conclusions:
- Phase 0: Focus on low hanging fruits => Improve manual handling
- Phase 1: Automate Arrivals, baggage break facility
- Phase 2: Automate Departures, baggage make-up facility
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Phase 0: Improve manual handling
A need for alternative lifting aids
• Easy to use
• Avoid factors hindering performance
• Reduce the Manual Handling risks
associated with baggage handling
(ergonomics)
BIAA has developed several new products
• in collaboration with airlines & handlers,
via a manual handling working group
• Involve Stakeholders in every step of
development
• Endorsement by handlers
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Status of today:
Solutions installed at Heathrow T1
Baggage Loader
Baggage Manipulator
Baggage Unloader
Baggage Lifting Table
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Results and next step
Phase 0: done
“Low hanging fruits” completed
• Lifting aids designed
• Improved working environment
• No more heavy lifting
• Installed and Tested in Heathrow T1
Next step
• Increase handler efficiency
• Automate specific tasks
• Improve the main processes
• Integrated Lean principles to Baggage
Handling
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