Delft University of Technology
Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Transport Technology
I.J. Schrama An alternative baggage handling system for time critical transfer baggage. Improving the performance of transfer baggage handling at airports
Masters thesis, Report 2006.TIL.7110, Transport Engineering and Logistics / Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics.
The developments and changes in the airport and airliner industry put pressure on the airline network and pressure on the processes and the logistics behind these processes. Over the last years the pressure on the airport logistics has increased drastically due to the growth of business and more stringent security screening regulations. A problem has occurred for time critical baggage. A lot of time critical baggage is mishandled which means lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered which occurs during the baggage handling processes. Vanderlande Industries wanted to get more insight in the problem of mishandled baggage and wanted to look for opportunities beyond the borders of current baggage handling systems to support their customers worldwide in improving their competitive position. The research project resulted in a baggage handling concept that can reduce the number of mishandled transfer baggage, such that more transfer baggage is distributed in time to the right destination and that complies with security regulations.
Summary
Over the last years the pressure on the airport logistics has increased drastically due to the growth of business and more stringent security screening regulations. A problem has occurred for baggage handling, especially time critical transfer baggage. A lot of time critical baggage is mishandled which means lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered which occurs during the baggage handling processes. Worldwide 1% of all checked bags are mishandled. Nearly two-thirds of all baggage delays (61%) are caused by transfer baggage mishandling. Within this 61%, causes can be divided in general causes:
Incomplete or wrong information exchange between parties involved; Interfaces between departments, companies, countries and organizations; and specific causes for input, sorting and output:
The objectives of the research project were:
1. Defining the problem of mishandled transfer baggage in a multi disciplinary way by taking management and technology aspects into account and by looking beyond the borders of the physical transfer baggage handling systems. The goal is to find out what opportunities/chances there are for Vanderlande Industries to support their customers worldwide in improving their competitive position;
2. Designing a baggage handling concept in order to reduce the number of mishandled transfer baggage, such that more transfer baggage is distributed in time to the right destination and that complies with security regulations.
Vanderlande Industries is the problem owner in this research project and designs, builds and services leading baggage handling systems (BHS) for airports of all sizes. Baggage handlers have the perception that the existing baggage handling processes (system part and apron part) are sometimes not fast enough and therefore they send priority or time critical baggage tail-to-tail to the connecting aircraft, which means directly from one aircraft to the other, without screening which is based on a trustful relation with the airport of origin. Handlers avoid the BHS and a part of the associated apron processes and believe their way of working is better and faster. Vanderlande Industries has to realise this because they are dealing with a potential threat of substitution and could loose a client if another system supplier can offer better BHS or finds another way of handling the transfer baggage which is more secure, fast and cheap. Vanderlande Industries can do two things: Improvement and/or innovation of the transfer System. The opportunities for Vanderlande Industries have been found in innovations. Primary chances for Vanderlande Industries to support their customers worldwide in this transfer handling process, can be found in:
The integration of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) chips and RFID scanners; The integration of a RFID scanning gate next to the aircraft for ULD's and loose bags; The integration of Automatic Guided Vehicles and separated infrastructure;
The introduction of a transfer terminal in a dedicated area which is 100% secure; The introduction of transfer baggage handling according priority.
Secondly opportunities can be found in the extension of the Vanderlande Industries partnership approach: Finding solutions in a structured way, together with the parties involved: investors, business users and operational users in order to find solutions to keep customers satisfied and to attract new customers. The chances/opportunities for Vanderlande Industries have been translated into a new transfer baggage handling design. Three concepts have been designed and each concept contains:
Identification of ULD's and bags with RFID chip for safe, correct and efficient identification. RFID scanning gate next to the aircraft;
Transfer terminal in a dedicated area.
1. Concept Seal
Concept Seal puts its focus on screening. All ULD's for the direct tail-to-tail transfer flow will be sealed after screening at the airport of origin with an electronic seal and all loose bags with a plastic seal or a seal on the lock. The direct tail-to-tail flows can be transported directly with a screening status check and the other flows will be handled in the transfer terminal where screening depends on the status of the seal; a screening check can be sufficient. International agreements and procedures need to be into place.
2. Concept Pre-sort
If an airplane is loaded with ULD's with a minimum variety of final destinations per ULD this could save handling time at the transfer hub. When flights always have a large amount of baggage for the same hub and if this number of baggage is substantial, the baggage can be pre-sorted at the airport of origin which shifts the pressure of transfer baggage handling from the hub to the airport of origin.
3. Concept Automation
In this concept transport of transfer baggage will be automated for more efficient apron operations by Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). The baggage from the aircraft will be transferred from a transporter on an AGV by an AGV docking station. Break and build in the transfer terminal also can be automated.
These concepts were evaluated by experts: investors, business users and designers with the aid of group support systems in order to select one concept for elaboration. The concepts were compared on eight criteria in a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). Practically all three concepts were feasible for elaboration. Theoretically the concepts Seal and Automation scored very well in the MCA and the sensitivity analysis. Chosen is to elaborate concept Automation, because this concept is less dependent on international agreements and regulations than concept Seal or Pre-sort and the focus can be put on the technical design.
Punctuality: The AGV's can be controlled completely, which increases the controllability and the planning capacity which is a big advantage for the punctuality compared to operators driving vehicles with baggage to their destinations.
Accuracy: RFID also contributes to the accuracy because the read rate with RFID is much higher than with bar codes and more baggage is identified in time and this increases the chance that the baggage arrives at the right destination
Availability: AGV's are not as dependent on working shifts as operators are. Only the control centre needs to stay operational to control the AGV's which increases the availability. On the other side AGV technology can be more sensitive for errors/ brake downs than people which decrease the availability. In this phase of the project, no definite answer can be given if the availability increases with concept Automation or not.
Security: In concept Automation all bags and ULD's will be screened during transfer, this means that the concept is 100% secure and meets the IATA requirements. Another aspect of security is human intervention; this concept reduces the number of people and therefore contributes to security. Scalability: Concept Automation is very scalable because when extension is needed, only extra AGV's are needed and infrastructure extensions. Flexibility: Concept Automation is flexible because priority handling and extra fast transport can be done when needed, to rearrange that the time critical transfer baggage is on time at the right destination.
Investment costs: Investment costs are very high for automation because the application of AGV technology is new for the airport sector and is complex. Operational costs: By automation operational costs will be reduced. The biggest gain can be found in labour costs because automation reduces the number of personnel drastically.
From a business case with a transfer from an A380 to an A380 was concluded that 5 AGV's and 3 transporters are needed for all transfer ULD's. The time needed for transfer with concept Automation is 41 minutes which falls within the target value of 45 minutes minimum connecting time. The economic feasibility of the concept has been checked by estimating the return of investments. Precondition was that the total costs for concept Automation < Transfer IR-Rate costs and this is the case. The total costs for concept Automation for 15 years are estimated at 175 million euros. Investment costs are 89 million euros and operational costs for 15 years are 86 million euros. The yearly transfer IR-Rate costs extrapolated for 15 years, when the IR-Rate stays as is, are estimated at 1.3 billion euros.
The total costs for 15 years of concept Automation are equal to an IR-Rate of 0.40%. If the IR-rate would decrease with 0.40% by implementing concept Automation then the concept is economically feasible.
For implementation, acceptation of the concept is needed by all parties and collaboration of the parties involved is needed to share the responsibilities, risks and costs.
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