By taking complete advantage of modern data-based services, airport operators can create an unprecedented level of efficiency and availability from their baggage handling system. However, not all airport operators have fully leveraged the potential of data. In this article, you can learn which services airports should prioritise before they sign their next contract for baggage handling system services.
Data is today’s approach to improving operational efficiency and system availability. Or, more accurately, data can be the most efficient and cost-effective approach to improving operational efficiency and system availability.
Proactive, data-based decisions are an industry game-changer and an extremely valuable resource for any airport operator. By implementing the full spectrum of modern data services, an airport can improve the two most important aspects of its baggage handling system (BHS): operational efficiency (how efficiently the system moves baggage) and system availability (system uptime, which is very much dependent on maintenance activities).
But how should airport operators approach the choice between different data-driven solutions? Which data-driven services are the crucial must-haves? Learn about the answers in this article, plus the competitive advantages that an increasing number of airports are already reaping from having implemented a data-driven operation.
Before we get into the checklist of data-driven must-haves, let’s take a step back: why is it so important for airports to team up with a data-savvy BHS service provider in the first place?
Most airports experience a need to further strengthen operational excellence. One of the answers is to lower operating expenses (OPEX) and improve the passenger experience. Two of the core indicators in this effort are efficient baggage throughput and avoiding unexpected downtime, which can impact baggage services, thus spoiling the passenger experience. Data-driven operations and maintenance are a significant addition for both endeavours.
Part of the reason that some airports find baggage handling operations costly is the approach to scheduled BHS service and maintenance. These are often defined tasks with specific time intervals that can result in over-maintenance and unnecessary resource time spent on checking the system, even when there are no problems. Data-driven O&M is the best way to change the approach from scheduled service to condition-based and proactive service on both hardware and software, which almost certainly reduces the overall O&M cost by a significant margin.
Data-driven, predictive maintenance is also best practice when it comes to avoiding the expensive consequences of unexpected system downtime. By staying alert and proactive through data analytics, O&M teams can manage potential issues before they reach their most damaging climax: a full-blown system stop. Many airports have room for the service windows, but unexpected downtime is a real killer. This is when people need to catch a flight, and their baggage needs to be on the plane.
Overall, the incentive to replace traditional, scheduled-based O&M with diagnostic data-based O&M is strong.
This is the reason why more airports are teaming up with system suppliers who specialise in a data-based approach to O&M.
While data-driven, diagnostic services may seem complicated and difficult to achieve, some of the industry’s most forward-thinking systems providers have successfully cracked the code to data analytics.
Their diagnostic models are extremely accurate at identifying issues and scenarios. Also, because the system supplier helps other sites, learning from an incident occurring at one airport will prevent the same from happening at other airports – the systems provider’s monitoring and diagnostics tools will work as the eye in the sky that helps all involved airports achieve a higher level of system availability.
Another precondition for a data-based operation is the people: data specialists who work together with BHS specialists to analyse the data and design the correct diagnostic models.
The specialists are vital and have a profound understanding of systems. When this is linked with the knowledge of engineers, technicians and other specialists who built the system in the first place, it becomes a powerful force in unison with data.
The combination of data and system specialists is what makes a data-driven operation possible.
So, how can airports make sure they find the right partner for data-driven operations?
First of all, as a baseline, the airport operator, as a BHS owner, should prioritise a partner that:
The main purpose of the services under the ‘Improvement’ category is to enable BHS owners to proactively optimise baggage throughput and avoid downtime during operation, based on live data and diagnostic models.
A great example of this is an airport that uses data to optimise the handling of arrival bags by looking at data showing the time from when a plane docks until the luggage is unloaded to the BHS. This helps facilitate a data-driven dialogue with the ground handling suppliers and supports all parties in making informed decisions on how to improve the bag unloading process, resulting in less wait time for passengers at the reclaim carousel. It also ensures that all bags reach their connecting flights.
The ‘Improvement services’ consist of a series of diagnostic and monitoring programmes at the operational and system levels, plus a range of dashboards for easy management and tracking of operational and maintenance data.
Real-time analytics unlock detailed insights into system health and operational performance using a cloud-based solution. The data is turned into actionable plans for how to optimise the specific system and operational performance in real time.
This is used when an airport needs to investigate its airline services, if they receive complaints from passengers regarding the wait time for arrival bags. Data reveals the issues, for example a high degree of manually encoded bags, and the problem can be traced to luggage tags of low quality. The airport can feed the error source back to the airline, who can take action and change the quality of labels across its network.
To optimise access to data, customisable dashboards can be designed to present data and actionable insights for every organisational level of the baggage handling set-up: operations, maintenance and management. They can also provide real-time analytics with live status on processes inside the BHS, such as temperature, vibrations, power consumption, processing speed, alarms, events and more.
The data-based diagnostic models continuously check the operational health of the system to identify any developing issues before they arise. Data models crunch system data 24/7/365 to spot adverse trends and take targeted countermeasures to help improve efficiency and reduce costs.
By identifying trends before they become events that impact BHS health, data-based diagnostic models also significantly limit the risk of unexpected stops. These are the stops that bring airports to their knees by hindering baggage handling for hours or even days.
At the component level, the automated continuous monitoring of operational parameters such as vibration and temperature can spot anomalies that may indicate the risk of failure in either hardware or software.
Overall, through a combination of monitoring and proactive intervention from the hotline, the airport operator can apply a condition-based maintenance strategy to maximise availability. This is a much more cost-effective approach to maintenance than conventional scheduled maintenance.
Nowadays, preventive services are required to ensure a stable system execution platform. Many legislative demands require preventive and protective actions, like identifying and addressing known potential cyber-risks. The ultimate goal is to achieve a stronger system readiness and to be as prepared as possible with a balanced investment/risk approach.
A good systems provider has experts in place to monitor the risk level of the system platform and to take the required preventive actions. The experts should access the system through a process that is well-documented at every step and meets the highest standards of security management.
Today, the ISO 27001 certification is considered to be the gold standard for information security management and the least to expect from a systems provider managing access to the system. It is also the airport operator’s guarantee that access to their BHS and controls complies with globally recognised best practices. A system supplier can only achieve such certification by passing an audit that is externally approved cybersecurity specialists, and the certification must be renewed within a pre-determined timeframe.
Cybersecurity is an increasingly important aspect of ‘Prevention’. Security management in cybersecurity should, as a minimum, include antivirus management, inspection management, and patch and vulnerability management. Again, the service provider must have proven processes for testing any possible impact on a site, including evaluating whether an update is required for a specific site.
There are many reasons to prioritise sourcing security management from the systems provider: Airport operators will get operational continuity and reliability, as well as assurance that the entire organisation is in compliance with regulations. A good and certified set-up also minimises loss due to potential cyberattacks and protects the airport operator’s reputation as a reliable site owner and business partner.
With all of the above covered, it leaves only one risk: unusual circumstances.
Everyone wants to feel secure with the right bulwark against worst-case scenarios – this includes having a hotline structure in place to make sure that any breakdowns, hardware issues or software bugs will be fixed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The best hotline services are centred around a proactive 24/7/365-available staff, who are all system specialists with the right combination of seniority and skills.
Every airport operator would agree that in the case of an actual system emergency, there is no time for sitting in an endless phone queue in a digital phone system and asking to be put through to the actual specialists. In the case of such an incident, the airport operator must have immediate and direct access to the specialists.
An important aspect of today’s modern hotline services is specialist support. BHS owners should always be supported directly by a specialist who understands their particular system and is able to fix software bugs remotely. Such a specialist will offer fast and tailored assistance to get the operations up and running again in the minimum amount of time.
Real hotline experts not only work on resolving incidents, they also provide a root cause analysis afterwards, which helps the system owner make informed, data-driven decisions to make improvements to the system. If an incident occurs and it is software-related, hotline services will cover software bug fixes with no discussions of payment before an issue can be fixed.
Airports that successfully embrace the full potential of modern data-driven BHS services will reap tremendous performance benefits.
A data-based, diagnostic approach to service can improve almost every aspect of the airport operation:
Airports have always done everything in their power to increase availability. Given the current level of competition in the industry, this focus has been sharpened even more. The last thing an airport wants is to appear in the news for having left behind baggage due to a BHS outage.
Data-driven, diagnostic services change the entire narrative. Predictive and condition-based service is now an option. Planned downtime can be almost entirely avoided. Full, real-time transparency into how the system is performing and how performance can be optimised is available. The sum of all those parts is that the perfectly run airport baggage operation is now within reach.
The key is data, but in a much more practical sense, the key is to partner up with the right service provider – one that understands how to unlock the massive potential of data analytics.
