Baggage handling specialists, Beumer Group, has launched a new Customer Diagnostic Center to help airport customers implement continuous improvement practices based on advanced data models.
The Diagnostic Services are structured into categories that will improve overall system performance and efficiency, prevent unplanned downtime due to software failures or security breaches and provide a 24/7 hotline in case of emergency to get operations up and running again quickly. Customers can also opt for a detailed analysis of their operations from which Beumer specialists can recommend immediate improvements.
“Automation is creating vast amounts of data that can help us work faster and smarter, but some airports do not have the necessary time or resources to analyse it all and derive the potential benefits,” said Christian Buhrmann, Head of Digital Solutions at Beumer Group Customer Diagnostic Center. “Using our new Customer Diagnostic Center, [we] can take advantage of a whole range of digital services to improve business health and diagnostics, making it easy to gain the operational and maintenance insights they need to continuously improve baggage performance and gain a competitive advantage.”
Beumer has defined three main service categories to support customer sites: Improvement; Prevention and Endurance.
Improvement services provide Baggage Handling System (BHS) insights using innovative techniques to deliver full transparency of site performance, enabling airports to make data-driven decisions. Diagnostic models continuously check the operational health of the BHS and identify any developing issue before it becomes serious. Customer data models are updated 24/7 and used to spot adverse trends and take targeted countermeasures that will help to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Citing one airport that was struggling with a shortage of check-in positions, Beumer underlined that analysis by its Customer Diagnostic Center revealed there was an unused check-in desk capacity of 40%, which was not being utilised because of a static planning approach. At system component level, continuous monitoring of operational parameters such as vibration and temperature can spot anomalies that could be an early indication that a part of a machine is beginning to fail.
Meanwhile, prevention services focus on Security Management to keep the BHS secure and software fully updated. “Everything with an IP address can be accessed, so constant vigilance is necessary to keep airport systems secure,” pointed out Christian, adding that both hardware and software can be vulnerable to failure caused by external factors. By monitoring the BHS 24/7, Beumer’s Customer Diagnostic Center can implement critical software updates and security paths to maintain the highest levels of cyber security.
Endurance services against worst-case scenarios enable customers to deal directly with an expert who is familiar with their site and who can offer fast and professional assistance to get up operations up and running again in the minimum amount of time.
