Alstef Group
IASEA had an interview with an established company among the material handling industries, the Alstef Group. In this interview, the company discussed its role in the future of baggage handling and other projects that accelerated the airport passenger experience. Let's take a look at the company's thoughts about the airport industry.
Q: What role does Alstef Group play in redefining the future of baggage handling? How can Asia adopt this game-changing solution to make faster connections?
Philippe Hamon, Airport Sales Director: Alstef Group has been integrating conveyor-based baggage handling systems and control solutions at airports around the world for over 50 years.
One of our latest innovations is the BAGXONE AGV. With guaranteed tracking, a BAGXONE AGV solution is ideal for low-throughput situations such as transit from screening machines to inspection areas, where investing in fixed infrastructure costs more and takes up valuable space when not in use. Alternatively, a BAGXONE fleet can replace traditional baggage handling solutions. A BAGXONE solution works within building spatial constraints and requires little infrastructure while providing efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Additionally, Alstef Group has partnered with air transport industry provider SITA to develop the SWIFT DROP self-service bag drop. A fast, convenient, and reliable self-service bag drop solution, SWIFT DROP utilises highly accurate camera-based tag readers and has options for integrated biometrics, payment solutions, and hybrid mode. Its intuitive operation, ergonomic design, and low-loading conveyor facilitates an enjoyable passenger experience.
Q: What is the most innovative and forward-thinking project Alstef Group has delivered to date, and as a result, how has it accelerated its airport passenger experience and operation efficiency?
Philippe Hamon, Airport Sales Director: Alstef Group recently implemented its BAGXPERT predictive maintenance solution at Zagreb Airport in Croatia. BAGXPERT measures a range of data from sensors attached to BHS equipment and uses AI algorithms to benchmark the data against known failure thresholds, predicting the occurrence of failure before it happens. The solution provides optimization of preventive maintenance tasks, a major reduction in corrective maintenance, and significantly reduces the incidence of baggage system failure, saving maintenance time, spare parts costs, and most importantly, minimising disruption to passengers.
Q: How is Asia faring compared to their European counterparts in terms of the optimisation of baggage handling systems and technology?
Philippe Hamon, Airport Sales Director: Asia is a mixed bag. There are many hub airports looking for the latest technology and full automation, and others that are still satisfied with the conventional manual operations due to the low cost and high availability of labour. The desire to adopt new technologies seems to be influenced by the size and location of the airport, its privatisation, and whether it handles domestic or international traffic. Typically, a consultant or supplier consultation during the budgeting and design stages assists airports in better understanding the efficiency improvements of optimizing the baggage handling system.