What is batch building?
Batch building is a practice that optimises the loading of bags by storing and pre-sorting them into batches according to departure time slots, specific flights or different categories of baggage (first class, business class and so on). This process can save precious space while giving BHS operators more control over baggage flow. And contrary to what might be imagined, batch building does not require a complete transformation of the entire baggage hall and can be implemented in phases. When a batch building system is in use it means that one chute or lateral no longer has to remain open for two hours to take baggage for a specific destination. It also means that an operator no longer needs to walk back and forth to move an occasional bag over to a dolly or ULD; the operator simply handles all the bags for one departure at one time.
In a batch building system, baggage flows from check-in or transfer baggage input into a multi-use storage area. After a batch of bags has been built, the control system will alert the operator that it is ready for loading. The operator can then release the batch and load it effectively within minutes and with hardly any manual handling required. Batch building is easily integrated into the baggage handling process through the early baggage storage system. EBS systems can be turned into a multi-purposed rack storage to cater to the airport’s specific operational needs to drive more efficiency in the makeup process. Batches of baggage are automatically pre-sorted in the EBS storage according to factors such as baggage type, departure slots and so on. The operator then calls batches when the control system notifies that a batch is ready for loading.
Applying the warehouse practice of batch building can be the way out of too many carousels, trucks and dollies in the baggage makeup areas. Credit: BEUMER Group.
Implementation
So how do airports start to implement the batch building concept? Airports with EBS systems in place can get a system running easily, but as every airport will be different it’s a matter of looking at each individual airport’s operations and finding a solution that works best for it. This will mean analysing its existing makeup areas and investigating how they can be reconfigured. Implementation won’t necessarily require a new sorting system and could be as simple as adding further conveyor lanes and racks, replacing carousels with conveyor lanes, or changing some software.
For airports implementing batch building in greenfield sites, the savings on floor space can be considerable. Norway’s Bergen Airport, for example, has introduced rack-based storage using BEUMER Group’s CrisStore system to take full advantage of the flexibility of multi-use storage in its baggage handling operations. This rack-based storage with CrisStore at Bergen Airport features:
- A staging area for assembling bags into batches
- A pull system with a highly flexible outfeed
- Tracking and retrieval of single bags or batches of bags for specific flights
- Racking and capacity configured to fit the available space and airport’s throughput
- A speed-loading position manned only when recalling batches of bags
- Ability for bags to be checked-in up to one day early.
At Bergen, bags are routed into the storage, which is monitored and controlled by the baggage handling system controls and linked to ground handler planning via a workstation. When the display shows that there are 40 bags ready for a single flight, the handler can request them from the store as a batch to fill a single ULD or dolly. The system incorporates 100per cent tracking, which allows operators to retrieve any bag at any time, as well as ensuring accurate real-time inventory control. The batch storage system was easily integrated into the airport’s other systems and due to its modular design can be expanded to cope with increasing demand.
Credit: BEUMER Group
At existing airports, the available space is already fixed, but in such cases implementing batch building will still substantially increase baggage handling capacity and operational efficiency. At Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2, for example, it has been announced that the airport is to incorporate a brand-new CrisStore EBS system as part of the terminal upgrading project. The EBS will have storage capacity for 2,300 bags and add 1,300m of CrisBag installation. The CrisBag technology is already familiar to Changi Airport as it uses CrisBag systems in both Terminals 3 and 4. It is recommended that airports implement batch building in just one area first, such as in a corner of one terminal, while all other areas continue to operate normally. By starting in one sector, the airport can gain knowledge about the new way of operating and, working together with BEUMER Group, can develop the rest of the airport based on the experience gained in the test area.
In the final analysis, batch building is simply a way of optimising existing resources with the possible addition of some hardware. It certainly doesn’t require a huge physical transformation of the airport or its baggage sortation system. But it does have the benefit of reducing makeup space while optimising resources and giving operators greater control over the baggage and greatly upping efficiency. The technology might turn out to be a must, given acute manual labour shortages and the added challenge of meeting throughput targets with no additional available space.
