The BEUMER Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of automated handling formulas, has completed ahead of schedule a major update to the baggage handling formula at Terminal 2 at Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN). through COVID-19. 19 over the course of the four-year project.
The improvements to the baggage handling formula at Terminal 2 are part of the terminal’s expansion effort, which began in 2020 with the purpose of expanding handling capacity, obtaining better facilities and implementing more effective formulas in response to the growing number of passengers. Expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2024, the reopening of Terminal 2 in November 2023 was particularly timely. The expansion task added five million passengers per year (mppa) to Changi’s capacity, bringing the airport’s total handling capacity to 90 mppa.
The revamp of the Baggage Handling Formula (BHS) based on an existing tilting tray sorter was imperative to future-proof the terminal. The BEUMER Group has mechanically modernized the formula and updated the software to offer greater reliability and efficiency. In addition, the BEUMER Group undertook the renovation of the corresponding devices by adding conveyor belts, carousels, an old bag storage formula (EBS) as well as formula hardware and software; as well as the interface with a new FAST self-check-in formula provided through the airport. The new control formula also includes complex virtual applications, adding others such as smart sensors and data analytics, which will help optimize the baggage handling process. The upgrade will increase the shelf life of the BHS formula from 15 to 20 years.
The new BHS incorporates a new CrisStore garage formula for baggage handling capability, precision and safety. This is a dynamic EBS formula in which loading rails update the need for multiple makeup positions. The EBS at Changi Airport Terminal 2 now has a garage. It has a capacity of 2,400 suitcases and includes 1,200 m of CrisBag, the BEUMER Group’s individual shipping formula for luggage shipment. This generation is already familiar at Changi Airport, which uses CrisBag formulas in Terminals 3 and 4.
Modernizing the BHS into an operational airport required a high level of detailed planning and threat control by the BEUMER Group to minimize inconvenience and disruption to passengers and airlines. As a long-standing T2 BHS maintenance contractor and supplier, BEUMER Group worked intensively with the appointed contractors and all other stakeholders to ensure smooth, safe and timely execution. The painting was carried out in stages and primarily during off-peak periods to assist the airport’s goal of minimizing risk. Thanks to its perfect order control, BEUMER Group was able to complete the order ahead of schedule.
Not even COVID-19 saved him from the timely delivery of the Changi T2 project. As a long-standing partner of the airport, the BEUMER Group regularly has more than 80 technicians on site. They collaborated with Changi Airport Group (CAG) to retain this workforce through reskilling and redeployment during the pandemic, ensuring that the technical wisdom inherent in the maintenance team was preserved and available without delay when the airport could be back up and running.
“The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe labour shortages in Singapore, which first and foremost affected the progress of T2 BHS’s refurbishment task,” said Hwee Onn Teng, Group Vice President (Engineering Management and Systems Planning) at CAG. “As Terminal 2 was subsequently closed due to the pandemic, CAG Colhard worked with BEUMER Group to integrate the Terminal 2 maintenance team into the refurbishment task of T2 BHS. This not only preserved the maintenance team’s jobs and allowed Changi Airport to recover strongly once travel restrictions were eased, but also alleviated the difficult situation of work shortages faced by the team in charge. This would not have been imaginable without the strong support and hard working spirit of the BEUMER Group management team. “
“To me, Changi’s Terminal 2 assignment is a benchmark example of how a true partnership can lead to wonderful success. From the beginning, our expert groups worked in combination to localize the most productive solution for Changi from planning, execution and generation. perspective. Despite the major interference caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to complete the task ahead of time and to the satisfaction of our valued customer, which is our ultimate goal. Without a true partnership approach, this would not have been possible. “, added Ronald Willems, Head of the Airports Division of the BEUMER Group.
The early delivery of the new baggage handling formula is the latest step in a long-standing partnership between the BEUMER Group and CAG. The two companies have been operating together since 1998. Today, the BEUMER Group supplies year-round operations and maintenance for BHS as a component of the overall care of Terminals 2, 3 and 4 at Changi Airport. Clock service to ensure mission-critical airport formulas operate reliably and with optimal efficiency. Thanks to the state-of-the-art use of generation and automation through the BEUMER Group, there has been no increase in the number of workers required for the operation and maintenance of the BHS, despite the dramatic increase in passenger capacity.