At Changi Airport, a smarter way to get trolleys into travellers’ hands
A new measure has been introduced to ensure that no traveller at Changi Airport has to go without a luggage trolley. Photo: Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE — A smarter way to ensure that no traveller at Changi Airport has to go without a luggage trolley was unveiled today (Dec 30).
Previously, trolley retrievers at Changi Airport would patrol its terminals round the clock to make sure each trolley bay was fully stocked. There would also be a fixed number of trolleys at each bay throughout the day, regardless of demand.
This, according to the Changi Airport Group (CAG), led to underused trolleys at some bays and a shortage at others, as well as an inefficient use of manpower.
However, CAG said this changed with a new Automated Trolley Management System (ATMS) that was put in place earlier this year, spanning its transit areas.
CAG said the system, which was unveiled to the media on Wednesday, gives trolley retrievers real-time information on where trolleys are needed most, and alerts them an hour before a flight arrives to ensure the bays are restocked.
Each ground supervisor is given an iPad that is connected to the airport’s flight information system. This allows them to anticipate how many trolleys are needed based on incoming flights, and deploy their staff accordingly.
The ATMS also tracks the trolley supply through a camera at each bay, and transmits this information to the ground supervisor’s iPad in real time.
CAG said the system allows supervisors to better monitor trolley supply and demand, leading to more effective deployment. It added that it has also seen man-hour savings of 25 per cent since the system was launched.
The number of trolley bays has also been increased from 50 to 70 without the need for more manpower.
“With the growth of the air hub, the increase in passengers and also amid the current landscape of manpower crunch, we like to ask ourselves how we can manage operations better,” said Vice-President for Passenger Experience Albert Lim. “We conceived this ATMS system to better manage our trolley operations in a smarter way, and a more efficient way.”
Besides the trolley management system, CAG said it is exploring the use of technology in cleaning operations and other labour-intensive areas. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
