Airport Logistics
Expectations of modern airports extend far beyond their core function as a transportation hub for passengers and freight. These days they are considered to be shopping and meeting points, gateways to an area and country, and hosts to large events. Airports are therefore expected to be well stocked with a wide range of products, provide high quality facilities, and to be kept clean and well maintained.
Delivering a high-level of service to passengers, customers and stakeholders requires well designed, robust airport logistics operations ‘behind the scenes’. A complex network of companies, vehicles, people and equipment provides an airport with cleaning and maintenance, retail and food and beverage supplies, waste collection and removal services to name a few. Unstructured and uncoordinated, the delivery of these services could leave a retailer understocked, perishable foods standing in inappropriate temperatures, bins full and hazardous, and airports with unsatisfactory infrastructure and underperforming. Poor planning of these parties could result in uncontrolled logistics and disruption, for example, too many service vehicles arriving simultaneously at peak times, creating queues on airport roads and congestion in airport service yards.
o&i consulting works with airports, their logistics providers, architects, engineering companies and other stakeholders to design and create a structured logistics environment. Through early involvement in new terminal designs, as part of RIBA design stages, we ensure that logistics flows are viable, functional and efficient. Our inhouse analysts model the design capacity of these flows against demand to assess their durability.
For existing logistics operations, we map as-is and to-be flows, streamlining people, goods and vehicle movements, optimising goods-in waste-away (GIWA) capacity and improving how demand is planned and managed. Our solutions establish how back-of-house GIWA operations can be designed to maximise storage, horizontal and vertical capacity, and staff time. As part of a holistic view, we work with and within consolidation centres to improve their processes and journey planning, and advise on equipment choices and capacity usage.
