BEUMER Group UK and Crisplant, have been awarded a business-critical baggage handling IT project for Heathrow Airport’s flagship Eastern Campus Development Programme. This new leading edge terminal will have an initial capacity of 20 million passengers in the first phase, with options to support further expansion of the terminal in the future.
The Baggage IT contract, which is an integral element of the Heathrow Eastern Campus Development Programme, will include an upgrade of the high-level controls for the baggage handling systems in Terminal 2 (T2) and Terminal 1 (T1) to create a single, integrated baggage facility. This will enable the Heathrow T1 baggage handling system to provide all screening, sortation, storage and transfer processes as an integral part of the new Terminal 2 end-to-end baggage process.
The project, which has been awarded to BEUMER Group UK by Mace Ltd, includes a replacement core sort allocation computer (SAC) to upgrade the existing SAC systems for T1, T4 and T2. The new SAC will include features such as baggage flow monitoring and easy transfer baggage monitoring to increase the efficiency of the baggage processing system.
In addition, a system control and data acquisition (SCADA) system will be installed in the new T2 facility. The SCADA software will support changes in terminal design, resulting from on-going baggage handling projects and provide a graphic overview of the entire baggage handling system, including an operational visualisation with a colour-coded status for each process.
The Crisplant sorter controls (CSC) will provide high-level control for Heathrow’s legacy Crisplant sorters, keeping track of the baggage items on the sorters and within the associated early baggage storage (EBS) lines, in addition to managing data from baggage tags, screening results and sort positions. It is crucial that this element of the software will ensure that the Crisplant sorters, which are currently installed in the T1 main east and west baggage halls and transfer areas, will be compatible with the latest versions of the Crisplant sorter controls.
"Extensive integrated testing using emulation will be an essential part of the BEUMER and Crisplant design and installation process. This proven methodology will ensure that the live LHR airport operation is protected during the installation and commissioning phases. Our commitment is that this crucial LHR business-critical system will operate efficiently from the point of hand-over on 30th August 2013," explains Peter Gilks, director of the airports division at BEUMER Group UK.