Firstco UK - Airport Systems Integration, Technical Consultancy and Project Management

Firstco was established in 1998 and has since grown rapidly to become a major UK company in the areas of technical consultancy, project management and systems integration.

We work in a range of industries, notably transport, where airport and rail infrastructure projects form the mainstay of the business. We are also regularly retained in the power, construction and port sectors.

Airport systems consultancy and infrastructure project management

Firstco provides a range of systems consultancy services - including planning, requirements capture and design, and project and interface management - for airports and their associated infrastructure.

The company's background has always been in control systems design, initially for multidisciplinary engineering and architectural teams. We are increasingly involved in the early stages of clients' projects to provide strategic input even while the earliest functional descriptions of systems are being prepared.

As a result, we no longer just provide technical expertise, but can also focus on the crucial aspects of a client's business and their future operational requirements. This enables Firstco to perform a high-level master systems integration role where both the technical and management communications are overseen and carefully managed to ensure time and budget constraints are kept to. This level of integration also allows further value to be added in an area where many projects falter.

Communications, security, operational, and control and monitoring systems

A typical brief is to provide information and utilise technology to automate efficiency of people and processes. It comprises four primary groups of systems:

• Communications – the systems and infrastructure used to deliver data, voice and video around the terminal and campus.
• Security – CCTV, access control, X-ray search and other specialist systems required to ensure the safe and compliant operation of the airport
• Operational systems – specific systems required for airport operation; numerous systems and databases are used across the operator, the airlines and control authorities, from check-in and bag-drop right through to flight-information displays and stand allocation
• Control and monitoring systems – safety critical, operational control and environmental control systems which are monitored 24/7 from control rooms around the airport

Airport security and passenger flow systems

Airports are constantly under scrutiny, and whether it be for security or passenger flow, systems are paramount in ensuring that they can run smoothly and safely.

Firstco have a depth of experience in airport systems' design, gained from being involved throughout the time span of airport projects, from the decisions on necessary requirements right through to the delivery phases.

To ensure that systems which run airports are suitably designed, all the requirements of clients, operators and shareholders are taken into account. With this in mind, Firstco works alongside the operators and key decision-makers from the early design stages onwards.

Systems include:

• Control rooms
• Maintenance workstations
• SCADA and PLC networks
• Instrumentation
• BMS and HVAC controls
• Energy saving
• Passenger information displays
• Public address / voice alarm
• Fire detection
• Fixed-line voice communications
• Access control
• Intruder detection
• CCTV
• Radio communications
• People counting
• Ticketing
• Data communications
• Fibre and copper networks