Software System for Mobile Communication, Operating and Monitoring of Automated Systems
Mobile SCADA for Airports – remotely monitor and control automated airport systems using a smartphone or tablet PC
EXTEND7000 from SCHAD is a secure mobile application that enables airports to reduce unscheduled downtime, increase productivity, optimise human resource utilisation and manage routine maintenance across all automated systems.
Within seconds of an issue arising anywhere on a SCADA controlled system, EXTEND7000 notifies the appropriate user giving them the option to monitor the situation or remotely fix the problem using a mobile device.
The result is significantly reduced costs and improved service levels for all stakeholders.
- Reduce downtime by up to 38%
- Improve service quality by 10%
- Increase staff productivity by 10%
EXTEND7000 works with any smartphone or Tablet PC using either GPRS or WiFi and directly integrates with a dedicated airport SCADA system. It acts as a central gateway combining different automated areas within an airport onto a single management system.
Areas within an airport that could be remotely controlled and monitored by EXTEND7000 include: baggage handling, freight handling, airline catering, liquid logistics, facility management, apron lighting and energy supply management.
Existing customers:
Berlin Brandenburg International (BER), Berlin Tegel, Berlin Schönefeld, Cologne/Bonn Airport and Munich Airport.
Read our case studies for more information.
In summary: Generic Benefits of using BlackBerry and Extend7000:
- Real time information: Receive active notifications from all system components
- Workflow management: Dispatch notifications and work orders amongst each other within a defined workflow
- Accountability: Monitor activities of other team members in real-time
- Display flexibility: Monitor values from system components either in text/numerical or graphical format
- Remote access: execute commands on predefined components
- Visibility: Visually monitor system parts by accessing IP-camera systems
- Data: Review written documentation such as manuals, pictures, contact lists and work orders
- Maintenance: Access real-time information on stock and spare part availability
- Actively control system components: while onsite during maintenance tasks
- Remote support: Experts can assist onsite staff based at different locations from anywhere in the world.
Software System for Mobile Communication, Operating and Monitoring of Automated Systems - 27/09/2011
Extend 7000 Case Study: Mobile SCADA and maintenance for airport operations‘LEFT BEHINDS’ BECOME DISTANT MEMORY FOR VANDERLANDE AT MUNICH AIRPORT
Benefits
- Low LBI ‘left behind index’ means higher operating profits
- Airport can handle more aircraft each day
- Fast implementation time for quick ROI
- Better human resource utilisation
- Efficient, secure maintenance workflow and teamwork
“With EXTEND 7000 we bring SCADA functionalities and maintenance into perfect symbiosis.” - Thomas Gebbert, Service Account Manager at Vanderlande Industries
Munich has Germany’s second largest airport, which serves around 33 million passengers each year. Vanderlande are contracted by Munich Airport to provide outsourced automated baggage handling processes because the Airport’s requirements are particularly complex and need the highest levels of system availability.
Being such a busy transport hub, timing within Munich Airport’s logistics operation is tight and inflexible. The airport services market is competitive and key factors for competitive advantage are speed and reliability. In operation at Munich are three classes of automated conveyor lines capable of handling up to 800, 1200 or 2400 pieces of luggage each hour, which equates to a maximum rate of 40 pieces of luggage being sorted every minute.
As the outsourced baggage-handling operator, Vanderlande was keen to identify ways to further optimise operational performance and ensure high availability of system parts using new technology. EXTEND 7000 from Schad, which uses existing Wi-Fi or GPRS infrastructure, was identified as an innovative, low cost, functionally rich mobile control, monitoring and maintenance solution.
Implemented at Munich Airport in 2009, EXTEND 7000 supports Vanderlande service engineers responsible for running the high-speed baggage handling systems by ensuring luggage reaches customers or connecting flights on time, thereby minimising ‘LBI’ – the ‘left behind index’. This means both Vanderlande and airport management are able to exceed service level agreements and receive the appropriate financial rewards.
Mobile SCADA and maintenance with no control room
Vanderlande’s automated baggage handling systems are controlled by a large number of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) connected via Ethernet, which exchange data with each other and a superior SCADA system that includes full visualization. These PLCs generate almost 140,000 notifications (alarms, warnings, statistics, operating notifications) to the SCADA system. Prior to using EXTEND 7000, control room personnel would manually forward notifications to service staff working in the field.
Now, EXTEND 7000 has been fully integrated with the PLC systems, handling notifications in parallel to the SCADA system and instantly dispatching them to mobile devices used by maintenance staff directly. EXTEND 7000 is also connected to the existing maintenance software MAIN-TOOL from Microsoft Dynamics, allowing maintenance engineers to access information about stocked spare parts, read system documentation as well as process service and maintenance orders on mobile devices.
The system allows continuous, ‘anytime-anywhere’ monitoring, provides secure remote control of technical processes controlling automated handling lines and streamlines maintenance operations. All EXTEND 7000 notifications produced at different parts of the plant are distributed to engineers with clearly defined team workflows and escalation schemes.
Fully operational at Munich Airport within 7 days, Schad’s system also enables writing, data capture, monitoring and controlling. Any value (including analogue data such as temperature or RPM and binary data e.g. on/off) originating from the baggage handling system can be displayed on mobile devices and control tasks are executed from anywhere. For example, using EXTEND 7000 is it possible to remotely turn off a conveyor line or close a valve directly from the BlackBerry device.
Potential for 12 more planes each day
Munich Airport has estimated that it experiences on average 200 baggage handling failures per day and EXTEND 7000 has been shown to reduce downtime in each of these cases by 3 minutes each.
Over the course of a day this equates to a total of 600 minutes or 10 hours less downtime as each commercial aircraft can be estimated to carry 1000 pieces of luggage. Although conveyors at the airport can operate at 2400 pieces per hour capacity, assuming an average conveyor capacity rate of 1200 pieces per hour, using EXTEND 7000 has increased the overall capacity level by 12,000 pieces a day or 360,000 pieces per month.
Overall then, as a result of Vanderlande investing in EXTEND 7000, the maximum capacity of the baggage handling system at Munich Airport is increased – the airport could handle an extra 12 aircraft every day.
How does Extend 7000 work?
EXTEND 7000 is a mobile middleware application which routes information between the central automated / maintenance systems and mobile devices. It applies additional logic to the users, user groups, user rights, message filters, escalation schemes, and team workflows.
Alerts and notifications, which appear in a random way on the visualisations in the control room, can be prioritised in accordance to severity and urgency. This information is allocated to the right engineers according to existing workloads and their availability - all in real time on their Blackberry devices whilst they are working elsewhere on the shop floor.