To remain competitive, airports are always looking for ways to enhance the passenger experience. Providing a smooth and reliable end-to-end service is therefore essential, and is a key driver for investment in new baggage handling systems and passenger checkpoint technologies.
Within that desire to offer great service, there are many practical and interlinked reasons why airports may require new automation. These include the need to upgrade ageing systems, improve capacity, reduce connection times, adapt to changing security regulations and deal with labour scarcity.
They may also want to improve their offering to airlines and ground handlers by providing better facilities and working conditions. In addition, there is now the need to deal with new challenges, such as making operations more sustainable while keeping costs down.
In complex automation projects, effective project management ensures that customer objectives and expectations for performance, quality, time and cost are met in full. That doesn’t happen by itself: it needs a well-structured and disciplined project organisation with the right combination of skills, resources and experience.
At Vanderlande, we regard project management as a prime responsibility. It provides effective control – in terms of safety, quality and efficiency – over the design, delivery, integration and performance of the baggage handling system, as well as its handover to the airport. Our experience has taught us that project management is a key factor in delivering dependable solutions and fostering long-term customer satisfaction.
The importance placed on this underlines the fact that successful execution is not just a question of ordering and installing. Project management provides the essential methods, structured approach and overview at every stage. It starts with the first contacts to define the customer’s needs through to handover for operation.
Each stage of the process requires constant monitoring of progress against commitments in terms of time schedule, budget, quality, safety and system performance. It also demands an accurate perception and understanding of the customer’s situation and requirements. Moreover, airports also must stay operational while expanding and upgrading their systems – a challenge that calls for experienced project leadership and careful coordination throughout every phase.
From the start, we also recognise that brownfield projects pose greater challenges and constraints than greenfield sites, due to the need to keep the existing airport operational during the expansion. Access, time and space in which to work may be limited, and merging legacy technology or systems from different brands with our new solutions demands more thorough preparations, greater flexibility and a willingness to adapt to get the job done.
Because of the complexity of brownfield projects, it helps to work with a partner who understands the challenges involved. Our experience with similar projects allows us to offer practical support, with a focus on safety, quality, and local collaboration to help ensure a smooth process.
To help track progress and identify issues early in the process, we create a detailed plan that outlines tasks, timelines, resources and milestones. At every stage of a project the emphasis is on close partnership with our customer, starting with the initial analysis of the underlying operational processes and extending right through to total life-cycle support.
This is based on core competences in all the required disciplines. These range from system design and engineering, through supply chain management and procurement, right up to manufacturing, installation and commissioning, as well as the provision of information and communication technology, customer services and support.
As new technologies are introduced, system integration becomes an important part of the project. Project managers play a key role in ensuring everything works together seamlessly, while also helping to identify and manage any risks early on.
Typically, our customers initiate large-scale projects infrequently, which means our experience is of great value as they develop, execute and adapt to new, complex automation. In these cases, it’s up to the project manager to guide the customer through any uncertainties that they may have.
Our project managers understand that such schemes have a greater impact on a customer’s systems generally. They are also aware that during some projects, systems will be delivered that require the airport and its people to adapt to new ways of working, such as the need to use novel software packages or get to grips with different control room operations. We always guide our customers through such changes to ensure a successful transition.
Many larger projects have to be phased over several months or even years, which requires the complex planning of deadlines and resources. It’s therefore essential that the project manager creates and maintains an integrated schedule of work. Schemes that have such a significant impact, and run for several years, require teamplay and excellent relationship management at all levels – from the boardroom to the baggage hall.
Effective coordination with all internal and external organisations is one of the project manager’s most important tasks. Externally, these include the customer and/or main contractor, as well as suppliers, subcontractors and the relevant authorities, be they local, national, technical or supervisory.
Coordination within the project organisation is also important, for example with internal experts from all the different disciplines to ensure they are available when required. These contacts demand good communication to ensure correct scheduling, allocation of tasks and timely availability of supporting materials and services.
In many cases it will also be necessary to organise local suppliers and subcontractors (eg labour) who may be needed for reasons of cost, flexibility or conditions. Decision-making in this instance calls for knowledge and experience of local procurement practices.
One of the most important elements involved in project management is identifying risks and defining measures to mitigate these before they materialise. To ensure deadlines are met, sufficient resources are in place and customised technologies can be tested, risk management is carried out in a structured, multidisciplinary way. Open and transparent communication with the customer is essential, so that risks for all parties can be prevented.
There are no risk-free projects, however the project manager ensures that any risks are identified and mitigated to the best extent possible. When reviewing and discussing issues in close cooperation with the customer’s team, we will involve our specialists to explore and resolve any potential challenges.
Throughout the execution phase, project management needs to take timely action whenever necessary to: identify and correct discrepancies; prevent unanticipated changes in time and cost; and coordinate with third parties. In these areas, the project manager acts as the single point of contact with their counterpart in the customer’s team, and has the authority to intervene and take the necessary action to deal with any issues.
Vanderlande’s project manager will ensure that an effective steering committee is established, including representatives from the company’s and customer’s senior management, who can resolve potential differences in a timely manner.
The ability to respond effectively to any unexpected situations is also important. Effective intervention ensures schedules and budgets are maintained, or mitigates against the impact of changes and other external events. In addition, all parties are likely to benefit from new ideas and solutions. In this area, experience is a big asset as the project manager is likely to have been in similar situations before and can call directly on colleagues for support.
All Vanderlande project managers follow an extensive training programme. As a reflection of our standard way of working across international projects and business domains, training is organised to ensure a mix of levels, cultures, harmony across the organisation and an environment in which our people can learn from each other.
The curriculum includes: interpersonal skills; focusing on an individual’s behaviour and how this contributes to a project; interaction with team members and the customer; and communication and personal effectiveness. Hard skills and elements of project execution – such as budgeting, finance monitoring, project leadership and risk management – are also covered.
In conclusion, the project manager has a major role to play in the success of each project. The coordinating and communicating role ensures that execution runs smoothly and predictably, yet has the necessary flexibility to deal with any changes and special situations that arise along the way.
What defines success for airport operators and stakeholders goes beyond delivering on time and budget. Throughout the process, they expect the project manager to offer clear lines of communication and be quick to react to any questions. This will give all parties confidence that the project team can handle any circumstance, unforeseen or otherwise.
At Vanderlande, project management is about getting the job done, keeping team motivation high – and ensuring complete customer satisfaction.
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