What is the history of Vanderlande?
Andrew Manship: The origins of Vanderlande lie in the Dutch town of Veghel, where Eddie van der Lande established the company in 1949. Come 1963, Vanderlande entered into a partnership with US company Rapistan Incorporated. It then began to develop and build customised transport systems, and this marked the start of the successful global organisation. Vanderlande was acquired in 2017 by Toyota Industries Corporation and the two companies share strategic goals.
In general, how important are automated solutions for modern airports?
Several factors drive investment in automated hold-baggage and passenger checkpoint solutions at airports. These include the growth of worldwide passenger volumes, and the need for airports to optimise their offering to attract airlines and facilitate more transfer flights with shorter connection times. These developments increase the relevance of highthroughput, automated passenger checkpoints (APCs) and high-capacity, full track-and-trace baggage handling systems. These factors also drive demand for greater security and increased performance levels.
What automated solutions does Vanderlande offer, and how can they make airports more efficient?
Vanderlande is able to supply the optimal solution to match the requirements of any airport and is the only supplier with a complete range of in-house process solutions available for all airport applications. We also create solutions that improve the passenger experience. For example, our PAX OPTIMA APC consists of the world’s most advanced tray return systems combined with remote screening solutions. PAX OPTIMA has also been designed to achieve the highest screening capacity, provide a constant flow of passengers, and offer an outstanding level of security and ergonomics.
The FLEET baggage system has recently received the Red Dot Award. What is it and how does it improve on older systems?
FLEET is Vanderlande’s flexible baggage logistics solution. By using intelligent autonomous vehicle technology, it replaces the need for fixed conveyors and sorting systems. Each individual vehicle carries a single bag and determines the most optimal route through an airport. This not only helps to future-proof baggage logistics, but also provides more flexibility and space efficiency.
In addition, FLEET consumes up to 50% less energy than traditional baggage handling systems, and its design means that vehicles can be recycled, which contributes to a circular economy. Real-time track and trace of individual bags can also be facilitated, taking the performance of any baggage operation to the next level.
Could you give a specific example of how PAX OPTIMA can make an airport more efficient?
Airports worldwide are looking for innovative solutions to address increasing passenger volumes, new regulations and evolving threats. Well known for its efficiency with hold baggage screening, CT technology is now making its way into passenger checkpoints to help overcome these concerns.
However, the integration of this technology brings its own set of challenges. PAX OPTIMA aims to help airports future-proof their security checkpoints by facilitating the integration of new technologies such as CT scanners on a single network. It has already proved its capacity to significantly improve throughput, security and the passenger experience. In this way, airports can proceed to screening operations with a single-image analysis tool and a common graphical user interface. This unique capability could significantly ease the deployment of 3D scanners for airports that are transitioning to this type of technology.
Could you explain how Vanderlande optimises its customers’ business processes?
This invaluable work is carried out by over 100 of our sitebased service teams. Each one actively supports system maintenance, logistics management and business improvement processes on a global basis. Our life-cycle services are a key part of our full value proposition. These solutions result in optimal baggage flows and reduce minimum connection times for passengers. Perfect planning and execution of operations and maintenance also reduces the number of lost bags, leading to positive passenger experiences and lower costs for airlines. Customers gain invaluable insights from Vanderlande’s transparent data about end-to-end baggage performance, enabling continuous improvement.
Why should customers choose Vanderlande?
We can meet any airport’s demands in full: we are the market’s largest OEM supplier of value-added logistic process automation for airports, with the broadest range of total solutions covering innovative systems, intelligent software and life-cycle services.
Over the past six decades, we have established a global reputation as a highly reliable partner for airports and use our experience to implement the perfect baggage handling solutions. Our passionate, highly skilled project managers are proactive and supportive, even during the most challenging times. This ensures that we never fail to deliver on our promises. Vanderlande’s baggage handling systems are proof of this commitment.
