Established in 1959, Interroll has become the world’s leading supplier of key products for internal logistics. Whether boxes, pallets or soft goods are to be handled, no other supplier has such a complete product range on offer, which is why system integrators, OEMs and operators select it as their partner for internal logistics business. Interroll acquired Portec in mid-2013. Supported by the Portec Belt Curve, the most reliable solution for handling baggage, the company’s global network ensures quick delivery and superior service for every customer.
According to the IATA, passenger numbers increased in 2013 by 5.1% to 3.13 billion. The past ten years have seen passenger numbers grow by 65.6%, from 1.89 billion in 2003.
The travel industry was one of the few sectors to bounce back from the deep recession early and it now accounts for approximately 10% of the global economy. In 2013, the airline industry carried more than 3 billion passengers in a year for the first time.
Despite rapid technological advancements in the equipment that handles all this traffic, the rising cost of airport operations could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. Airports face multiple challenges, especially when it comes to the complex baggage-handling flow; all while battling rising costs, increasingly dissatisfied customers and safety rules and regulations.
The vast majority of the busiest airports in the world benefit from Interroll’s products and solutions to stay on top of their game.
Optimise cost of bags processing
Baggage-handling technology has become more sophisticated over the past ten years. Short connection times mean that bags must be handled quickly and efficiently.
According to SITA’s baggage report, 21 million suitcases still go missing each year and, in 2013 alone, the annual bag mishandling costs was a staggering $2.09 billion.
Speed and accuracy of your baggage-handling system along with low operational costs are key factors in determining the overall cost of bags processing.
Low maintenance, fast replacement
Uptime is the key to efficient and productive logistics operations. The world’s busiest airports never sleep; they cannot afford to have a baggage-handling system that lets them down.
Low operational cost, high reliability, reduced downtime and improved control over maintenance costs, spare parts and system performance – this is essentially what a baggage-handling system needs to deliver.
Financial stability, global availability, knowledge and support
Airport professionals need to know they are working with a stable, solid partner they can rely on; someone that can support projects anywhere in the world and can stand behind their solutions with technical knowledge and engineering expertise.
Ahead of the curve
The Interroll Portec Belt Curve meets the specifications of the world’s major airport consultants. Airport consultants specify Portec curves because they are reliable and are the only ones that can operate anywhere on the planet. They are also specified because they require significantly less maintenance than any other curve. Interroll’s Portec Belt Curves have been stress-tested for protracted periods of time at speeds of 4.1m/s.
The Interroll Belt Curve uses a positive chain drive technology that prevents slippage, thus ensuring ultra-accurate tracking and a lower total cost of ownership. Friction-driven curves always struggle with slippage; belts are looped over pulleys and if a baggage jam occurs on friction driven curves this will cause a catastrophic failure and in most cases will require the replacement of not only the belt, but also the very costly pulleys. The belt tension of friction driven curves needs to be constantly adjusted as the belt stretches. If the adjustments are not precise, the curve will function unreliably. This will lead to delays and, even worse, downtime. Downtime equals loss of money.
Interroll delivers industry-leading products with legendary durability, reliability and consistent quality. Airport operators prefer Interroll Portec curves because they are durable and reliable.
No abnormal wear on moving parts was found upon examination. When it comes to maintenance, there are very few moving parts, and fewer parts that can actually fail. Performing maintenance or service work on an Interroll Portec Belt Curve is unbelievably simple. Most maintenance personnel do not know how long it takes to replace a Portec belt because they have had to do it so infrequently or not at all. Belts can sometimes be damaged by FOD (foreign-object debris) though. If this happens, the belt can be easily replaced within 30 minutes. Replacing a belt on a friction-driven curve can take hours. Also, friction increases wear on belts tremendously; therefore, belts on a friction-driven curve must be replaced frequently.
The Interroll Portec Belt Curve is the only curve that can operate in any global climate condition – and this includes shipping. Interroll can safely deliver curves to any point on earth without climate-controlled shipping containers or concern that the curve will fail due to extremely high or low ambient operating temperatures once installed.
"I was surprised and encouraged to find that a piece of industrial equipment that can move material at high speeds can be so quiet. It was encouraging to work with a manufacturer of industrial equipment that is proactive and is paying attention in the design of their equipment to minimise sound emissions," says Stuart McGregor, senior acoustical engineer at EDI.
Interroll is the world’s leading supplier of solutions for internal logistics. It offers a truly global product platform with highest availability for airport applications. Its global presence allows it to be close to you, wherever you need, to assist you with top-notch engineering support and availability of spare parts. No other competitor can offer such an advantage.
