Abandoned luggage is a continual threat to airport security, and dealing with it in a timely and precise manner is key to efficiency and safety. Future Airport speaks to Laurent Colson from Teledyne ICM to find out how the company’s broad range of services can prevent critical security from being compromised by tailoring the service offering to the specific needs of each airport.
To what extent is Teledyne ICM’s range of mobile scanner products complementary to traditional fixed systems?
Laurent Colson: Every day, hundreds of items of baggage are abandoned in airports around the world, creating security concerns for passengers and airport employees alike. Even though fixed X-ray systems perform incredibly well, the luggage has to be brought to the machine, while portable X-ray scanners such as Teledynye ICM’s FLATSCAN30 can easily be moved to it. Moving a suspicious item can be very risky and potentially devastating, hence the need for portable X-ray systems in airports.
What makes Teledyne ICM’s non-destructive testing equipment stand out from that of its competitors’?
Whether it is for the non-destructive testing or security industry, we attach a great deal of importance to developing products and solutions that are based around the end user; this is why we design portable X-ray generators that are the lightest on the market – it facilitates handling and use in any harsh conditions the operator might need to work in, without any compromise in terms of performance. At each and every step of the design process, close attention is paid to the finer details to make sure the use of our equipment is straightforward and natural.
How does Teledyne ICM ensure its solutions are developed around the end user?
When we design X-ray systems, we work closely with the end user to make sure the products meet the needs and desires of the person that will end up using it.
We have clients all over the globe, and we take pride in visiting all of them. These visits enable us to collect as much information as we need to make sure our solutions are adapted to every application and use. We are in constant contact with those clients, allowing us to have continual feedback and enabling us to keep improving our solutions.
Which of Teledyne ICM’s products are currently most successful with airports and how were they developed?
FLATSCAN30 is very popular among airport security teams because of its large scanning area and simplicity of use. Thanks to the FLATSCAN’s 30in detection area, the operator is able to scan the biggest cabin luggage in a single shot, saving critical minutes. Mischievous individuals such as extremist-faction members and other terrorist-group adherents, are, more than ever before, developing more advanced ways to terrorise the general public, boosting the need for portable X-ray scanners such as the ones provided by Teledyne ICM.
With the increasing success of low-cost airlines and their additional fees for extra pieces of luggage, the number of abandoned baggage items is on the increase, boosting the need for portable X-ray scanners such as the ones provided by Teledyne ICM.
How does Teledyne ICM factor environmental sustainability into its business model?
We are the only company in the industry that designs, develops and manufactures all of our equipment in house, which drastically reduces our ecological footprint. Indeed, not having to ship parts back and forth around the globe greatly diminishes our environmental impact.
Moreover, Teledyne ICM takes pride in complying with every environmental norm in Europe. For instance, we have a built-in system that recycles the gas used inside our X-ray generators to make sure nothing hazardous is released into the atmosphere.
What new developments does Teledyne ICM have in the pipeline?
As I mentioned earlier, we are constantly improving our solutions to make sure they meet all the end users’ requirements. We are currently developing a new range of X-ray scanners that will keep improving operators’ lives in and out of the field.
Since our acquisition by Teledyne Technologies in June 2015, we have been collaborating hand in hand with one of our new sister companies, Teledyne DALSA, to offer a state-of-the-art system that will benefit the non-destructive testing industry. We are confident that this technology will soon be applicable to the security world, so stay tuned.