Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Innovative Baggage Handling at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of Europe's five major air hubs. The airport is expected to handle 46 million passengers in 2007 and this figure is forecast to climb to at least 60 million by 2015-2020. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is an innovative airport in which baggage handling plays a pivotal role in the overall operations.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is expanding and has asked IBM to support this expansion with innovative solutions, systems and automation.

IBM Global Business Services consultants assisted Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and its customers to support new methods of baggage handling based on a joint partnership.

Innovative solutions such as baggage handling systems, baggage handling robots, RFID technology and self-service kiosks will be used to support the operational processes.

IBM consultants also provided the airport with the tools to track, trace and visualize the baggage handling process. What's more, IBM is building the high-level control systems required to support the expansion of baggage handling in the future and to integrate all the new technologies that are being used.

IBM and the materials handler provider joined forces to develop a laboratory environment that can be used to envision, design, build and test new technologies. IBM consultants tapped into this technology to create and implement state-of-the-art solutions without interrupting the flow of business and passengers through the airport.

This project required process consultants with a strong background in supply chain management, business analysts, enterprise architects, application architects, IT specialists, project managers, and engagement and program managers from the Travel, Transport and Distribution division of IBM Global Business Services.