News
Swiss precision thanks to MiX Telematics
02 August 2010
Imagine working in an environment catering for millions of passengers each year, handling hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo – and never making a mistake. Around the world, ground handling and cargo services company Swissport does just that; but in South Africa, the Swiss company has an added weapon in its arsenal – MiX Telematics Airports around the world epitomise the challenges implicit in the logistics business. Take OR Tambo International Airport, for example: South Africa’s own air transport hub. Catering for over 17 million passengers each year, with more than 18 000 employees on site, the airport comprises a plethora of different companies, each making sure the day runs smoothly and travellers, their baggage and cargo get to their destinations – not to mention the planes themselves.
As the world’s largest dedicated ground services company, Swissport offers a wide array of services requiring a fleet of highly expensive and specifically designed vehicles and equipment.
For example, the company’s aircraft ramp-handling services include the loading and unloading of aircraft; baggage sorting and transportation; cabin cleaning; crew transport; ground power units (GPUs); “push-back tugs”; and unit load device control. You don’t necessarily need to understand precisely how an airport works to see the logistical challenges around operating a fleet of ground servicing equipment alongside a number of other companies – in an area that covers thousands of square meters.
Naturally, the concept of ground servicing grew organically alongside the idea that, as aeronautics advanced, people and cargo no longer needed to be shipped around the world, but could be flown.
What’s interesting about ground handling services, however, is that while planes, airports and even ground servicing equipment have become more sophisticated over the years, the management of ground-related services has remained manual.
In a world first – and a prime example of the innovation for which South Africa has become renowned – South African-based telematics company MiX Telematics has changed the face of ground services handling; and it has done so through working closely with Swissport to revolutionise its business.
Read more about how MiX Telematics assists Swissport
