Feature: Trolleys
Lost your trolley?
It was estimated by global growth consultancy group, Frost & Sullivan, in May 2009, that airlines are holding US$45 million in excess inventory of trolleys. This astonishing figure reflects the importance of tracking and tracing automatically. A report by AmSafe RFID tracking of carts and
Above: Tigris, the industry’s first recyclable catering trolley from AeroCat; Below: Diethelm Keller’s stylish and lightweight Ecolite trolley
We have increased the thickness of the walls,
the top and the bottom and have added insulation to give a better thermo-performance. To reduce heat loss around the doors we have reduced the amount of metal contact as much as possible.” The result is a curvier, good-looking trolley that
is lightweight, has high thermo-performance with better locks. The strength to empty weight ratio is higher and the capacity is larger. Ecolite is three kilos lighter than the normal lightweight trolley and brings with it the benefits of carbon credit. Adds Joshua: “While we could make our trolleys even lighter using titanium, this would be very expensive and we have to have a commercially viable product. We can customise our trolleys for our airline clients and for BOB some airlines are using transparent carts to increase sales, but this adds weight. It’s goodbye to the old cart”. Diethelm Keller’s remarkable stand at ITCA Nice
came with its very own green grass flooring and featured a huge photo of a four year old girl on a see saw, representing the future generation. The slogan for Ecolite reads: “The future lies with us”. Working in partnership with LSG Sky Chefs, Norduyn’s Quantum trolleys won the ‘Greener Cabin Health and Safety’ category in the 2010 Crystal Cabin Awards. The ATLAS half- and full-size models are entirely made from composites making them low in maintenance as well as low in weight.
their contents is a very important part of airline trolley management. In a study conducted last year by IATA, the organisation found that airlines could achieve both immediate and long-term benefits from RFID-based trolley tracking. Airlines would benefit from both improved business intelligence to optimise the management of their trolley stock, being able to dramatically reduce the number of trolleys in operation to achieve their present service levels by eliminating unnecessary safety stock and having improved capabilities to manage the maintenance of trolleys. IATA believes that maintenance can be made much more proactive than it is at present, as all too often, flight attendants must work with inoperable or damaged trolleys. Further, as trolleys are commonly interlined between air carriers and between catering services supporting
Third big player in this field is Korita Aviation
with offices in the Netherlands and China. Said Jamie Melleney, sales and marketing manager: “The biggest question is how much weight we can save? Plastics are far more expensive and we have stuck to all aluminium design with thinner profiles, simpler braking systems, and lightweight wheels. We are currently working with a number of airlines and work to keep our prices highly competitive.” Szic Industrial Company in Shanghai covers
the entire onboard requirement. The company’s lightweight trolley can be custom-designed to promote an airline or its onboard sales. Durable and easily manageable, Szic products are Atlas or KSSU and include meal trolleys, waste carts, newspaper carts, folding carts, and plastic or aluminum drawers. Netherlands-based AeroCat B.V. developed the
airline industry’s first recyclable catering trolley known as Tigris in a project with gategroup.
www.onboardhospitality.com 19
airline operations, often at remote locations, the improved inventory accuracy and movement-tracking capabilities will provide further savings. IATA also found that through improved tracking of the F&B contents of trolleys (some long flights on jumbo jets require upwards of 50 trolleys to service a full flight), airlines could cut costs by reducing the number of wasted meals, while improving the in-flight experience of customers with special diets and other needs. Overall, IATA estimates that while costs and benefits will vary based on the size and route structure of each air carrier, the world’s airline industry could achieve almost half a billion dollars in annual savings from RFID-enabled trolley tracking.
Analysis The lowly airline trolley should be an area of focus for both airline executives and RFID vendors. Indeed, applying auto-ID in this one aspect of airline operations could be central to cutting costs and growing the now all-important ancillary revenue. And with the path to ROI relatively clear, we are already seeing the advent of smart trolleys across the world’s airlines.
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