JUNE 2013 GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL
the staff are educated in the use of this technology. We have four electric bag tractors and four electric beltloaders at present at Shanghai.”
Thomas believes that the adoption of battery power will be a slow process. “There is interest, yes, but it won’t happen overnight. China Eastern is the biggest airline and something of a trailblazer: as an early adopter, it will influence others. Once the education is in place, the airport will sprint forward – but what about the second and third tier airports?”
The other concern relates to safety on the ramp. Here, Qian Qiong reiterates the same worries that many other handling companies have uttered over the years. He wants to do better and to help in this respect, regular safety meetings are organised. Human factors play a huge part in all this but he says that it isn’t very easy to assemble a fully- educated, experienced staff. GSE design, also, could be improved: this would make it more user-friendly, in his view. Ultimately, it all comes down to the cost of the operation and how to keep that under control. Thomas’ suggestion, that he is thinking along the lines of
Wuxi operation about to relocate
establishing a driver training school at Wuxi, meets with Qian Qiong’s approval. My next day sees me in Wuxi where the existing TLD factory, which is rented, was due to be vacated a couple of weeks after my visit. Not far away, a large plot of land was secured some years back with the intention of erecting a purpose-built factory for TLD Asia. A year ago construction work began and so the end of April was scheduled for the changeover. This new facility, with its 8,000 square metre footprint, is
COMPANY FOCUS 35
impressively vast and airy and benefits from a large plot of land behind it, which is there for any future expansion plans. Meanwhile, the older factory, which contains about 40 staff, has really reached capacity. Don’t forget it is the largest equipment that is made here: count on type 150 and 450 pushbacks, water and lavatory trucks as well as cargo loaders. There was a handful of baggage tractors to be seen on the day I visited and the old premises was certainly busy. Thomas mentions that upwards of four large pushbacks will be able to be built at a time at the new, purpose-built facility, whilst the smaller 150, according to demand, could be assembled in parallel in multiples of up to 12. It’s all very positive and all very optimistic: clearly the France- headquartered company’s decision to set its stamp upon the Asian sector is bearing fruit. In summary, it has been an eventful year so far for TLD and doubtless there will be more to come.
Ground Supporter.
From air start units to conventional tractors, TLD has a wide range of state-of-the-art ground support equipment. Complementing our products are TLD people. Whether it’s our customer service reps, sales personnel, field technicians or any other members of our highly committed team of experts, we’re there for you. To learn more about how TLD can help support your growth and success, contact us today.
LOCAL SUPPORT, TOTAL COMMITMENT Americas, Australia,
Japan, New Zealand Asia Tel : + 1 (860) 602 3400 Tel : + (852) 2692 2181
www.tld-gse.com REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Europe
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Tel : + (33) (0) 1 45 60 71 40 Tel : + 9714703 0409
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