WEEKLY NEWS BY Stefan LAMPA, CEO of ProGlove


HIDDEN INEFFICIENCIES ARE COSTING WAREHOUSES AND AIRPORTS


WAREHOUSES across the globe are losing the equivalent of nearly two months of work each year due to micro-inefficiencies that often slip under the radar, new research has found. The study revealed that almost two-thirds of warehouses are losing up to 416 hours annually – or 52 full workdays – to such inefficiencies. While each instance may only represent seconds of wasted effort, the cumulative effect over thousands of tasks is staggering. And this problem is not confined to warehousing. According


to industry experts, airport ground operations are facing similar challenges – and the consequences can be even more severe when they spill over into missed departure slots, passenger frustration, and higher costs.


Parallel struggles The hidden inefficiencies in warehouses bear striking similarities to the pressures facing ground crews at airports. Both environments demand precision, speed, and flawless coordination. Yet both are often held back by fragmented systems and underused operational data. “The challenges facing airport ground operations mirror the


inefficiencies long seen in warehousing,” says Stefan Lampa, chief executive of ProGlove,


the company behind the research. “Both


environments need to operate with speed and precision, but despite years of investment into digital tools like warehouse management systems and smart scanners, many airports and warehouses still rely on fragmented systems that don’t communicate effectively.” In warehouses, inefficiencies tend to show up in subtle ways:


workers walking longer routes than necessary, making extra steps to complete a task, or handling items twice. At airports, however, the stakes are higher. “In airports, it plays out in critical areas like baggage handling, stowage and loading processes. What seems like a series of small delays quickly adds up, wasting valuable time and significantly impacting overall performance,” Lampa explains.


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The human-machine collaboration One of the solutions being embraced in both sectors is wearable technology, which not only frees up workers’ hands but also captures valuable operational data. Lampa points to ProGlove’s work with Talma, a ground services company, as an example. “Following implementation of our wearable scanner at Talma, the


technology not only reduced the time taken to physically scan the luggage but also improved ergonomics. By allowing handlers to wear the scanner on their hands, they can handle luggage and scan simultaneously without the need to juggle a handheld device,” he explains. The measurable improvements were clear. In 2023, Talma handled


around 10,000 flights and scanned 1.2 million pieces of luggage. “Previously, the reading of 100 suitcases took a minimum of 180 seconds. With ProGlove, Talma now scans 100 suitcases in almost half the time,” Lampa notes.


Integration, regulation, and lessons from


retail Yet the path to integration is not straightforward. Airports, in particular, face an uphill struggle due to legacy infrastructure and strict regulations. “Baggage handling,


load control,


AIR CARG O WEEK


fuelling, catering, and ramp


operations run on their own, often disconnected systems, leaving airport operators overwhelmed by many systems and scattered data sources,” Lampa says. For ground staff, this often means navigating multiple dashboards and tools, which increases cognitive load and slows decision-making. Retail and warehousing have long outpaced aviation in this


respect. “Retail and traditional warehousing have over time built out highly integrated ERP, WMS, and TMS platforms,” Lampa says. “These systems use API-based integrations and cloud adoption to provide real-time inventory visibility.” By contrast, many airport systems were installed decades ago


and remain fragmented. “Ground operations remain highly manual and fragmented, involving multiple stakeholders including airlines, shippers, ground handlers, caterers, and fuel suppliers, all coordinating through radios and paper-based processes,” Lampa notes. Looking forward, he believes the focus should be on scalability


and interoperability. “Ground handling operators should prioritise solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, avoiding the need for a costly and disruptive tech stack overhaul,” he says. “They should also look for platforms that enable different systems to connect and share data, creating a unified view of operations.”


ACW 03 NOVEMBER 2025


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