Airport logistics Siemens supplies state-of-the-art baggage handling system for Guangzhou International Airport

• Tray technology, conveyor belts and intelligent software to control the system
• Tray know-how built on installed base of several hundred kilometers worldwide
• Extensive experience of the Chinese airport market and a competent local team

Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) has received an order to supply a state-of-the-art baggage handling system to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China. The extremely flexible and efficient solution combines tray technology and conveyor belts with intelligent software applications to control the system. With the baggage handling system in the new Terminal 2 Siemens makes a decisive contribution toward the planned increase in capacities and passenger comfort. Guangzhou International Airport handled almost 55 million passengers in 2014, which makes it one of the world's 20 largest airports.

Michael Reichle, CEO of Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics, said: "We are proud of this strategically important order from Guangzhou. With the tray system, we are building on the know-how we have accumulated over more than 40 years with a worldwide installed base of several hundred kilometers." Siemens’ tray system references include large international hubs such as Beijing (China), Incheon (South Korea), Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Madrid (Spain).

Xu Jian Fu, responsible manager for Baggage Handling at the Guangdong Airport Group, explained: "Siemens has completely convinced us with a system design tailored to our requirements. We have confidence in Siemens for its extensive tray system experience in the worldwide airport market and for its competent local team that will support us on site throughout all phases of the project execution."

In the over 600,000 square meter terminal building in Guangzhou, Siemens is planning, supplying and installing a baggage handling system with separate areas for domestic and international flights. The domestic area is the larger of the two as domestic flights predominate in Guangzhou. The baggage handling project is the first in China to cover the main sorting functions completely by tray technology. The scope of delivery also includes 42 carousels in the make-up area, where the baggage is prepared for the flight. With first-class software applications Siemens facilitates intelligent process control throughout the entire baggage handling system.

SPPAL is also implementing a state-of-the-art early bag store comprising two highbay warehouses holding 4,000 bags, making it the biggest early bag store in China. The Lift&Run system is considerably more flexible and efficient than comparable systems because lifts perform the vertical movements while shuttles perform the horizontal movements. These movements take place simultaneously but independently of one another. The system can be expanded by adding two additional high-bay warehouses to a total number of 6,000 storage spaces. Siemens has already successfully implemented this type of early bag store at Dubai International Airport.

Siemens technology is also being used in the passenger areas. In the departure hall, the company is installing over 340 state-of-the-art check-ins with localized hold baggage screening devices. Among them are 28 self-check-in and bag drop counters which facilitate quick and easy check-in and eliminate long waiting times. In the arrival area, there are 21 reclaim carousels for passengers.

Siemens has already completed a whole series of major airport projects in China. Among the most recent successes are the baggage handling system in Terminal 3 of Beijing International Airport, and projects at Wuhan Tianhe and Xi'an Xianyang international airports. Siemens is currently modernizing and expanding the baggage handling system at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

Guangzhou is also known as Canton and is situated in the Pearl River Delta in the Guangdong Province in South China. Guangzhou has a population of over 20 million, making it one of the largest metropolitan regions in the world.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), China will overtake the United States by 2030 to become the country with the highest passenger numbers. It is estimated that around 1.3 billion passengers will travel by air to, from and within China in 2034. That will be over 850 million more than in 2014.