Analysing the expected performance and effects of combined automated sorting for an air cargo hub on an operational level

Analysing the expected performance and effects of combined automated sorting for an air cargo hub on an operational level: Assessing stated specifications & functional requirements using a modelling approach in a case study at the KLM Cargo EPS department

Minnee, K.

Verbraeck, A. (mentor)

Technology, Policy and Management

Multi Actor Systems

Transport, infrastructures and Logistics

2017-04-05

The increasing scarcity of surface area around airports can cause conflicts between the various stakeholders if one of the stakeholders likes to expand. In order to use the available area as efficient as possible, air cargo companies such as KLM Cargo must find a sustainable solution to remain competitive in the market. Combining two separate manual sorting and storing processes in the Mail and Express (Equation) products may provide this sustainable solution. When a design has been made for a combined automated sorter with regard to a roughly expected growth in demand, the expected effects on an operational level of combining the two processes is still largely unknown. As the complex in- and outflow processes of various commodities might encounter certain constraints in the system, since it is not as flexible as in the current situation. When a constrained in the system has been reached, this can cause the performance of the system to decrease, possibly resulting in a lower quality of the products handled. In order to have an indication at which moment the constraints of the combined automated sorting system have been reached an extensive data analysis and modelling study has been performed on the performance of the combined automated air cargo sorting system. By first analyzing the current demand patterns and then using various future scenarios to vary these scenarios, the input for the models is obtained. Also, the KPI’s for the new system are determined. Next, the performance-critical processes are determined regarding the determined KPI’s using the Theory of Constraints, literature and experts. These processes will now further be analyzed regarding the various future scenarios in a discrete-event simulation study and a static model. The simulation study resulted in the localization of the bottleneck in the system and how this effects the system given the uncertain future demand patterns in 2035. It was found that in high overall demand patterns and peak days, the system was not able to process the demand. Various solution strategies have been tested and implemented in the model, such as a configuration change and the implementation of a nightshift in order to process the higher loads and mitigate the found constraints, resulting in a functional system during these demand scenarios. The effects of combining can generally be seen as a consideration between lower costs and a decrease in product differentiation. Mail products can now be handled more ergonomically and more efficient, Equation products will have a decline in quality as the less flexible in- and outfeed may result in longer cut-off times. The study provides a stepwise approach into analyzing the expected performance of similar combined automated air cargo hubs. It also shows the limitation of the Goldratt’s TOC, which cannot be applied directly to a complex input-output system with multiple interacting (contra) flows. A discrete-event simulation study provides a powerful tool to assess the performance and pinpoint the most constraining process in these complex input-output systems.

air cargo
sorting
internal transport
hub
mail
express cargo
automation
discrete event simulation

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:557e1f4f-64bb-4981-b7a0-c3f95aa59bee

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2017 Minnee, K.