By Avelyn Ng
SATS, Asia’s leading provider of aviation gateway services and food solutions, announced their rebranding of Technology Innovation Centre to TechnIC@SATS last month. The Centre is co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Singapore Economic Development Board, with a commitment of $110 million.
At the event, Second Minister for Transport Ng Chee Meng applauded SATS for being “one of the first to respond to the challenge” in view of the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map launched in April.
He said: “Through this initiative, we can leverage technology to automate manpower-intensive processes, thus raising Changi [Airport]’s productivity and efficiency, as well as transforming manual jobs into high quality ones.”
The solutions developed since the Centre’s establishment in 2014 include automated assembly line, cutlery sorter and a wheelchair system. Using technology, the company has seen a 7.7 per cent increase in value added per employment cost over the last three years.
“For every project, we work closely with the management to ensure that the workers receive adequate training and in the event of a job enlargement, a wage increase or allowance. Where possible, we also introduce new value-creating job scopes,” said Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers’ Union (SATSWU) General Secretary Govinden Sathasivam.
eCommerce AirHub Streamlines Mail Sortation Process
SATS opened a new 6,000 sqm eCommerce AirHub in April 2017 to enhance Changi Airport’s mail sorting capability and support the growing eCommerce market. It is the only ground handler in the region to operate such an automated airside facility.
It houses a fully-automated mail sortation system that multiplies the mailbag processing capacity by more than three times to more than 1,800 an hour. It also reduces turnaround time by 50 per cent, allowing international eCommerce mail to connect to an earlier flight for faster delivery.
With the new features, the roles of forklift driver, cargo handler and cargo coordinators have been consolidated into a new higher-value job position called eHub specialist. To date, 18 employees have been reassigned to that role with a 10 per cent pay increase after undergoing three months of classroom and on-the-job training.
“With automated scanning systems and lifters, the effort that is required to carry these mailbags has been reduced significantly. I am also able to do interesting tasks such as assigning flights through the new mail sortation system, as well as communicate with our airline customers directly to make arrangement for cargo space in the aircraft. I feel a greater sense of job satisfaction by being able to contribute more to the handling process,” said Norman Bin Idris, 27, who used to be an operations assistant.
Automated Guided Vehicle Makes Food Delivery Less Labourious
Frankie Lee, 53, has been working as SATS inflight catering operations assistant for delivery (OAD) since 1991. However, things took a turn when he suffered a slipped disc while at work in 2012.
On average, OADs have to make about 20 trips daily, pushing food trolleys that weigh 150kg to 200kg from the kitchens to over 10 airline lounges across more than 200 metres of carpeted floor.
Noting the strain on mature workers, SATS introduced Dolly, an automated guided vehicle that uses sensors to get multiple food trolleys to follow the staff per trip. With it, the number of OADs needed to serve over 45 airlines has been reduced from six to three.
Now, Frankie’s job has been redesigned to train staff on new technological enablers such as the Dolly. He estimates about half of his team are like what he used to be, belonging to the older generation who are not tech-savvy.
“I didn’t know how to write e-mails or use a computer initially, but I learned. It is natural to be uncomfortable with something new but we must not fear it. Be positive and be willing to embrace change,” he said.
Source: NTUC This Week
