Zurich Airport: Simulating a new catering centre with shuttle technology
Industry: Airport
Software: Plant Simulation
Initial situation: New catering centre with new shuttle technology
A new catering centre was built at Zurich Airport, equipped with new shuttle technology for transporting equipment. The entire centre was to be modelled in a simulation before it went into operation.
Objective: To determine the correct sizing of buffers, shuttles and production capacities
The aim was to correctly size buffers and shuttles, determine the demand for lorries, review and optimise process strategies, and determine the required production capacities.
Solution: Simulation of the entire equipment handling process
SimPlan incorporated the current flight schedules and equipment volumes into the model and implemented the new shuttle technology. The entire equipment handling process was modelled, enabling different flow lines to be tested against one another.
Results: Shuttle concept validated; specifications for working hours and lorries
The simulation validated the new shuttle concept and provided guidelines for the production working time model as well as for the required number of lorries.
Simulation as the starting point for a new catering centre
The case study demonstrates how a completely new operational concept – from shuttle technology to production planning – can be validated even before the first flight schedule is finalised.
