The increasing automation in various industries has underscored a notable gap in the airline catering sector, where predominant manual transport of airline catering trolleys within facilities results in substantial costs and physical strain. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing an automated solution for the transport logistics of airline catering trolleys within catering facilities.
The suggested solution involves implementing a Unit Load Device (ULD) designed to securely carry multiple airline catering trolleys. This ULD is engineered for compatibility with various transport systems, including Automated Guided Vehicles, highloaders and conveyors.
The paper outlines the design process for a ULD within an airline catering facility. To formulate a comprehensive design, several design problems are identified, and potential solutions are presented. Subsequently, multiple viable load plate prototypes are constructed and tested on an Automated Guided Vehicle and highloader, resulting in the identification of a single viable all-purpose ULD for the entire process. Additionally, an in-house ULD emerges as a cost-effective alternative to the all-purpose ULD.
In this context, this paper introduces a comparative analysis of three possible future airline catering facilities: utilizing 1 ULD, using 2 ULDs, and employing no ULDs (or maintaining the current status quo). The comparison reveals minimal cost differences between facilities employing 1 or 2 ULDs, both facilities however show significantly more cost efficient compared to using no ULDs.