London Stansted Airport selects Samotics to increase reliability of critical baggage systems

One of the main barriers to reducing delays at airports is baggage handling equipment failures. During peak seasons, baggage handling functions run at 150% capacity, leaving no room for downtime. When equipment unexpectedly malfunctions, it causes significant delays to boarding and reclaiming luggage. 

To overcome this challenge, London Stansted Airport selected Samotics’ SAM4 Health solution to increase reliability and meet industry uptime standards. Until now, 80% of baggage handling downtime at London Stansted Airport was due to mechanical faults leading to the failure of conveyors. SAM4 Health addresses this by delivering continuous insights into the health and performance of critical assets. This empowers maintenance teams to take proactive measures against developing faults and prevent unexpected breakdowns. The system’s superior detection performance across both electrical and mechanical faults will enable London Stansted Airport to identify and prevent over 90% of potential faults up to five months in advance.

Samotics’ SAM4 technology enables the remote capture of performance data by using a technique called electrical signature analysis (ESA). ESA analyses the current and voltage signals of electric-driven motor systems using sensors installed in the motor control cabinet, rather than on the asset itself. This means that SAM4 is quick to install and does not incur an upfront downtime, enabling rapid deployment at minimal cost.

Paul Marshall, Reliability Engineer at London Stansted Airport said: “At London Stansted Airport, we are constantly striving to enhance the passenger experience. By leveraging Samotics' SAM4 system, which has already been proven at a leading international airport, we can increase the reliability of our baggage handling system to significantly reduce delays and impact on travelers.” 

Jasper Hoogeweegen, CEO at Samotics said: “Our technology helps airports address a fundamental challenge by identifying and resolving developing faults before they happen. With accurate health and performance data, operational teams can schedule maintenance at their convenience rather than reacting to an unforeseen fault. With less downtime, passengers and airlines benefit from reduced delays and a smoother travelling experience. We look forward to supporting London Stansted Airport to harness the potential of proactive maintenance.”

Samotics’ SAM4 Health solution will be rolled out to dozens of baggage handling systems located across arrival and departure halls.