Hactl wins Technovation award for Smart Cargo Locating project

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) has won the Operational Excellence category in this year’s Smart Airport Technovation Awards organised by Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
The award was given to Hactl, Hong Kong’s largest independent cargo handler, in recognition of its Smart Cargo Locating project, which has recently gone live in the company’s SuperTerminal 1 facility.
Smart Cargo Locating provides a fully-automated tracking and retrieval system for loose cargo. A reusable identifying tag is applied to the loose cargo on arrival; it is then automatically photographed, check-weighed, and the data and image are uploaded to Hactl’s COSAC-Plus cargo management system.
A specially-adapted Smart Forklift identifies the cargo and carries it to the storage area. The forklift obtains its geo-locations and route to the storage location, from Hactl’s self-developed in-door GPS system.
The precise location where the cargo has been racked is automatically uploaded to the cargo’s record in COSAC-Plus for operational use and for analytical purposes.
When the cargo is needed for pallet build-up before a flight, the forklift driver is directed to the cargo’s racking location, and is provided with a photographic image to further assist identification of the cargo.
Eric Poon, Hactl’s senior manager – performance enhancement, said: “Smart Cargo Locating eliminates manual data input, eradicating potential keying errors. It then makes retrieval simpler and faster, helping us to streamline our processes, improve efficiency and further enhance our customer service.”