毕博研究RFID在航空包裹应用

BearingPoint studies business benefits for RFID baggage handling systems in airline industry

BearingPoint has completed a feasibility study to help airlines and airports quantify the potential business benefits and return on investment for Radio Frequency Identifica

tion-based (RFID) baggage handling systems.

The study, conducted this summer in conjunction with the German airline Hapagfly, and the Hannover Airport in Germany, was the first to benefit from a new BearingPoint-developed methodology and tool set that provides analysis of quantitative cost issues as well as considering qualitative service issues that airlines and airports should take into account when evaluating RFID-based systems.

Though many successful RFID technology pilot programs have been conducted for the aviation industry, the focus of most programs has been on the ability of the technology to perform at an acceptable level and to measure reliability of equipment. BearingPoint's new methodology goes a step further, providing analysis of the business and financial impacts of implementing an RFID-enabled baggage handling solution.

Key findings of the study included:

* Price point at which RFID technology begins to provide real return on investment to an airline or airport.

* Return on investment will vary greatly depending on an airline's or airport's performance in areas such as the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, airline and airport costs for handling and delivering mishandled bags, barcode read rates, and industry RFID tag pricing.

* Those who operate a hub and spoke system, or have a higher number and cost of mishandled baggage, or a relatively low automated barcode read rate would be the best candidates to benefit from an RFID system.

* Midsize airports and airlines with a focus on point-to-point traffic and limited transfer activities are less likely to be able to justify an investment into RFID by quantitative savings alone in the near term.

The study, which also included operations at the airports in Stuttgart, Germany and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, generated significant understanding of cost implications to the airline, potential RFID solution scenarios, benefit generating mechanisms, and insight to future return on investment. Hapagfly and Hannover Airport teamed with BearingPoint for the study in order to explore new ways of serving their customers better and to understand business implications of implementing RFID baggage tags.

Based on a set of standardized questions and observations, BearingPoint's methodology allows the firm to quickly assess the business feasibility of implementing RFID baggage handling in any given environment: a single airline, airport or a system of airlines and airports. The tool takes into account historical, current, and forecasted performance measurements, and factors-in current and planned technology costs (including those for baggage tags) to help BearingPoint clients develop a solid RFID implementation strategy.