how modular rollerbed systems are revolutionising the aircraft cargo loading industry

Air cargo can consist of all kinds of goods and items: high-volume goods; urgent goods; mail; spare parts for land vehicles; spare parts for the aerospace industry; baggage and cargo; materials for fairs or other events; perishable goods; pharmaceutical products, vaccines or drugs; luxury goods; artworks; machinery; and even live animals. When handling materials and other cargo, logistics teams must consider a number of potential hazards, such as:

• cargo shifts;
• loading cargo in a way that causes the cargo to be outside the centre of gravity or weight limits, which can result in damage or loss of control of the aircraft;
• dangerous goods in the cargo they may not be aware of;
• the general weight of the cargo and how to load or unload it safely;
• the use of any vehicles in loading and the safety of anyone in the surrounding area.

It’s important for any logistics team, whether working with air cargo or any other cargo, to know as much about the loads as possible. This can help them prepare to load the cargo or unload it as safely as possible.

The flexible design of modular rollerbeds makes it easy to set them up in a facility or in a vehicle. From there, the professionals responsible for loading and unloading cargo can perform the process more safely and more efficiently. Modular rollerbeds remove forklift trucks from loading so that the process is safer and not as many employees are necessary in transferring the cargo to wherever it needs to be.

The logistics industry is fast-moving. Anything that can speed up a process, comply with health and safety regulations, follow good health and safety practices in general, and help a business gain an edge over its competitors is welcomed. Incorporating a rollerbed loading solution into loading processes offers air cargo companies a range of benefits:

Often, air cargo is heavy and bulky. Rollerbed aircraft cargo loading equipment speeds up the process by cutting out a lot of the manual work. Once logistics have placed the cargo onto the system, they can transfer it easily into the truck trailer or from it.

Loading items that are bulky, heavy or both is not only gruelling, but can also be cumbersome and unsafe. A rollerbed makes the process safer and much more straightforward. The workers just load the cargo onto the system and then can simply pull or push it along into the trailer (or leave it for the rollerbed to transfer if the system is automated).

Implementing a rollerbed loading and unloading system creates opportunities to increase the productivity of your workers. The system only requires one or two workers to conduct loading, which they can do more quickly. The greater efficiency means workers can complete loading or unloading sooner and then continue with other tasks.

The more cargo handling the operation involves, the more chance the cargo could get damaged. Forklifts may plunge the forks into goods or take on a load that’s too heavy and falls off the forks. The removal of forklifts from the process helps to reduce the amount of handling. Once the goods are on the system, the logistics team just has to push or pull the cargo to a trailer or from it.

If you’re operating in the air cargo loading industry, you should seriously consider making modular rollerbeds a part of your aircraft loading system. Speed is a major advantage in the industry and the rollerbeds will help you to load cargo much more quickly so you can get it out to the final recipient sooner.

In the rush to get cargo out quickly, some operators or their employees may cut corners on health and safety during ground handling. This is bad news. Health and safety should always be the top priority, and the legal and financial consequences of breaching health and safety guidelines can be enough to make you regret prioritising other things above safety. The use of a loading system makes it safer to work with a variety of goods, some of which may be dangerous. The investment is worth it to run operations with peace of mind.

Modular rollerbeds are an effective way to boost the speed of loading and unloading air cargo, and keep the operations safe all the while. Depending on the type of system you choose, you can save money on the cost of the system, but whether you opt for an automated system or a manually operated one, you’ll witness gains in productivity, which can translate into financial gains as well.

We’re specialists in providing loading systems for airports, factories, warehouses and other facilities. If you’d like to explore the possibility of implementing a modular rollerbed in your operations, contact us for further advice. We can help you choose the right system and can also install it for you, no matter where you are in the world.