IGHC Innovator 2018 Entrant Aerocare Innovation AROS leading the way with up-to-the-minute resource optimisation Aerocare is Australasia s leading provider of aviation services. With 33 airport operations supporting 35 airlines throughout Australia and New Zealand and a 3200-strong workforce, Aerocare delivers the full range of ground handling, FBO and corporate handling, and aviation bussing services. Business challenge Ground handlers must minimise resourcing costs while ensuring strong safety and maximising service delivery in an unpredictable environment where schedules change and demand fluctuates. The challenge involves achieving an effective balance of: Maximising quality, safety and service delivery Maximising efficiency, and Engaging and retaining staff despite constantly changing airline flight schedules, load factors and other resource demands up to and including the day of operation. Optimal Efficiency & Staff Satisfaction Optimal Safety & Service Levels When considering these objectives, and taking individual needs into account, resource management and roster production can be a complicated and timeconsuming task, and the resultant resource plan may still not be optimal due to the sheer volume of flight schedule and other changes and human effort / processing power required to adapt to these changes. Aerocare has tested many resourcing programs over the past 20 years, but was unable to find a commercially-available, computer-based solution that surpassed its manual system for resourcing, which was considered a local industry benchmark. Solution Aerocare has developed a powerful resource optimisation application, AROS, which has three integrated data feeds, including a live link with actual air traffic control data. In what is understood to be unique for a ground handling agency servicing multiple carriers on the same system, rosters and work allocation can be optimised as schedules change, and also in real time on the day of operations, in direct response to actual aircraft movements. AROS AROS was built from the ground up by a team of software engineers and mathematicians based on Aerocare s Optimised rosters established rostering expertise and principles. Importantly, the system was created with end users in mind incorporating Live flight data link adjust in real time initial and then ongoing feedback from managers, resource planners and staff. It quickly develops the best possible Ten minutes to produce roster scenarios in terms of safety, efficiency and service and has drastically reduced the time it takes for an Aerocare manager to produce a roster from two days to ten minutes. AROS has a live feed from our airline clients schedules (both SSIM files and movement messages) which means that schedule changes are automatically identified and rosters can be adjusted and re-optimised. On the day of operation, AROS adjusts resourcing and operational plans in real time using actual flight data. For this reason, AROS is believed to be the first end-to-end solution for the handling of
multiple carriers its kind. It helps ensure Aerocare has the most appropriate team in terms of numbers, experience and skillset to meet targets for both performance and efficiency. In a world-first for ground handling agencies servicing multiple carriers, rosters and work allocation can be optimised in real-time, in direct response to actual aircraft movements, load factors and other work drivers. AROS process Value proposition Link with air traffic control data identifies adjustments required in real time on the day of operations Link with airline movement message data automatically identifies schedule changes Sophisticated optimisation of rosters/staffing levels while maximising shift lengths Maximisation of quality and safety with sophisticated fatigue algorithms guiding shift assignment and ensuring the right staff are available to handle the work Improved data for forecasting / pricing and tighter financial control Idle time reduced and detailed task sheets can be provided for individuals AIRLINES PASSENGERS AEROCARE EMPLOYEES
Improved sophistication for recruitment and training planning avoiding employees becoming fatigued due to manpower / skills shortages and optimising rostering of training Staff satisfaction / work-life balance improved Efficient production of rosters Automation of invoicing error elimination Key objectives ENHANCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Increased quality and safety AROS ensures that ground staffing levels are optimised, not only in the rostering/planning stage but in realtime. As a powerful resourcing application built with mathematicians, AROS adds rigor and automation to Aerocare s established rostering principles. It quickly develops the best possible scenarios in terms of safety, efficiency and service. AROS has a live link with airline schedules, automatically flagging when and how rosters need adjusting or re-optimising due to schedule changes and off-schedule aircraft movements. Users can see at a glance if there has been a schedule change on any day allowing them to quickly identify whether a change to the resource plan is required. On the day of operations, additional resource requirements are identified in real time, which ensures the highest service levels are maintained. As estimated flight arrival and departure times change, AROS adjusts allocation of resourcing to best utilise the available workforce and optimises resourcing.
On the day of operations, users can see the effects of off-schedule aircraft movements on the resource plan and intervene where required. User Testimonial: When dealing with a significant amount of off-schedule flying and last minute bay changes, frontline leaders can find it near impossible to stay on top of changes and be on time with the right people and equipment to meet arriving flights. AROS has eliminated this issue. Manager Airport Services, Large International Airport Improved ability for planning ensures service requirements are met, workload is effectively managed, and detailed task sheets can be provided for individual employees. Staff satisfaction with rostering has improved across Aerocare since the introduction of AROS. As part of the company s employee engagement survey program, all staff are asked each month to rate on a scale of 1-5 their satisfaction with the quality and fairness of rosters. Overall, roster engagement increased during 2017, during which time AROS was introduced to operations, and in many ports the improvement in roster engagement was striking. At Adelaide Airport, for example, roster engagement increased from 2.83 4.27 from January to December 2017, an increase of 28 per cent. The scores started to increase in March, which was when AROS was introduced to the operation. At Sydney Airport domestic operations there was an increase of 14.8% over the same period. In the year AROS was introduced (2017), roster satisfaction in one Aerocare port increased by 28%. Stage two of AROS development is currently in testing/pre-release phase and is focused on systemising the fairness in roster allocation and boosting the likeability of rosters for individual staff. This will include features such as maximising consecutive days off and progression from early shifts to late shifts, along with taking preferences into account and enabling unlimited shift swaps and quick leave approvals. Boosted engagement and retention of staff will help Aerocare maximise quality and continuity of service. At this stage AROS will contain information about employee qualifications, so the system only allocates work to those employees qualified to carry it out. AROS will also ensure that fatigue rules are reliably enforced, with sophisticated rules and algorithms which underpin the automated assignment of shifts to employees.
Simplify processes and procedures AROS has drastically reduced the time it takes to produce rosters. A roster that might have taken two days can now be can be produced, fully optimised with AROS, in less than ten minutes. AROS has reduced Aerocare s need for dedicated resource planning personnel, and enabled managers to spend more time on other tasks. A roster that might have taken two days can now be can be produced, fully optimised with AROS, in less than 10 MINUTES. AROS very quickly works out the best possible scenarios considering safety, efficiency and service. This not only applies to the optimal creation and assignment of shifts to cover handling activities but also to the optimisation of training assignments optimally pairing up trainers with trainees when creating rosters. Improved forecasting of recruitment requirements helps prevents periods of staff shortage and oversupply. User Testimonial: We previously required a full-time resource planner in our operation but with AROS I now produce resource plans as just a small part of my very varied role. - Operations Coordinator Modernise systems AROS is an intuitive web application which utilises commercial mathematics. Three distinct data feeds are integrated with AROS through a sophisticated technology platform. 1) Airline schedules (SSIM) 2) Revised airline schedule based on ongoing operational changes (movement messages) 3) Actual flight times (Air traffic control data) AROS uses the airline SSIM data to create the base roster, which is then updated as users are alerted to changes according to the revised airline schedules (movement messages). On the day of operations, there is a live link with air traffic control, advising of resourcing adjustments required to most effectively service the flights arriving and departing. AROS is utilised at each of Aerocare s 33 airports throughout Australia and New Zealand, which each handle numerous airlines. Operations vary significantly in terms of the size and complexity, however AROS is completely customisable and scalable for the evolving requirements of the overall business and individual locations. Training is provided to Aerocare s airport managers and the network of dedicated resources planners which support larger operations. The tool is currently optimised to cater to business units that handle up to 150 flights per day for any number of airlines. It can create a fully optimised roster including assigning shifts to employees over a 28-day period at this maximum scale within hours. AROS is currently being rolled out to Aerocare s other businesses including passenger ground transport and luggage trolley management, which illustrates its versatility to sectors outside traditional ground handling. IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS Optimise costs / Increase revenues In addition to the considerable benefits provided by optimised rosters, AROS also enables Aerocare to maximise cost control through the wealth of data and modelling provided. AROS drastically improves visibility of resourcing data and enables data-driven decisions and highly effective forecasting and pricing including GSE planning and optimisation. User Testimonial: AROS is a highly effective scenario tool, making it significantly easier and less laborious to thoroughly assess options and run test cases. We can confidently make more decisions based on real data. - Manager Airport Operations, Large International Airport
Reduce injuries and damages AROS ensures that appropriate staffing levels are always maintained, including when demand fluctuates and flight schedules change. The system also ensures efficient use of resources including training time. AROS also ensures safety, health and wellbeing are maximised, by focusing on ergonomic factors and fatigue, and ensuring all control measures are implemented, for example relating to shift spans, roster patterns and breaks. Improvements to the likeability of rosters has a significant impact on staff retention and the quality of service delivery. Potential risks / drawbacks AROS is a highly sophisticated tool which has revolutionised resource and operational management at Aerocare. While the drawbacks are minimal, a potential risk associated with innovation like AROS is that managers and resource planners could become complacent or put too much trust in the technology. To overcome this, Aerocare ensures that there is an ongoing program of regular sampling of rosters by independent experts to ensure that users are using the tool to its best effect. Utilising integrated flight schedules creates enormous benefits, however there is also risk associated with the data not always being available. Aerocare is working with those that supply data (airlines and air traffic control authorities) to ensure that there is strong understanding of the impact on their business if data integrity is not maintained as well as remaining current in manual processes for use in the event that flight data is interrupted for any period. Aerocare has maintained the currency of its manual resourcing system which would come in effect in the unlikely event of a prolonged internet outage.
Media Ground Handling International, October 2017 edition