Siemens, a global technology powerhouse, said its airport logistics unit has secured a major service contract from Dubai Airports for the baggage and material handling systems at the emirate's two international airports.

Under this key operation and maintenance deal, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) will be responsible for the baggage handling systems at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 as well as the material handling system at the Dubai Flower Centre.

In addition, the Siemens unit will operate and maintain the recently extended baggage handling system at the new DWC.

The offering includes end-to-end baggage handling system operation, all aspects of troubleshooting, a continuous improvement process, and predictive and preventive maintenance, said the statement.

Siemens will also provide extensive spare parts management, it added.

The German technology giant said the contract is based on key performance indicators (KPIs) defined together with airport operator Dubai Airports. It covers a period of six years with the option for a further extension. It is therefore the most extensive service agreement that SPPAL has ever signed, it added.

Serving more than 90 million passengers, Dubai International ranks as one of the top three airports in the world. Dubai World Central (DWC) has been recently expanded to accommodate 26 million passengers with a long-term plan to achieve an ultimate capacity of up to 240 million passengers per year.

SPPAL is thus guaranteeing the highest standards of service at Dubai’s two large aviation hubs, said its top official.

"More and more airports are switching from traditional service methods to more modern models," remarked CEO Michael Reichle.

"We support customers by providing condition-based and predictive maintenance, for example, or – as is the case in Dubai – by providing KPI-based solutions and innovative digital analytics applications. By doing so, further improvement in system availability as well as cost and resource efficiency is achieved," he stated.

Omar Binadai, the senior vice president for engineering services at Dubai Airports, said: "As a long-standing and reliable service partner, Siemens helps us constantly improve operational processes and system reliability, delivering high service levels for the 90 million customers we serve annually at our airports."

Siemens pointed out that locally, it has an experienced service team which is familiar with the installed technology and promptly provides resources for all issues.

The Siemens employees and the airport staff work closely together at various levels, forming a joint operation and maintenance team, it stated.

The German technology giant said its local presence in the Middle East makes SPPAL the ideal partner for the service project.

The SPPAL Regional Company SD (Middle East) has around 800 employees and is long established in Dubai. Siemens’ track record of success around the globe includes long-term operation and maintenance contracts with almost 40 airports, it added.-TradeArabia News Service