AMOVA hands over state-of-the-art air cargo terminal to dnata in Manchester

The new "dnata City North" cargo complex at Manchester Airport has successfully started operations. With this investment, dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, has significantly expanded its air freight capacities in Northern England.

The new fully automated air cargo handling facility supplied by AMOVA can handle more than 150,000 tons of air cargo annually. The high-bay warehouse currently has space for 115 ULDs (Unit Load Device = cargo container or pallet) and is already designed for a possible expansion by another 44 storage locations. A 15ft Elevating Transfer Vehicle (ETV) with a split roller deck operates in the storage aisle, capable of handling two 5ft ULDs independently and additionally moving 20ft ULDs through the racking system. The ETV is capable of handling, storing and retrieving more than 40 ULDs per hour. Integrated into the rack system are two cold chambers with individual temperature control; these can each hold four ULDs and ensure that the cold chain is maintained for pharmaceutical goods. Motor-driven roller decks and various work stations complete the system in the hall area.

On the airside of the terminal, truck docks are used, whose special design also allows cargo handling via dolly trains. One of the truck docks is connected to the express line, which transports incoming ULDs directly into the terminal and ensures rapid distribution - an important factor in the constantly growing e-commerce business.

Together with its long-standing partner Unitechnik Systems, AMOVA also provided the complete automation and the warehouse management system (WMS), which not only coordinates and controls all transport orders but also offers an animated real-time visualization of the processes.

The handover of the facility to dnata does not mark the end of the assignment for AMOVA. In order to guarantee the availability of the facilities on a permanent basis, AMOVA takes over preventive maintenance and supports the customer during the ramp-up phase via a 24/7 service hotline. Via remote maintenance, any problems that arise can be rectified at short notice and processes can still be optimized if necessary.