Brief Synopsis of your Selected Air Cargo Hub
The FedEx air cargo operators contain the majority of hubs at Memphis International Airport (MEM). It is located in the north of the United States (US) and serves the cities of Memphis, Tennessee. It is the busiest hub since aircraft are up and flying every forty seconds (FedEx, 2016). Offloading of an aircraft begins immediately it arrives at the hub and it is undertaken by the relevant teams. Offloaded packages are moved into the warehouse and loaded onto the conveyor belts for sorting. After almost half an hour the packages are already placed into the billing system. FedEx employees’ help sort 500,000 and 1,500,000 packages on an hourly and overnight basis, respectively (FedEx, 2016). Eighty miles conveyor belts move the packages in and out of the hub with the help of 10,000 employee (FedEx, 2016). MEM airport space cover 6-mile radius, and a warehouse space of 130,000,000 square feet (FedEx, 2016). Thus, the facility is not only operating in large scale but also has enough resources to enhance its operations.
Main Points That You Found Interesting as it Relates to Air Cargo Hubs/Facilities
The geographical location and MEM weather allow the airport’s operation to proceed smoothly. FedEx hub facilities grants the hub a competitive advantage in the market of operation. FedEx has marketed the airport making it to be known as a reliable facility in Northern America. MEM has a ramp area approximated over 808 acres which aids significantly in movement of goods in and out (FedEx, 2016). The cargo hub has chambers promoting visits, civic improvement and conventions. The hub has a chamber designed to boost economic development in terms of manufacturing and logistic issues. This chamber partners with the local authorities of Memphis to achieve the goal (Memphis International Airport, 2021). FedEx aims at increasing their cargo handling capacity which will eventually contribute to their economic growth. The facility is also outstanding because it ensures timely, efficient and proper storage facilities for their packages.
Description of the Technology You Observed During the Video
Loading of packages on the conveyor belt is done by trolley using unit load devices. Other technologies include CCTV for operation monitoring, optical scanners for checking and sorting packages and tilt trays that facilitate the transfer of loads to other carriage units. The optical scanners capture information embedded on the package batch and feed it into the system. The information collected include: the weight, destination, and the dimensions of the packages. The advanced technology facilitates the time frame of sorting and preparing the package for dispatch to the rightful destinations.
Responses
Hello Patrick,
I love the way you describe the Louisville hub operations. But I would recommend that you mention the gain achieved at their giant hub through the neighborhood’s farmers. The farmers in the Saint Elizabeth town outsource farm products to the hub for transportation by the UPS air freight. Besides, the hub thriving, good teamwork ensured faster and successful operation completion. Teamwork was dependent on nearly all sectors of the hub by the management. Furthermore, you could have mentioned the risk-taking step of having conveyor belts to avoid operation disruption in case of breakages. Otherwise, you did an excellent job on the hub that you selected.
Hello Stephen,
I love the choice of your research topic on military transport operations. The Frankfurt airport hub is indeed a facility with different busy airlines. The aircraft airlines like AirBridge Cargo, China Southern Cargo, DHL, and Lufthansa Cargo planes validate the fact that the cargo hub is a busy line. The used machines like the conveyor belts coupled with the trained employees ensure the hub’s efficiency and smooth operation. Certainly, time is of the essence in loading and offloading the aircraft. The transportation of other packages like the pharmaceuticals, animals, and vehicles like BMW through this hub will boost it financially and economically. You did concrete background research on the cargo hub that you choose.
References
FedEx. (2016). Inside the FedEx Express World Hub. YouTube. Web..
Memphis International Airport. (2021). About the Memphis International Airport. Memphis Hotels, Events, & Attractions | Visit Memphis, TN. Web.