Largest Mobile Inspection Table Installation Goes Live

Largest Mobile Inspection Table (MIT) Installation Goes Live at Miami International Airport

In 2017, Daifuku Airport Technologies was awarded a design-build project for the new South and Central Terminal checked baggage inspection system at Miami International Airport.  The multi-year project, valued over $100 million (USD), was performed under a guaranteed maximum price contract by Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture. It entailed the installation of 12 CTX 9800 machines, over 1,200 conventional baggage handling system belt conveyors, and a checked baggage reconciliation area (CBRA) utilizing an unprecedented 102 mobile inspection tables (MIT).

Daifuku Airport Technologies’ MIT is a revolutionary solution, designed for the use inside of an airport’s CBRA, and implemented as a replacement for traditional belt conveyors and static search tables. The MIT utilizes proven robotic technology to revolutionize operations throughout CBRAs globally and offers benefits to both airlines and airports.  With flexible design parameters, MITs can be modified to function inside of any airport environment without major infrastructure changes.

Bags are loaded automatically onto the MIT unit, which autonomously delivers them directly to the TSA inspection stations, eliminating lifting, twisting, and turning for TSA agents.  Bags are then searched directly on top of the MIT unit and upon search completion, the MT delivers bags back to the appropriate conveyor to proceed onward.  The MITs not only improve room accessibility and reduced noise pollution but more importantly provide TSA officers with efficient and ergonomic enhancements to traditional inspection practices.

The South and Central Terminal CBRAs will operate independently but will share a new common facility that showcases not only the largest MIT installation to date but also the largest automated guided vehicle (AGV) airport industry application in the world.  The system contains 102 MIT vehicles utilizing 52 baggage inspection stations, with room planned for future expansion.

The combined project involved 37 phases, strategically designed to minimize disruption to airport operations during the installation and testing of the new systems. Given each terminal’s myriad inputs, redundancies, and security systems, we are very proud of this accomplishment and recognize the hard work of the many organizations and individuals involved in the installation.

This marks the sixth MIT installation by Daifuku Airport Technologies with previous installations at DTW, CLE, DAL, and two systems at MCO. Commissioning of MITs is also underway at LaGuardia’s new Central Terminal. Last year alone, MIA served 45 million passengers. It ranked third among the busiest airports in the United States for international passengers and set a new annual record for international freight carrying in 2018. The MIA installation was executed in conjunction with the new USD $4- to $5-billion improvement program at Miami International Airport.

About Miami International Airport: Miami International Airport (MIA), located on 3,230 acres of land near downtown Miami, is operated by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and is the property of Miami-Dade County government. Founded in 1928, MIA now offers more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other U.S. airport, is America’s third-busiest airport for international passengers, boasts a lineup over 100 air carriers and is the top U.S. airport for international freight.