Paris, France - August 4, 2008 - Axxicom Airport Caddy, a subsidiary of the Facilicom Services Group, will escort passengers with reduced mobility at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as from the end of July 2008. Axxicom Airport Caddy will use ORTEC’s scheduling solution, ORTEC Passenger Services (OPX), to schedule the type of escort these passengers will require.
“The complicated infrastructure and the sheer size of an airport demands a highly structured approach,” said Facilicom’s Information Manager, Andrew Versnel. “At Charles de Gaulle we are setting up a tested concept with specific modifications to fit the situation at each location. But the systems and equipment that we are using are exactly the same as those used at other international airports for the simple reason that they have proven their value, such as ORTEC passenger Services (OPX). We also use this scheduling solution at Schiphol and Brussels Airport.”
Standard concept
“There is nothing quite as dynamic as working at an airport,” Andrew Versnel continued. “Aircraft often arrive sooner or later, or at some other location, than planned. All this information is carefully maintained in the flight information system, but it is constantly changing. With ORTEC’s flexible solution, which can be linked to the flight information system, the schedule is always up-to-date. And this gives us control over the necessary functionality. Point one: we know where the aircraft are and where they will arrive. Point two: we know which PRM’s (Passengers with Reduced Mobility) are on which flight and where they have to go.”
Axxicom expects to be able to win more assignments in the near future. Its goal is to install a standard concept that, within a short period of time, can serve an entire airport from an operational IT environment. “We want to do this in collaboration with groups that – like ORTEC – do not position themselves as vendors but rather as partners. That concept must be up and running within three months, which is the plan for Charles de Gaulle. This is possible if it is standardized. The concept at Schiphol is one hundred percent the same as that at Brussels, and will be the same concept at Charles de Gaulle. The only differences are the variables within the airports themselves.”
Variables and filters
“ORTEC’s scheduling solution is a proven technology for us; it allows us to work with all sorts of variables and filters”, Andrew Versnel explained. “At Charles de Gaulle, among other things, we have to work with another handling agent that will remain in place in part. This means that we have to digest a volume of information, through the flight information system, that is twice as large as necessary. In other words, we will also receive information intended for other companies. With ORTEC Passenger Services we are in a position to filter out the people that we do not need to escort because, for example, their aircraft are not in our zone of operation. But it can happen that we learn 10 minutes before landing that an aircraft will be entering our zone, after all, and therefore in our service area. ORTEC Passenger Services will give an immediate alert so that we can fish out the information in time.”
Flawless start
“ORTEC provides us with a standard package that has sufficient options to respond to airports’ other demands for information. This is quite important for the airlines, which are no longer responsible for dealing with PRMs, but do have to pay for this service through the airport. Since the airlines no longer have direct control, they want ten times as much information as before. With ORTEC we are in a position to monitor all dispatches closely and to provide both the airport and the airlines with sufficient information about all dispatches and associated costs. At Charles de Gaulle, Air France – the airport’s largest airline – will be our largest critic. The unique point here is that we replaced Air France’s own subsidiary. So we will have do our extra best to prove ourselves. That is why it is so important that we get off to a flawless start here.”
About Facilicom Services Group
Facilicom Services Group is a leading general and technical services provider with some 28,000 employees. The company, founded in the Netherlands, provides general and technical services in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. All separate services are grouped under specialized divisions that largely operate as independent organisations. Facilicom’s headquarters is in Schiedam. Facilicom’s divisions include Gom – cleaning agency for regular and specialised cleaning; Trigion (the Netherlands), Prened (France) and CPS (UK) - security; Axxicom – personnel management and secondment; Axxicom Airport Caddy – transport of passengers with reduced mobility at Schiphol, Brussels Airport, and, since July 2008, Charles de Gaulle; Prorest - catering in company canteens; Tapwacht – installation and maintenance of drinking water and cooling installations; Breijer Bouw en Installatie - building, renovation, engineering and maintenance. The Facilicom Services Group has a turnover of EUR 860 million.
About Charles de Gaulle
Paris Charles de Gaulle is the largest airport in France and one of the busiest in Europe. The French also call it Roissy, after the place where the airport is located. The airport has four terminals interconnected by free automatic trams. There are in fact additional terminals since Terminal 2 comprises six different buildings, number from 2A through 2F.
About ORTEC
ORTEC is one of the largest providers of advanced planning and optimization software solutions and consulting services. Our solutions result in optimized fleet routing & dispatch, vehicle and pallet loading, workforce scheduling, delivery forecasting and network planning. ORTEC provides both best-of-breed, custom made and SAP® certified solutions, supported by strategic partnerships. ORTEC has over 800 customers worldwide, 700 employees and several offices in Europe and North America.
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