As Heathrow prepares to select its final four Logistics Hubs, a cutting-edge centralized tracking system for expansion has been revealed. The technology will serve as a nerve-centre, enabling a network of separate offsite construction centers to work in unison throughout the project. The technology will track and monitor millions of component parts of the expanded airport, providing updates to the construction sites and keeping the incredibly complex expansion project moving.
The concept was successfully pitched by Siemens Digital Logistics as part of the Heathrow Innovation Partners process, which threw open its supply chain inviting any organization to share ideas on how expansion could be delivered more efficiently and affordably. Last year, over 150 organizations initially expressed interest in partnering with Heathrow, and now Siemens Digital Logistics being named as one of the businesses that will see its idea become integral to the airport’s offsite strategy, potentially transforming the way that major infrastructure is delivered in the U.K.
Heathrow’s Innovation Partner search is just one of the ways that the airport is looking to spread the benefits of expansion to across the U.K., whilst mitigating the project’s impact on local communities. Since 2017, the airport has been looking for communities keen to become Logistics Hubs, construction centers that pre-assemble parts of the expanded airport offsite before transporting them to west London in consolidated loads just as they are needed. The final four sites, which are set to be announced next year, will use this centralized tracking technology for the efficient management of the project
