Passengers at Edmonton airport in Western Canada are likely to board a plane using an automated gate, without the need for an operator to operate the control panel, via a recently launched control panel manufactured in Asturias. This was announced yesterday by the company’s president, Juan Carlos Menéndez. TK Airport Solutions Digital SolutionsOn the third day of the I Innovation Week, organized by LA NEW ESPAÑA of the Prensa Ibérica group, sponsored by Banco Sabadell, Ontier and Siero City Council and with the subsidy of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, as in the VIII Science Week last April. Menéndez was accompanied by Sergio Alcántara, head of the multinational company’s R&D and I center, located next to the Workers’ University in Gijón.
Saving time in maneuvering, which is one of the advantages of the automatic walking path
German origin, TK ElevatorIts operations are present in more than 100 countries, The only innovation center in AsturiasWhere around thirty experts research the most pioneering technologies in elevators, escalators, moving walkways and boarding bridges (the famous “fingers”). These technical advances, then implemented in the multinational company’s factories (Mieres has two), have led to TK Elevator products being found in homes, buildings and airports around the world (Dubai is another example), generating annual sales of around 200 million. 8,000 million euros per year.
The automated gateway currently operating in Canada – still with an auditor – is capable of: Complete docking and departure of the aircraft. “Speed is very important, because a delay of three or four minutes can disrupt passengers’ plans,” Menéndez said during his presentation. “Also, the longer planes are on the ground, the less money airlines make, so we want to make the maneuver as fast as possible,” he said.
Additionally, the expert noted that the innovation represented by the walkway is an example of automated processes that will become increasingly common in airports. “Right now, especially after cost increases, the biggest concern for airport operators is efficiency, and I personally see more and more passengers and fewer people working physically,” Menéndez said. said.
Company needs more computer scientists: “The university doesn’t produce all we need”
The technology incorporated into all of the company’s products (from elevators to stairlifts), the executive said, collecting large amounts of data These are then processed and interpreted so that service technicians can identify possible improvements. The technical department has a large weight in the multinational company and represents almost half of the 50,000 workers worldwide.
Although he explained this There is no “crystal ball” to tell the future, He also stated that “the next big revolution is artificial intelligence” and that it will change the processes of many economic sectors.
The TK Elevator research and innovation center maintains close cooperation with the University of Oviedo and, as Sergio Alcántara notes, “many job opportunities for students“. “We believe that having our headquarters in Asturias is an opportunity for the academic institution,” said the head of innovation. Unfortunately, they cannot attract all the computer engineers they need. “The university does not have this capacity. We produce everything the market needs. We are even ready to pay them more,” commented Juan Carlos Menéndez. To public questions about why TK Elevator and Asturias could not retain all the graduates emerging in this field, Menéndez gave a “very personal” answer: “The location does not help us. Asturias is unattractive.”