Aurrigo’s Auto-DollyTug at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
Aurrigo International plc, a leading international provider of transport technology solutions, is pleased to announce that its Auto-Dolly Tug® and Auto-Sim® solutions have been formally approved for recommendation to Aviation Solutions B. V. (Aviation Solutions) network of 60+ airports.
Aviation Solutions focuses on commercialising innovative technologies that have successfully passed rigorous testing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The partnership between the two companies was initially announced in April 2024 with the intention to roll out Aurrigo’s autonomous solutions. With testing under the Royal Schiphol Group contract now validated, the work begins to commercialise this proven technology to airports worldwide.
Marcel Stroop, Director of Go-to-Market, Aviation Solutions, commented: “Aurrigo International is a true front-runner in the field of autonomous ground handling technology. Our partnership marks an exciting milestone in our effort to bring proven innovations from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to across the world.
“We collaborate with partners and airports to innovate, faster. To be able to provide airports solutions we guarantee will work with a 100% confidence level. I’m very excited that Aurrigo is now also part of that movement.”
The relationship provides an opportunity to demonstrate the environmental, cost saving and performance benefits of Auto-DollyTug® at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol by Aviation Solutions to its partners across the globe, with over 65+ organisations already utilising their products.
The wider aviation sector is now being encouraged to learn how automated technologies can deliver new solutions to the sector. Professor David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo, added his support: “Auto-DollyTug® is arguably one of the biggest innovations to hit baggage and cargo handling for more than four decades and the aviation world is starting to take notice of what they can achieve through our autonomous vehicles and advanced technology.”
Auto-DollyTug® is an electric, autonomous baggage and cargo tractor that combines the functionality of a baggage tractor and airport dolly in one smart, compact vehicle. Currently being tested at six global airports, it can rotate on the spot and move sideways using a unique sideways drive system. It also features bi-directional robotic arms that enable autonomous loading and unloading of unit load devices (ULDs), streamlining operations even in congested areas.
The company’s Auto-Sim® technology is proving equally popular, with its cutting-edge simulation software helping to model and optimise airside operations in a digital environment.It enables airports, airlines, and ground handlers to visualise the impact of introducing new technologies like charging infrastructure and/or autonomous vehicles in the virtual world.
Discover more on the groundbreaking work that Aviation Solutions and Aurrigo are doing at www.schiphol.nl/aurrigo.
Enquiries:
Aurrigo International plc David Keene, Chief Executive Officer
Tenille Houston, VP Public Relations and Communications
Aviation Solutions B.V. Marcel Stroop, Director of Go-to-Market
Tim Vellema, Strategy Consultant
Aurrigo International plc is an international designer and developer of fully integrated smart airside solutions for the aviation industry, including automated vehicles, systems and software.
The Group’s proprietary, award-winning autonomous technology and secure management system is supporting some of the world’s leading airports. Customers choose to partner with Aurrigo to transform their baggage and cargo handling operations, improving safety, operational efficiencies and meeting sustainability targets, while navigating growing passenger volumes, rising costs and increasing labour shortages.
Headquartered in Coventry, UK with offices in Singapore and Ottawa, the Group has a 30+ year heritage designing and supplying automotive vehicle manufacturers with highly advanced, innovative product and system solutions.
As an independent company with long-term investment support from Schiphol Group, Aviation Solutions is well-positioned to deliver high-quality, reliable airport solutions on a global scale. Supported by a team of over 40+ aviation experts and scientists, Aviation Solutions has developed solutions such as Deep Turnaround and Travor, a cutting-edge software solutions tailored to modern airports.
Successful deployments of Aviation Solutions’ products include airports such as Hamad International, Schiphol Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Frankfurt Airport, and Athens International Airport, demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability in various operational contexts.
Aviation Solutions also works closely with the most innovative suppliers of Schiphol Group. Once they are guaranteed to deliver results, they are added to the portfolio so that other airports can benefit from them as well.
Coventry-based autonomous vehicle technology firm Aurrigo International – which works with airports across the globe – is upbeat after a “strong trading year” and fundraising which it described as a “potentially transformational moment”.
Aurrigo’s technology is in deployment in six airports across the world, with the company in early-stage conversations with another 34 airports and 19 airlines
“A strong trading year was complemented even further with a share placing raise of £5.25m to finish 2024 – a potentially transformational moment for our business,” said chief executive David Keene. “The new investment will give us the cash injection required to scale-up production of our Auto-DollyTug, an all-electric autonomous vehicle designed to transform baggage and cargo handling operations at airports through improved safety, operational efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.”
Chief executive David Keene (image credit: Aurrigo International)
The cash injection will allow the platform to have 22 tugs in operation in 2025, potentially accelerate commercial sales timelines and enable the ‘go live’ moment with Auto-Cargo in partnership with UPS.
Keene said there will also be six live Auto-Sim contracts at international airports in the same period, which will “help new and existing clients build digital twins of activity so they can optimise performance”.
He added that Coventry “will continue to be the epicentre of advanced design and manufacture”. with the group expecting to “bolster the team here and in some of our international locations in the US, Canada and Singapore”.
“After 40 years of very few ground handling innovations, the aviation sector now appears to be ready for something new and we are already proving – airside – that our Auto-DollyTug vehicle and our Auto-Sim software can deliver cost savings, environmental improvements and a better passenger experience,” said Keene. “We fully expect airlines and airports to accelerate their determination to embrace what we are calling the move to ‘intelligent ground support equipment’ (iGSE)”.
The Auto-DollyTug (image credit: Aurrigo International)
A global provider of smart airside solutions has posted strong growth in its autonomous division as part of its interim results for the first six months of 2024. Aurrigo International plc, which listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2022, has seen revenue rise to a total £3.9m turnover – a 26% rise in line with the expectations of the board. This has been accelerated by the uptake of its Auto-Sim digital twin product and the deployment of it all-electric Auto-DollyTug® at five global airports, providing the blueprint for how baggage and cargo will be transported in the future. £800,000 of revenue has been generated in the first half of the year in autonomous solutions alone (160% rise), with the promise of annual sales touching £3m by the end of December. A better product mix, combined with an increase in orders from long-term customers, has also resulted in double-digit growth for the automotive side of the business.
Professor David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo International plc, commented: “We are pleased to report a period of strong growth as we scale our technology, teams and customer engagements. The growth in our autonomous division reflects the steady scaleup of our smart airside solutions in key airport hubs around the world, which is driving increased interest across our target aviation market and a growing pipeline. “During the period, we have expanded our international teams, enhanced our hardware and software offering, and advanced our engagement with key strategic partners, providing a robust foundation for growth.”
An enhanced autonomous solution offering following vehicle functionality advancements has been one of the key operational highlights of 2024 for Aurrigo so far, with the incorporation of robotic arms on the body allowing the vehicle to autonomously load and unload a ULD itself. The successful deployment of Auto-DollyTug® airside has accelerated customer interest and led to the signing of three strategic partnership deals that gives the business access to a network of over 460 airports. Alongside these developments, the company has invested heavily in scaling up its UK team at its Advanced Engineering Centre in Coventry, bolstering its operation in Singapore and opening a new office in the US at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
David concluded: “We enter the second half of 2024 with good momentum, improving margins and a clear pipeline of deliverables, giving us confidence in our growth opportunity to help deliver the airport of the future.”
For further information, please visit www.aurrigo.com
