The collaboration between OMG Industry and ALHA Group has led to the development of NEOS RD Air Cargo, an electric ULD Transporter engineered around the terminal’s operational requirements to make ULD transfers between warehouse and apron smoother, safer and more flexible.

In the air cargo sector, efficiency does not depend solely on how quickly goods move through the terminal. It also depends on the ability to adapt processes and technologies to the actual characteristics of available spaces, flows and infrastructure. This is precisely the need that led to the project developed by ALHA Group and OMG Industry at Rome Fiumicino Airport.

At the terminal operated by ALHA, the absence of a fixed roller conveyor connection between the indoor palletisation area and the outdoor apron meant that ULD handling had to be carried out using slave pallets handled by forklifts, resulting in several intermediate steps. The objective, therefore, was not simply to replace one vehicle with another, but to develop a non-standard solution capable of adapting to the warehouse layout, available space, cargo flows and the safety requirements of airport handling.

“The idea originated from the need to identify an innovative solution compared with traditional systems, one that could adapt to the layout of our warehouse, the characteristics of the indoor and outdoor areas, the type of cargo traffic at the airport, and the safety requirements associated with ULD handling,” explains Lorenzo Schettini Gherardini, President and CEO of ALHA Group.

Starting from day-to-day operations, ALHA defined the key requirements for the vehicle it needed: load capacity, deck dimensions, powered roller system, transfer height, manoeuvrability in confined spaces, autonomy, safety, and the ability to use the same vehicle both indoors and outdoors. These requirements found in OMG Industry, an Italian company experienced in developing solutions for ULD handling, the ideal partner capable of turning these needs into a real project.

“We worked closely together on the customisation of the vehicles and on identifying specific solutions tailored to the requirements of our airport handling operations,” Schettini Gherardini adds.

The chosen solution was a self-propelled configuration with a Powered Roller Deck, capable of directly receiving, transporting and transferring ULDs to compatible handling systems without the need for a slave pallet as an interface. The new NEOS RD Air Cargo therefore acts as a mobile link between different stages of the cargo flow, operating both inside the warehouse and on the outdoor apron: a level of versatility that, according to ALHA Group, represented “one of the main drivers” behind the search for this new solution. Today, this special vehicle moves ULDs from indoor to outdoor areas and vice versa, and is also used for loading and unloading units from dollies. The use of a single vehicle across multiple operational stages reduces intermediate handling steps and helps make the process simpler, faster and safer, especially in confined spaces.

“We have improved ULD handling times, both inside and outside our operating areas, and simplified our handling processes. In addition, the vehicle’s compact dimensions allow us to operate more safely in confined spaces,” says Schettini Gherardini.

The positive feedback from operators further confirms the effectiveness of the solution. The vehicle has been well received thanks to its ease of use and the benefits experienced in day-to-day operations.

Transport and transfer in a single electric vehicle

From a technical perspective, the solution developed is a 100% electric self-propelled ULD Transporter, with an onboard operator and a load capacity of up to 8,000 kg. The deck measures 3,180 x 2,480 mm and integrates a Powered Roller Deck with 4 powered rollers, 88 idle rollers and 9 ball transfer units, while the 520 mm lifting stroke allows the deck height to be adapted to different handling system levels. In this way, NEOS RD can operate as a mobile connection element between receiving, preparation, storage and handling areas, making it possible to adapt the cargo flow even in terminals where installing fixed connection infrastructure may be complex or inefficient.

Particular attention was also paid to safety. The operator can easily monitor the surrounding area during the different handling phases thanks to the design of a lateral seated driving position and the availability of a camera with in-cab monitor, mirrors, sensors, operator presence devices and warning systems. Power is fully electric, with a 48 V – 775 Ah battery, eliminating local exhaust emissions and making the vehicle suitable for combined use in indoor environments and outdoor areas of the cargo terminal. For ALHA, this is no longer a marginal consideration.

“It is an irreversible process that can no longer be ignored. Almost all of our handling equipment is electric,” Schettini Gherardini observes, pointing to the progressive conversion of the remaining Air Side applications as one of the expected developments over the coming years.

This case history shows how, in the presence of complex layouts or infrastructure constraints, innovation can arise from the ability to develop solutions that adapt to real operational requirements. It is an approach that does not aim to offer a single model for every terminal, but rather flexible and configurable technologies based on available space, handled volumes, existing infrastructure and the organisation of handling processes.

Schettini Gherardini sums up its value in one sentence: “Finding alternative solutions through innovation and a different way of thinking.” This is perhaps the most effective definition of NEOS RD Air Cargo: not simply a new ULD Transporter, but the result of looking at an operational problem from a different perspective.