Starting a new venture after being an active part of an established family business for decades is always a tricky affair. But when Martin Vestergaard decided the time had come to seek new challenges and establish Power Stow after noticing a gap in the market, the opportunity was too good to resist.
At the heart of the company’s mission right from the beginning in 2003 was to improve the working conditions for ramp agents loading and unloading cargo from narrowbody aircraft while enhancing efficiency and reducing turnaround times.
“The solutions available at that time faced several technical challenges, which made me think about a new technology that is reliable and flexible at the same time. So I got the idea of developing an extendable beltloader technology with double conical rollers that could reliably transport bags and cargo, and odd-size items, such as skis around a 90 degree corner into the cargo hold,” said Vestergaard.
Twenty years later, with more than 170 people globally, Power Stow is now the world’s leading provider of the extendable beltloader technology, known as the Rollertrack Conveyor. It has revolutionised baggage handling and serves the world’s busiest airports, leading airlines and ground handling companies.
“I never imagined that we would get to where we are today, that we would come this far, and that our solutions would be used at so many airports around the world,” said Vestergaard.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without all the skilled employees who contributed to our achievements.”
To mark the special 20th anniversary, colleagues and their partners were invited to spend an evening at The Royal Danish Playhouse in the heart of Copenhagen.
Henriette Olsen, CEO, said: “It was a wonderful occasion to celebrate a significant milestone for the company and the entire team and, of course, it makes us reflect on the past and think about the journey that has brought us to where we are today. Understanding and meeting our users’ and customers’ needs has always been at the core of everything we do.
“We have a very close collaboration and continuous dialogue with our customers and users and the fact that we are here 20 years later also means that the work we do makes a difference and brings unparalleled value to their operations.”
Olsen, who took over from Vestergaard as CEO in 2022, was attracted to joining the company because its core values were very much aligned to her own, adding: “I truly believe in Power Stow’s purpose within the industry, which I am proud to represent.”
Pictured: Henriette Olsen speaking to the company at The Royal Danish Playhouse to celebrate their 20th anniversary
The company’s journey began in 2004 when it received its first order from ground handler, Novia, (now Aviator) after a successful trial of the Rollertrack Conveyor on one of its beltloaders at Copenhagen Airport.
It was so impressed with the unit that it purchased a second one the next year, both of which remain in operation at the airport to this day.
Momentum grew when the conveyor was launched at inter airport in Munich in 2005, revealing its potential to the market worldwide.
That same year Power Stow moved to its first production facility near Roskilde Airport. From the beginning customers have had the possibility to choose their preferred chassis supplier, which then evolved over the years.
Today the Rollertrack Conveyor is compatible with Mulag, TLD, TUG and TIPS beltloaders. Airlines next wanted to trial the solution into their baggage handling processes with the established brands like KLM adopting it at Schiphol followed by others in Frankfurt and in Sweden, which became the first to adopt the electric conveyor version in 2006, then another significant order that came from New Zealand.
But the scale of the business went to a different level when Power Stow Americas was established in 2011 and major US airlines started to see the potential in adopting the solution into their baggage handling operations. In 2013, it opened a second assembly factory in Norcross, Georgia, after receiving a trial order for 27 units from American Airlines.
“When we received orders for American Airlines that’s when the business really took off,” said Vestergaard.
It wasn’t long until the conveyor was being purchased by the major US airlines: American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. In 2023, Southwest Airlines awarded Power Stow the accolade ‘Equipment Provider of the Year’ for the fourth time.
Pictured: Ben Reeves receiving the award for Power Stow from Southwest Airlines for ‘Equipment Provider of the Year’
Interestingly, it had to adapt its extendable beltloader technology to meet the US market requirements which involves ‘tail sorting’ near the aircraft rather than inside the baggage hall as in Europe.
“It is because it is a different type of operation with so many connecting flights,” explained Vestergaard.
Today North America is Power Stow’s biggest market followed by Europe and Asia.
Chief Commercial Officer Christian Søeberg describes what Vestergaard has achieved over the last 20 years as simply “outstanding”, commending his determined and hard-working approach to delivering a high quality premium product to the satisfaction of the customer.
“Martin Vestergaard has been focusing on the quality of the Rollertrack Conveyor in all aspects of the development, because from the beginning he understood, that quality equals high uptime, low maintenance time and results in long lifetime and high safety. This is the key to happy customers and low total cost of ownership,” he said.
“The thing that stands out is his persistence. He never one day wakes up at night and doubts what he’s doing or the role Power Stow has in the industry, he is absolutely 300% convinced. He knows what is important both in terms of how our product should be and how the product should sell itself,” he said.
“Once we have done a demonstration of our product, there’s no way back because once you see a lean operation at work, with more efficient staff allocation, you don’t walk away from that when you realise the operating cost reduction and efficiency improvement. The Rollertrack Conveyor doesn’t go on vacation, doesn’t get sick, it always enables a lean operation. It’s not just management that realises it makes a good business case, it’s the handlers that once they have worked with it, they don’t want to give it away.”
This is welcome news, especially when the industry is still plagued with ongoing manpower shortages and difficulties in finding and retaining ramp staff in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“When I learn about the difference that the product is making to the people out there in the field and hear people saying, ‘if it wasn’t for Power Stow, I wouldn’t be here’, that makes one very proud,” admitted Vestergaard.
Olsen echoes this sentiment after visiting many happy customers who say how the Rollertrack Conveyor has made a difference not only to their operations but to the quality of life of its ramp agents, reducing body injuries by up to 50% when loading and unloading luggage in narrowbody aircraft.
“Whenever we interact with baggage handlers, they express profound gratitude for our efforts and the tools we have developed to make their daily operations easier,” she said.
“Sitting on your knees and throwing bags is one of the most dangerous jobs on the ramp for back and shoulder injuries. By eliminating that function, we have been able to help our customers greatly reduce their on-the-job injuries,” she added.
“Our products are designed to eliminate repetitive lifting, turning and tossing of bags, which substantially lessens strain on their body and decreases stress and the risk of errors. This naturally leads to a reduction in the number of accidents.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the worldwide deployment of the Power Stow Rollertrack Conveyors to more than 200 airports has played a significant role in the improvement of the working condition of the ramp agents,” added Søeberg.
It’s not just the safety aspect of the technology that appeals to handlers but it also reduces emissions and saves aircraft fuel.
“Depending on their complexity, onboard aircraft loading systems can add well over 1,000kg to the maximum takeoff mass (MTOW) of a single narrowbody aircraft. The Rollertrack Conveyor is ground-based and therefore eliminates the cost of additional fuel burn and aircraft maintenance.
“Furthermore, customers can maximise the aircraft’s bulk capacity, as every single cubic metre adds value to their business,” said Olsen.
Electrification has been a natural part of the company since the beginning. Between 2005 and 2010, 25% of units were electric, this has now risen to almost 100%, with more demand turning from lead acid to lithium batteries.
“We have for many years produced electrical beltloaders and today the majority of the sold units are electric. Going electric with no exposure to exhaust fumes, also benefits the health of ground handling personnel. However, the airport infrastructure has a major role in this as it requires that there is adequate charging infrastructure to support the implementation of electric equipment into ground handling operation,” she said.
The Rollertrack Conveyor is not the only innovation that has taken the GSE industry by storm, the Power Stow Transfer Belt launched in 2019 for baggage handlers inside the terminal is also gaining traction for the business.
It eliminates heavy lifting and twisting movements when unloading bags from carts/containers onto the conveyor belt in the baggage hall.
“Since passenger traffic returned, we received interest towards this product and started collaborating with airports that are looking for ways to introduce innovative technologies to improve their processes and ensure enhanced working conditions for baggage handlers. One customer had nine touch points where they’re lifting baggage and we’re looking into where we can add value,” said Olsen.
2023 was a strong year for Power Stow, and the outlook for 2024 continues to look very promising.
“We continue to have high demand for the Rollertrack Conveyor, and likewise, many demonstrations and interest in the Transfer Belt and for the products not yet released, which is causing excitement for our customers who want to know when we’re delivering. We now ship the Rollertrack Conveyor with the Assisted Docking System. The system we are rolling out this year assists the driver in the safe docking of the Rollertrack Conveyor onto the aircraft door sill. It reduces damage to the aircraft, enhances operational efficiency by minimising delays, and improves safety for personnel and aircraft.
“More and more airlines, airports and handlers are introducing semi-automated equipment to their operations because productivity, reliability and ergonomics are important when choosing new equipment for the future,” added Olsen.
This article was published in the June 2024 issue of Ground Handling International, click here to read the digital edition and click here to subscribe.
