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MARCH 2016 AviationPros.com 27 PRODUCT PROFILE vast amount of equipment that makes a safe and reliable global airline operation possible. And it's technicians in Atlanta as well as other Delta hubs and stations around the world who operate 24/7 to keep all that equipment – and the airline - moving. They perform preventative maintenance and unscheduled fxes on equipment before sending it back out on the line to help agents load cargo bins, push back aircraft, de-ice frosted jets and sort millions of pieces of luggage a year, among other functions. Joe Fuqua, general manager – GSE man- agement at Delta, is a 35-year ground equip- ment veteran and says keeping an extensive feet of vehicles and equipment, scattered from Atlanta to Japan and in hard-to-reach destinations like Juneau, Alaska, means he and his colleagues are constantly evaluating operational needs, purchasing new equip- ment and working to keep existing equip- ment running smoothly. "It's a complex operation as we constantly work to fne-tune the GSE feet and adjust to network changes and the broader upgauging of Delta's [aircraft] feet as well as adhere to local and regional environmental compliance direc- tives," Fuqua said. "But it's a challenge Delta people have met and consistently excel at." Not so different than airplanes Similar to Delta's aircraft fleet strateg y, the airline has been successful in fnding a balance between new and used ground equipment to support the global operation. The value in a push-back tug, for example, is born largely in the steel structure of the equipment since a signifcant amount of weight is needed to push—and stop—a several hundred thousand pound aircraft. Overhauling the engine, transmission and other components often proves far more cost effective over outright replacement, despite additional maintenance required to keep older equipment running. A new Goldhofer Super Tug, for example, can cost upwards of $1.4 million. For maintenance planners and techni- cians, staying on top of preventative and predictive maintenance has meant the successful execution of Delta's GSE strat- egy—not unlike Delta's aircraft maintenance program. On a belt loader, for instance, planners and airport agents carefully monitor usage time and require scheduled inspections every 250 hours—a monthly occurrence in hubs like Atlanta and Min- neapolis where utilization is high. "Preventative maintenance is the back- bone of our maintenance program and ensures our customers, namely below-wing agents and aircraft maintenance technicians, have the vehicles and tools they need to perform their jobs effectively," said Fuqua. Across the system, detailed inspections mean leaks and faults, as a result of regular wear and tear, are fxed preventatively when possible. "The better we can do on preventative maintenance, the fewer breakdowns we have in the operation," he said. "That leads to a safer and more reliable operation for our employees and customers." The importance of that reliability is something Max Kling, a Delta ground main- tenance technician whose team oversees the baggage system in Atlanta, knows very well. The system last year funneled more than 45 million bags along 35 miles of conveyor belts. It's the largest airline-run bag system in the world. "Failure of the bag system isn't really an option," Kling said. Multiple built-in redundancies and an emphasis on pre- dictive maintenance keeps bags moving, in some places, at speeds topping 500 feet per minute. Similar systems at Delta hubs in New York, Minneapolis, Detroit and others contributed to the movement of more than 126 customer million bags in 2015. Electrifying GSE Delta in recent years began an aggressive push to reduce emissions. Fuqua and his team bought more fuel-effcient equip- ment and converted a growing number of diesel-powered belt loaders, cargo loaders and other equipment to run on electricity. Now roughly 15,000 pieces of ground equip- ment are electrically powered. The return is almost immediate: simpler electric motors are less maintenance intensive and drive higher across-the-board reliability; the motors are quieter, cleaner and contribute to improved working conditions for agents. Delta Air Lines