Istanbul, Turkey-headquartered GSE manufacturer Timsan offers a wide range of equipment to the market. One focus of its strategy to continue developing its growing GSE offering is a move towards producing more environmentally friendly electric vehicles
Timsan was established on 5 May 1982 specifically to manufacture ground support equipment for the aviation sector. It has three production plants that have a total land area of 11,500 square metres: 5,000 square meters at its Dudullu, Istanbul facility; 4,500 square meters at its Dilovasi, Kocaeli plant; and 2,000 square meters at its Izmir facility.
Timsan manufactures vehicles used for on-airport passenger and cargo transportation, as well as a wide range of GSE including tow tractors for ground operations at civilian airports and in the defence industry.
The company holds ISO 9001-2015, OHSAS 18001-2007, Utility Model and CE certifications and manufactures in accordance with Airport Handling Manual (AHM) and European standard EN norms. It currently exports to 65 countries across five continents and no less than 70% of its annual turnover is derived from its export sales.
Timsan manufactures towable, self-propelled and truck-mounted GSE for passenger and cargo transport. As of today, it supplies a total of 35 different products in 14 different GSE groups, the latter taking in such product types as luggage conveyor belts, tow tractors, passenger stairs, catering vehicles, water and septic tank service vehicles, conveyor belts, ambulifts, aircraft maintenance vehicles and aircraft de-icing vehicles.
According to Suat Aytoz, vice general director of Timsan, “Our design centre develops innovative products by making best use of technical and technological developments and, with these products, Timsan has acquired a distinguished reputation to compete with leading brands in the market.
“Our company has the ability to design and produce projects to provide different sizes and options according to the special demands of each customer,” Aytoz adds.
Supporting customers’ greener strategies
Timsan has a burgeoning electric-powered portfolio of airport vehicles, Aytoz explains: “In line with increasing environmental awareness around the world, we continue to work on the development of electric vehicles and have successfully manufactured electric versions of aircraft tractors and baggage loading conveyors that form part of our main manufacturing groups.
“Our products are designed according to aesthetic, quality and safety criteria, and we have ongoing research and development activities to support efforts to reduce carbon emissions through alternative energy sources that can be used in other product groups.”
Aytoz believes that the Timsan Electric Ambulance Vehicle, or EAV, “stands out among its competitors because of its structural features and functionality”. Timsan only added the EAV to the wider range of electric vehicles it offers quite recently; two units are actively used at airports in Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq and on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean.
The EAV was developed for the fastest possible patient transport at both small and medium-sized airports, says Aytoz. The number of patient transport operations performed at small and medium-sized airports is relatively small compared to ambulift operations at larger airports, he notes. “Thus, it was decided to produce electric ambulance vehicles, because they offer a more effective and environmentally friendly solution for small and medium-sized airports.
“The experience gained during the construction and use of this vehicle provides us with very useful information on the application of the same technology to vehicles that can be used at large airports in the future.”
The EAV is based around a structure consisting of two vertical motorised movement systems, a pump motor operating the hydraulic systems, a traction type battery and a controller area network (or Can-Bus) based programmable logic controller (PLC) system.
The motors in the movement system are long lasting. The pump motor has been specially selected to meet all the needs of hydraulic systems operating in short periods. The vehicle’s battery has the capacity to accommodate one day-operation and its weight is distributed such that it offers a “positive influence” on the stability of the vehicle, Aytoz says.
Because the movement of the operator’s cabin is independent from that of the chassis, cable connections are reduced to a minimum by utilising a Can-Bus system.
The EAV has an air conditioning system that is powered by the battery inside the vehicle body to ensure that both the patient and the attendant reach the aircraft in as much comfort as possible.
The ambulance vehicle has a precise and wide-angle steering system to ensure a high degree of manoeuvrability in tight spaces as well as rapid movement during approach to an aircraft. It was designed to be used electrically or hydro-mechanically as required.
“The EAV offers a very important advantage to users during operation, as it halves the time in which passengers with reduced mobility or patients can be embarked and disembarked in and out of the vehicle from the same access point, since there is no rear lift. Also, thanks to the EAV’s design, it can approach an aircraft at a safe speed and controlled distance, thus ensuring safe use of the vehicle,” Aytoz concludes.
