K9 Cargo Screening Solutions

The Need for Efficiency in Air Cargo Screening

The air cargo industry has grown rapidly over the last few years, and with growth came logistics issues. With demand for time-sensitive and high-value shipments at a high, a more efficient screening process is necessary. That’s where TSA-certified K9 screening solutions come in.

Traditional screening technologies such as Explosive Trace Detection (ETD), Non-CT X-rays, and Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) can be effective but are rarely efficient. Screening with ETDs involves sampling and breaking down cargo into its smallest packaging component. Additionally, when used in mobile operations, ETDs require constant recalibration with environmental changes. Non-CT X-rays allow for cargo processing without the same breakdown needed with ETDs; however, with 2-3 people working the machines, this technology is only economical with large cargo operations. They also are not ideal for screening electronic equipment or dense materials such as metal machine components or items with high water content. EDS systems require a larger footprint and budget compared to the other two traditional cargo screening options as well.

The Solution: K9 Cargo Screening

Cargo screening by TSA-certified third-party canine cargo teams (3PK9) requires less equipment than the traditional solutions, is less labor-intensive and doesn’t require de-palletizing goods to screen individual items before re-palletizing the same packages. AMK9’s air cargo screening solutions have proven these benefits to potential customers.

What We Did

Canine Dorka and her handler, Joshua, worked directly a TSA-regulated entity on a one-month trial to set up and integrate K9 cargo screening services in a facility that previously used traditional screening technologies such as ETD, x-ray, and physical searches.

With K9 cargo screening, our customer no longer needed to break down most skids or cargo for screening. This increased cargo case integrity and reduced the time needed for cargo to be cleared and sent out the door. It also minimized airway bills and stickers. This led to dramatic results including decreased time required to screen each skid and reduced overtime which enabled our customer to repurpose screeners elsewhere in the company.

AMK9’s Impact

Over a one-month trial period, we:

Cut 50% of our customer’s overtime at trial facility
Reduced the need for skid/cargo breakdown for screening by 40%
Decreased the time to screen one skid to under 60 seconds from 10 minutes, including processing into our 100% automated TRACK system.
Reduced time to get Cargo cleared and out the door
Minimized human error with airway bills and stickers
Searched 40,000 Skids with only two alarms
Improved cargo case integrity

Due to AMK9’s outstanding cargo screening performance, our customer immediately went into full-time services at the facility and are slated to mobilize to additional facilities in 2019 and 2020.