Let’s take a look at these financial and productivity benefits that can be almost instantaneously achieved when adopting the FOD*BOSS.
It is recognized by many as the safest, most effective airfield sweeper, guaranteed. Indeed it was the
FOD*BOSS that the Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 150/5210-24,
(Airport Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Management, section 5.2 b. (1) and appendix B.1 a. (b)) . However, after going through a 30-year continuous improvement process, our
FOD*BOSS now
exceeds those requirements.
So how can the
FOD*BOSS save money and increase productivity? If we compare the operational cost of a mechanical sweeper, it has been identified by the US Federal Highway Administration (
www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/env_topics/water/ultraurban_bmp_rpt/3fs16.aspx) that a mechanical sweeper costs approximately US$154 per hour to operate (including the driver). Now if we consider a runway surface, as a point of reference, and one with the dimensions of 7546 ft x 148 ft (2300 m x 45 m), we can start comparing several metrics that we hope start you thinking. Mechanical sweepers are generally considered to be relatively slow and have a recommended forward operating speed of only 5-12 mph (8-20 kph) to be their most effective (depending on the make and model). Therefore, using a mechanical sweeper to clean the runway identified above will take at least approximately 2 hrs and 30 mins. At the hourly cost also mentioned earlier, this will be approximately US$385.00. If we compare that to a
FOD*BOSS, this will take approximately 44 minutes and with an 84% saving,
that includes the labor cost of the driver! To put this into perspective, a
FOD*BOSS Ultimate can provide you with an unrivaled FOD pick-up rate and clean this runway in less than a third of the time and for a saving of at least 84%. Our Duplex system offers additional savings of up to 89% and is even faster again. Not only are you saving significant money, but an airport’s revenue-generating capability is closed for significantly less time, while your operations team has gained a significant productivity boost as well!