The rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce has transformed global trade, with millions of goods ranging from small everyday items to electronics, shipped daily via air. Among these, certain items contain magnetic materials that can interfere with aircraft compasses, posing Class 9 Dangerous Goods risks and endangering safety and causing shipment delays.
“Traditional inspections, which rely on labor-intensive piece-by-piece checking and detailed reporting, are both inefficient and costly, especially when dealing with the complexity of modern e-commerce cargo,” says Lu Min, Deputy General Manager and team leader of the PACTL Magnetized Material Screening Project. “A single ULD can contain thousands of diverse items, making it increasingly challenging to ensure safety and compliance.” To address these challenges, Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) introduces the patent-pending Magnetized Material Detector, an advanced device for rapid full-pallet screening, ensuring compliance with IATA DGR.
Advanced Technology for Streamlined Operations
Developed in collaboration with a leading research team and guided by the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology, this PACTL-owned, patent-pending technology employs four TMR sensor arrays positioned in a gate-style frame to provide all-directional magnetic field analysis of a ULD or pallet, accurately distinguishing harmless magnetic components from hazardous magnetized materials. The device’s multi-dimensional algorithms enable precise source localization, calculating field risks to prevent shipment rejections. A three-tiered scanning system—offering quick, semi, and full scan modes—adapts to diverse scenarios. This full-pallet screening significantly reduces labor hours, inspection costs, and safety risks, while ensuring fast, accurate compliance with global aviation standards.
Empowering Global Logistics
The Magnetized Material Detector delivers substantial benefits to airlines, forwarders, and cargo terminal operators. By enabling precise, full-pallet compliance checks, it strengthens flight safety without slowing down cargo operations. This allows e-commerce shipments to meet rapid delivery demands and ensures on-time global supply chains.
Future-Ready Innovation
PACTL will continue to enhance the detector with capabilities for data integration and storage, modular and lightweight designs for easier upgrades, and adaptability to diverse operating environments. By contributing to international safety standards, PACTL ensures the device remains at the forefront of aviation safety innovation.
“Magnetic hazards have long been a challenge for the air cargo industry. This detector enables us to identify those risks at the pallet level, improving detection accuracy and reducing manual workload. More importantly, it strengthens aviation safety—which is also what our airline customer value most,” said Carsten Hernig, Deputy General Manager, Sales & Marketing and Production, PACTL.
