A trusted partnership between I-S-Solutions and RA Automation has resulted in the successful upgrade of Belfast City Airport’s baggage handling system, making it more robust and fit for modern-day demands.
Project & Construction Director Kevin Rose and industrial automation expert Richard Boon have worked together for almost three decades. Now with companies of their own, they combine the expertise of their respective teams across a variety of airport and logistics projects, modernising ageing infrastructures to fundamentally improve the flow of baggage and other materials. Their latest collaboration at Belfast City Airport is a prime example of the strength of this partnership.
Established in 2004, I-S-Solutions (UK) Ltd is an independent project management company specialising in aviation, materials handling and facilities management. The business has particular expertise in the procurement and installation of major hold baggage screening and baggage handling systems, alongside facilities management and aftersales maintenance services.
As Owner Kevin Rose explains, the relationship between I-S-Solutions and RA Automation goes back much further than the two companies: “I’ve known Richard for more than 25 years. He started working for me when I was a Construction Manager for a French company working in various airports across the UK. Richard was an automation Project Manager for companies that we used to deal with.
“I always felt that Richard and I had a similarly strong work ethic and that we had shared values of doing right by the customer. When I-S-Solutions (UK) Ltd was formed in 2004, the company grew through reputation and contacts, Richard being one of those contacts. “Because of the relationship I’d already forged with him, we always used the companies he worked for wherever there was automation involved. That’s been an ongoing theme for
nearly thirty years. There’s a huge amount of trust between us. So when Richard formed RA Automation with Ashley Adams in 2024, there was no reason for us to look elsewhere.” One of the most significant projects the two companies are currently undertaking is at Belfast City Airport.
Through recommendation, I-S-Solutions took over the airport’s maintenance and service support, subsequently bringing in RA Automation to provide specialist automation controls support.
The success of this initial work led to a much larger project: a five-phase PLC upgrade designed to modernise the airport’s ageing automation infrastructure. Phases one and two have now been completed, with phases three to five commencing in September 2026.
Kevin elaborates: “As is the case with lots of these airports, they had their systems incorporated decades ago and haven’t done anything with them since. This means a lot of the systems around them become obsolete. “Essentially, we’re bringing Belfast City Airport into the 2020s. A lot of their
automation equipment was no longer supported, so we’re fixing that with RA Automation’s help.”
Complementary expertise
The partnership brings together two complementary areas of expertise. I-SSolutions provides project management and wider engineering knowledge, while RA Automation takes responsibility for the automation software and controls. “A client will come to us for various improvements to their systems. As part of that, RA Automation will design the PLC element of it – the system intelligence, if you like – and generally dovetail their expertise with ours.”
That collaboration extends throughout the project lifecycle, with Kevin particularly impressed by the thoroughness of RA Automation’s approach. “They’re very thorough in what they do, from start to finish. We have complete trust they’ll execute each phase of a project to the highest standards.” For I-S-Solutions, the value of working with RA Automation extends beyond technical expertise. It is the trust between the businesses, and the ability to work seamlessly as a team, that ultimately makes the partnership successful. As Kevin highlights: “At I-S-Solutions, we’ve built a network of subcontractors that we can depend on completely, and RA is one of the major ones. When we come together in collaboration, the sense of teamwork is palpable and results in first-rate systems.
“You could liken us and our subcontractors to a pop group: individuals who often go their own way, but when they come together, they make
great music.”
The results at Belfast City Airport demonstrate the value of that collaboration. “RA Automation’s knowledge of the airport sector is second to none, and this is always reflected in the completed project. In the case of Belfast City Airport, our work and RA Automation’s is making the baggage system more robust and fit for modern-day demands.”
Despite RA Automation being a relatively new business, Kevin says there has been no disruption to the relationship he has built with Richard over many years.
“It’s been a seamless transition to working with RA Automation. Richard, along with his cofounder Ashley, has assembled a fantastic team, and the service is as good as it’s ever been.”
As such, Kevin has become a regular advocate for RA Automation, and vice versa. “I absolutely recommend them, and I often do,” he concludes. “Richard and Ashley likewise point people in our direction, so it’s really a great partnership we have. I think there are lots of companies who
would benefit from their expertise and service –we certainly do.”
