Shanghai Pudong Airport has selected IBM to deliver 80 new multi-use self-service check-in kiosks for its new terminal. The kiosks enable passengers from different airlines to share a single kiosk for check-in procedures. Northwest Airlines is the first to offer its travellers self-service check-in at the new terminal at Pudong Airport with other airlines set to follow.

IBM says the deal is worth US$2 million and claims it is the first “significant” airport common-use self-service project to be delivered in China.

IBM has beaten competitors like IER, Wincorf Nixdorf and SITA to win the Pudong contract.

One of the reasons for IBM’s success this time is that IBM has chosen to work with a local company, Chinese kiosk manufacturer Beijing TGTouch, which has helped to keep costs competitive. The kiosk manufacturing and assembly is done in China, but uses IBM CUSS middleware developed by IBM Canada and implemented by IBM China.

This localization cooperation model has won IBM several kiosk projects in China including Xiamen airport and Hainan airlines in the past two years.