It's the way the individual airport deals with it. In a proper civilised country, like Germany, you go to FRA or MUC and see scanners in double figures, all manned and working...and barely a queue in sight. You go through the checks and be done with it. In stupid backward countries, like the UK and USA, pax are expected to stand in silly queues behind mobile barriers like at the post office.
My companies solution? Amazing how effective video conferencing can be.