Officially registered as an industry association, the new Air Cargo Community Frankfurt e.V. is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of this year. This community association aims to represent and foster the common interests of all of the players involved in Frankfurt Airport’s cargo industry – including continuing optimization of logistics processes at Europe’s busiest airfreight hub.
Roland Weil, Fraport’s VP Sales Cargo, explains: “Our goal is to create a forum that represents and articulates the common interests of all players involved in the cargo and logistics chain at Frankfurt Airport. This means further enhancing cooperation between the players: handling agents, forwarders, airlines, trucking companies, customs and other authorities, sales agents, and others. Despite their different roles, these players all share a common interest in advancing the FRA global cargo hub.”
But leaving everyday differences aside it can basically be noted that the specter of relevant commonalities is wide ranging. Enervating topics like frequent truck jams at Frankfurt’s CargoCity
South or excessive waiting times of suppliers at some warehouses when delivering or picking up goods are severe problems many firms are hit by and loudly complaining about. Insufficient parking
space for trailers within the airport’s fences is another gnawing issue molesting many firms.
So it seems that a long list of pressing topics needing to be resolved the faster the better will be tabled at the ACCF’s constitutional meeting sometime next June. Including the ambitious issue
of Frankfurt’s cargo processes becoming fully digitalized.
Best-in-class Hub
Despite the actor’s partial differences, the community partners basically have wide- ranging areas of common interest: security matters, throughput times, e-freight technologies and processes,
and other current and future challenges. The Air Cargo Community Frankfurt e.V. is aiming to make Frankfurt Airport “Best-in-its-class” in all of these areas.
While this may be a very ambitious agenda, via the new association it will hopefully be easier to exchange ideas, create innovative solutions and to move the agenda step by step forward – faster
than in the past.
Besides Fraport, as the owner and manager of Frankfurt Airport, and LH Cargo, as the largest airfreight carrier at FRA, the association’s membership encompasses well known names such as Agility,
Air Canada, LUG air cargo handling, Kewill, Perishables Center Frankfurt, the Cool Chain Group as well as Barig, the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany e.V., to list a few.
“Throughout the coming weeks we expect even more diverse companies to join the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt,” says Weil.
Every actor doing biz at FRA can join the club
According to the statutes of the association, any company that is predominately involved in the airfreight business at FRA can apply for membership. In the start-up phase, there will be no
membership fees during 2014 and 2015. Thereafter, annual fees ranging from €950 to €12,000 will apply. To formally launch the association, members will first elect a board, which in turn will
name a general secretary (all board and secretary functions will be voluntary, without any remuneration). “Together with several supporters, I recognized the importance of creating this forum for
all the cargo chain players. It is of the utmost importance for the future vitality and growth of FRA’s cargo industry. Local and industrial policy goals can best be represented jointly and
enhancements to process efficiency and market positioning require cooperation of all players,” stressed Weil.
There is little to be added.
Heiner Siegmund