Aircraft passenger and baggage container management and repair has been somewhat in the news these last months with carriers increasingly taking decisions to outsource their equipment to outside companies. CHEP Aerospace Solutions, with its HQ in Zurich and worldwide operational outlets is one of the most successful companies operating in this area. AF Cargo has now become a new client.
CHEP has just announced a deal with Air France Cargo to take over the repair of all of the Air France cargo containers, pallets and horse boxes at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
The agreement also includes the repair of dollies at Paris Orly airport for the next three years.
Outsourcing ULDs pays off financially
A wise move by Air France who certainly can use every penny they can spare on costs these days.
Repairing your own equipment needs much manpower, is time consuming and never a cost effective issue for an airline.
Giving this over to CHEP will certainly save costs in the future.
It makes all the more sense considering that CHEP Aerospace already has an existing contract with KLM and Martinair in Amsterdam and seeing that all three carriers inter-change their equipment
anyway.
It’s not just a matter of repair
The agreement between CHEP and Air France gives the French national carrier access to CHEP’s own so called data-rich repair management software, named ACTIS.
This will enable Air France Cargo to identify damage trends in their fleet of containers and costs related to repair or whether it is more advisable to replace such.
It is also stated that this process will facilitate working with ground handlers in order to reduce damage and resulting high cost repairs to containers.
Air France Cargo’s SVP Operations & Logistics, Jean-Yves Chaumet comments: “The main reasons to select CHEP were its IT system, quality of repair, solid financial background and global
standing, and the benefits that our partner KLM enjoys thanks to a long-term relationship with CHEP.”
Global network of ULD repair shops ensures fast services
The Air France Cargo deal follows shortly on the heels of recent new contracts signed between CHEP and Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and TAP Portugal.
When asked by CargoForwarder Global to comment on this latest coup, CHEP’s President, Dr. Ludwig Bertsch told us: “We’re finding that our strategy of offering a global network of ULD repair
stations resonates more and more with the global carrier networks. Having a single source repair provider with a state-of-the-art IT system and harmonized quality and compliance standards makes
doing business with CHEP easy and reliable, and provides security of supply.”
Rapid supply of parts
Dr. Bertsch also makes a point of the fact that because of CHEP’s global network capacity and relations with ULD manufacturers that they are in an ideal position to ensure a speedy supply of
parts throughout the world.
He also looks forward to developing a similarly strong relationship with Air France as well as the one already existing with KLM for many years past.
There are still very many airlines out there that are controlling their own ULD traffic and repair.
It seems that CHEP Aerospace is continually coming up with new cost saving ideas for ULD management and repair which in the long run may well convince other carriers to join in.
John Mc Donagh
Write a comment