Where focus goes, innovation flows
With the rapid advances in AI and other technology, Jettainer has taken the only sensible route there is, and created an innovation department, appointing its Head of Business and Portfolio Development as the company’s first Chief Innovation Officer. She will be responsible for “driving forward digital and non-digital innovation,” which primarily translates into finding the best applications for the latest technologies to further enhance Jettainer’s ULD management services and keep it at the forefront of the industry. In particular, technologies based on AI and the use of BLE and beyond when it comes to tracking will be explored. “Additionally, Jettainer’s own IT landscape, JettwareNG, will be further improved and automated, facilitating faster and more user-friendly experiences for customers, service providers and employees through smart workflows,” the release promises. Klemmer’s prior responsibilities: strategic development, portfolio management and corporate communications also remain with her. Christine Klemmer came over to Jettainer in 2019, to further develop its ULD sharing platform skypooling. Before that, she built up extensive air cargo management experience within Lufthansa Cargo across a number of fields, including business development, operations, quality, and process management.
Thomas Sonntag, CEO of Jettainer, explained: “Staying innovative and leveraging the latest technological opportunities is crucial to ensuring efficient ULD management for our customers around the globe. That is why we have now created the structures that give room for new and creative solutions. Christine Klemmer’s experience at home and abroad, and her wide-ranging expertise in ULD management, air freight, and IT, makes her the ideal fit.” Having worked many years alongside Christine, I can only agree.
Christine Klemmer’s take on her new role as Jettainer’s Chief Innovation Officer, was: “Jettainer’s customer-centric and innovation-driven approach puts us in an outstanding position to continue on our successful growth trajectory. I am eager to explore new possibilities and to ensure Jettainer remains the leading innovator in ULD management, offering top-notch and forward-looking services to our customers and the industry.”
Avianca Cargo has ventured onto Airblox
Following US-based National Airlines partnership with Airblox in MAY23, and Norway’s Norse Atlantic Airways last month, the unique digital marketplace for block space agreement share (CFG reported in detail in OCT22), Airblox has now announced another airline partnership. This time with one of Latin America’s leading airlines: Columbia-based Avianca Cargo. The many freight forwarders active on Airblox, will now have access to Avianca Cargo’s listed capacities, and secure space for their business within minutes, “months in advance”, as Airblox always underlines. The platform lets forwarders search and negotiate contract rates with industry players, while accessing financial solutions. In Avianca Cargo’s case, the available lanes include MIA-BOG, LHR-BOG, MAD-BOG, among a number of others.
Brian Kolb, VP of Strategy at Airblox, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Avianca Cargo to the Airblox platform. With its outstanding reputation for customer service and innovation, the company is paving the way for others, and we look forward to a long partnership."
Leonel Ortiz, Innovation and Transformation Director at Avianca Cargo, stated: “We are very excited to be partnering with Airblox. We want to continue finding new ways to do business and offer different and innovative solutions to our customers. So, this alliance will allow us to continue to deliver high levels of service and greater flexibility when it comes to our capacity and lanes."
Raft onboards OnBoard Logistics to its digital platform
The Miami, USA-based freight forwarder, OnBoard Logistics, dedicated to providing air, sea, and land transport services from its branches across Latin, Central, and North America, has chosen to partner with Raft and use its intelligent logistics platform to enhance its warehousing operations. The decision comes as part of OnBoard Logistics’ aggressive digitalization strategy, and a larger initiative known as the Digital Warehouse Project. The company is investing heavily in technology to improve its overall operations, to meet its continuous expansion and set it up for future success. Following a two-week implementation period, OnBoard Logistics is already seeing a vast improvement to its pre-check and cargo processing. The release reveals that it has “achieved a capacity lift of over three times its previous capabilities and has eliminated human errors in its warehousing processes.” Fewer or no errors, and faster operations thanks to a fully automated warehouse pre-check process, for example, translates into savings not only in terms of costs, but also manpower and time. “The integration of handheld scanners and artificial intelligence capabilities, combined with the existing software infrastructure, has further solidified OnBoard Logistics' competitive edge,” the release states.
Rodrigo Sosa Quiroga, Co-founder and VP, OnBoard Logistics, commented: “Our goal has always been to optimize our services and provide unparalleled quality to our clients. We recognized the need for innovation in our industry, especially in streamlining warehouse operations. With Raft's expertise, we have been able to automate and optimize our processes, delivering faster and more accurate results. In an industry where creativity and differentiation are often limited, optimization is the key to success. By incorporating Raft's innovative solutions, we are able to offer a level of service that is unrivalled in the market. Our ability to pre-check and process cargo faster ensures our clients receive exceptional service, save time and money, and gain a competitive advantage in their own operations.”
Lionel van der Walt, Chief Growth Officer, Raft, stated: “OnBoard Logistics' forward-thinking approach and commitment to leveraging technology to optimize operations is truly commendable. We are confident that our partnership will unlock new opportunities for OnBoard Logistics as they continue to expand.”
Rock-it Global scores a wheely good deal
Drivers participating in the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil, cover 3,793 kilometers across five Brazilian cities within a period of just 8 days. It is the largest rally raid event in Latin America, and the 31st edition ended just yesterday (19AUG23). The logistics behind the rally, involving the transportation of all kinds of rally cars, motorbikes, and off-road vehicles, as well as team equipment, has been accorded to Rock-it Global. The company, which is well-versed in all things motorsport, having served the industry for the past 15 years with specialists located across the globe including Brazil, Europe, and the US – the main locations participating in the event, will manage global logistics from now until 2026. Though the rally, first held in 1993 and named after the Sertão region, is already the continent’s largest cross-country off-road competition, the terms of the logistics partnership are such that Rock-it will support the Rally dos Sertões team in expanding the event both in terms of participant numbers and international standing.
Alex Amaral, Regional Manager for Motorsports and Business Development Manager, Rock-it Global, explained: “Rock-it is providing transportation of team equipment, vehicles, and support equipment from any location worldwide to the rally, and back again after the event. One of the many challenges of this rally is that it goes through many small towns throughout Brazil with very little infrastructure. Rock-it has employees on the ground that can coordinate and manage this and get any equipment needed throughout the entire rally route. Rock-it also deals with all requisite documentation including customs clearance and carnets for the teams.”
Joaquim Monteiro, CEO of Dunas and organizer of Rally dos Sertões, commented: “It is a pleasure to have Rock-it on board with us. What started more than 30 years ago as a romantic adventure, has turned out to be, as the years go by, more and more professional and global. Brazilian teams are relying more on world-class material, which puts a high emphasis on logistics and freight. Having Rock-it as our official logistics partner brings us the certitude that we're more than well covered.”
Unilode and AviusULD extend long-term agreement
The two ULD specialists, Unilode Aviation Solutions which provides ULD management, outsourcing, repair and related digital services, and ULD manufacturer and distributer, AviusULD, formerly known as Safran Cabin Cargo, enjoy a partnership going back 15 years already. This has now been formally extended for another five years with the signing of a renewed long-term agreement. They say that this will ensure an even greater level of flexibility across all aspects of the ULD industry from the ULD types on offer, their respective volumes and lead times, as well as continuous cost, product and sustainability improvement opportunities.
AviusULD Chief Executive Officer, Klaus Hofmann, stated: “I am delighted to confirm our commitment to a sustained partnership with Unilode through a long-term contract. Unilode is one of our key customers and we are looking forward to supporting them in order to meet the ever-evolving needs of the industry. AviusULD will continue to supply Unilode with robust, lightweight, easy-to-repair containers and pallets, aiming to minimize the total ownership cost for Unilode and their airline customers. Additionally, we stand by our commitment to world-class after-sales service, prompt delivery of spare parts, and technical support.”
Unilode Chief Executive Officer, Ross Marino, said: “Unilode and AviusULD have enjoyed a strong relationship over the years, with more than 50% of Unilode’s fleet of 160,000 ULDs being supplied by AviusULD. AviusULD’s standard aluminum containers have the right combination of weight, durability and reliability and the lowest total cost of ownership. Our renewed five-year agreement will continue to enable us to meet our customers’ growing demand and adapt to the changing market conditions, and jointly work on further reducing our environmental footprint. We are also able to boost the digitalization of our fleet by having our ULDs equipped with digital tags in the production stage. We look forward to continuing our close and successful partnership with AviusULD for many years to come.”
Qstep facilitates ICS2 compliance at HEL
Tallinn-based software tech company, Qstep, successfully implemented the EU´s new Import Control System 2 (ICS2) regulation for air cargo ground handling operations at Finland´s Helsinki-Vantaa airport (HEL). Two of the airport’s three cargo handling agents, namely ASR Cargo Center and Swissport Finland, already deploy Qstep software. ICS2 was created to better protect the EU´s consumers and ensure general cargo safety and is mandatory for all types of air cargo shipments coming into to the EU’s Member States. It involves several stages of risk assessment including the PLACI or Preloading Advance Cargo Information process whereby overseas’ freight forwarders declare incoming shipments, as well new data elements in the Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) submitted by airline to the customs authority and Presentation Notification (PN) submitted by cargo ground handlers upon goods arrival at EU´s airport.
Qstep’s CEO, Haiti Arendi, explained: “ICS2 is a really complex information system. It affects and involves all modes of transport [and all air cargo stakeholders]. Since Qstep air cargo handling software platform provides everything in one window, it was our task to make sure that our cargo handling clients at HEL are also compliant with ICS2 regulation […]. In practice it means that from 01JUL23, sending Presentation Notification (PN) to Finnish Customs authorities on goods arrival into cargo handler´s facility has become mandatory.” What sounds like a small technical detail, is actually a complex process, he underlined, since it requires knowledge of the airline’s ENS data declaration.
Samuli Naskali, Managing Director of ASR Cargo Center, concurred. “Getting information from carriers for ICS2 procedures was challenging and even with very short notice, Qstep was able to cope with the challenges with minimal damage to our customers. Even when airlines were using different software, Qstep was able to adapt and configure different parameters for NCTS, PN messages in less than a day. I must say ICS2 adaptation was a lot easier than expected thanks to Qstep´s flexibility.”
Päivi Hokkanen, Head of Cargo Operations at Swissport Finland, agreed: “Working with Qstep during ICS2 implementation has been on an excellent level. Their team has been very supportive, and we have been able to find quick solutions thanks to their expertise on ICS2-regulations.”
No rest for the wicket, Haiti Arendi warned, however: “Another deadline is already looming around the corner, when submitting ENS on a parcel shipment level will become mandatory from 02OCT23.” A regulation that will largely affect eCommerce.
GMR Hyderabad Int’l Airport now operates Kale’s ACS
The go-live of Kale Logistics Solutions’ Airport Cargo Community System (ACS) at GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), India’s fourth busiest airport and its second one to adopt ACS, took place on 03AUG23. With this software in place, all active cargo players (Airport, Cargo Ground Handlers, Transporters, Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers, Airlines, Importers/Exporters and Customs) collaborate on a common and highly secured cloud-based IT platform. The result? Greater efficiency, streamlined procedures, and automated communication between the airport’s cargo stakeholders. The nation’s first greenfield airport is now set up for seamless and sustainable operations. Thanks to ACS, there is no longer a need for a physical paper trail, since the system enables online documentation and data exchange. With faster, less error-prone operations, the airport can expect to see significant cargo volume growth, and it will act as a benchmark example for other airports, in terms of efficiency and sustainability.
“Kale’s Cargo Community Systems has received several global accolades, including awards at the United Nations’ award-winning cloud-based electronic platform for all stakeholders of the air cargo value chain to interact with each other digitally. Also, this platform is one of the most comprehensive systems, which connects the Airport ecosystem to simplify, standardize and modernize connectivity as well as information flow throughout the value chain,” the release details.
Vineet Malhotra, Co-Founder and Director of Kale Logistics Solutions said, “GMR Hyderabad is a special milestone for us, it is the 100th air cargo station we signed last year. We have 99% adoption with go-live, which speaks volumes about the efficacy of the ACS platform and its benefits. We are happy to assist the GMR Group with its digital transformation. Our airport cargo community system is gradually becoming the default choice for all airports, not only in India but also in North America. With these deployments, we expect to witness a significant transformation in the air cargo industry. We have more airports in the pipeline that will go-live with our flagship community platform. The future looks bright for us and the air cargo industry.”
Brigitte Gledhill
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