Each week, CargoForwarder Global’s ‘Spotlight On…’ brings a different corner of the air cargo industry to the fore to illustrate just how broad the variety of career opportunities is in this field. One area is very rarely talked about and yet is crucial to safer skies – the whole aspect of cargo safety and security. Scanning and checking that was it says on the box is also what is in there. Serife Tülay Alkan‑Haller (ST), Marketing & Sales and Authorized Signatory for All Service Sicherheitsdienste GmbH, explains what her company does in more detail and gives advice to those looking to join the industry.
CFG: What is your current function and company? And what are your responsibilities?
ST: All Service Sicherheitsdienste GmbH [Security Services] was founded in 1988. I have been with our company since the beginning and built it up together with Peter Haller, our managing partner. We now employ 2,000 people and serve over 45,000 customers in our emergency call and service control center. Our company is based on 3 pillars: “Security and Service”, “Emergency Call and Service Control Centre & Mobile Services” and “Aviation Security”.
I am responsible for marketing and sales, and am an authorized signatory of the company. After more than 35 years, it is still my goal to source innovation and offer added value to our employees and customers – something that is not easy to do in the security industry in Germany. Of great importance to me, is also supporting young people in our industry. We now train our employees with VR [virtual reality] glasses. On the one hand, this is a lot of fun and on the other hand, the learned theory can immediately be put into practice with real customers.
CFG: What does a normal day look like for you?
ST: I have to smile a little here. Just take a template from a time management seminar and give it to a person who is in a leadership position in the security industry. Due to the possibility of being called out at any moment, we can only make a rough plan for the day. This means that I also have to respond to last-minute requests and questions.
We are available 24/7 for our employees and customers – and that is really the case. We have our emergency call and service control center, which is staffed around the clock. Everyone with a request has access to a contact person. And we have the “LSKP Emergency Hotline” especially for our customers in the aviation industry.
CFG: How long have you been in the air cargo industry, and what brought you to it?
ST: Around 30 years ago, we took on contracts at Frankfurt Airport. Primarily, these centered around guarding the building expansion, or traffic control. Our customer portfolio grew and began to include logistics companies. Following the terrorist attacks in 2001, air cargo scanning was gradually introduced. Especially after the adoption of the EU regulation (e.g. Regulation (EC) No. 300/2008) and the resulting measures thereof, air cargo scanning became mandatory. The systematic scanning and securing of cargo before loading into aircraft has been mandatory in Germany since about 2010 to 2015, with continuous improvements and adjustments within the framework of international safety standards. We have established expertise particularly in this area. With our own training center and our instructor for aviation security, we are able to provide very well-trained aviation security control personnel for cargo and mail in accordance with 11.2.3.2 of the DVO (EU) 2015/1998.
CFG: What do you enjoy most about your job?
ST: The daily new challenges. The constant new customers, especially in the aviation sector, are very exciting. I try to understand our customers’ processes and I look for optimization opportunities.
CFG: What do you see as the greatest challenges in our industry?
ST: To attract and retain qualified and motivated staff. We do a lot in the area of employee retention, we also pay well above the union wages, yet fluctuation is still high. This is also due to the responsibility that comes with the job. Our employees in the “Cargo” department are the last checkpoints before a piece of air freight goes on a plane.
CFG: What advice would you give to people looking to enter into the air cargo industry? Any particular training they should aim for?
ST: To work in security, you should train according to § 9 of the Aviation Security Act. This enables you to secure mail and freight. A good piece of advice: Before anyone decides to get into this field, they should first do a trial day in a warehouse. It’s not a white collar job – but the task is important. One mistake and disaster could ensue.
CFG: If the air cargo industry were a film/book, what would its title be?
ST: Soar safely above the clouds
Thank you very much, Serife.
If you would like to share your personal air cargo story with our CargoForwarder Global readers, feel free to send your answers to the above questions to cargoforwarderglobal@kopfpilot.at We look forward to shining a spotlight on your job area, views, and experiences.
