TCE, or ‘Total Cargo Expertise’, is a pioneering service solution founded six years ago in response to increasing demands for security, compliance, and efficiency in air cargo. Relevant operational processes can be outsourced so that airlines and GSAs can fully focus on their core business. TCE was the first independent company to offer airlines and GSAs involved in air cargo a holistic pallet of services all relating to air cargo safety, security, and quality. Since 2019, it has been growing its customer portfolio of airlines, GSAs and air cargo logistics providers. On average, the expert TCE team completes over 80 supplier and process audits and supervises around 225 cargo aircraft on site every year. More than 105,000 AWBs are processed annually for customs in 27 countries across 5 continents. The team also declares over 4,000 flights per year, supervising circa 86,000 AWBs and an annual average of 160,000 tons of cargo being moved through its 230+ contracted and audited handling agents at more than 230 airports around the globe. In those six years, TCE-supervised shipments have reached 380 different destinations. Over the past three years, the team has branched out from general cargo to also ensure the safe and stress-free transport for over 6,200 animals, more than 850 tons of pharmaceuticals, and 82,000 tons of flowers and other perishables.
Based at Frankfurt/Main Airport, TCE provides 24/7/365 support in many operational air cargo processes such as supplier/handling management, customs reporting (ICS/ACE/AMS), security filing (PLACI/ACAS/ICS2), regulatory compliance, audits, risk assessments and quality assurance, training and certification support, sensitive cargo management, load plan creation and loading compliance, contract management, claim management, and cargo charter coordination. Some functions are offered both on-site at hub stations, and remotely.
Sarah Scheibe, Managing Director of TCE, explained: “TCE was designed to eliminate major obstacles in air cargo management. Increasing cargo volumes make managing flows more complex. Add to this the risk of cargo security incidents through certain commodities, mishandling or theft and damage, and constantly evolving customs regulations, and airlines are often faced with a lack of internal resources and expertise to cope with these challenges. With TCE, we seek to solve these problems, taking away the risk of cargo or customs non-compliance, ensuring proper handling of sensitive cargo, and minimizing errors and delays through careful handling and loading supervision.”
