EFW and Turkish Technic had cause to celebrate this week. “The first cut is done! And very well…we are glad that our most recent conversion partner and 3rd party conversion house Turkish Technic achieved a key milestone. The MRO expert is progressing with advanced conversion steps and successfully performed the Upper Frame Shell (UFS) cut-out for the very first A330P2F at the Istanbul facilities,” EFW enthused on its LinkedIn page. Turkish Technic is its latest third-party MRO and conversion house [EFW now has nine conversion sites on three continents], and will be supporting the aviation technology company with its Air Transport Service Group (ATSG) order.
Transforming the first A330P2F. Image: EFW/Turkish Technic
In 2022, in line with its plans to diversify its fleet by including next generation wide-body freighters, ATSG signed for 29 Airbus A330P2F conversions with EFW, which is a center of excellence for Airbus freighter conversions and a joint venture between ST Engineering and Airbus. The first conversion that is now taking place at Turkish Technic in Istanbul, is scheduled to be re-delivered in the middle of this year.
“EFWs A330P2F program comes with two variants – the A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F – which are both equipped with advanced technology that offers airlines additional operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 60 tons of weight to over 7.700 km, while the larger A330-300P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 62 tons and a containerized volume of up to ~18.581ft3 (~526m3),” the release explains.
Jordi Boto, CEO of EFW, commented: “We are glad to have Turkish Technic with its deep experience in maintaining Airbus aircraft on board.”
Turkish Technic’s CEO, Mikail Akbulut, stated: “We are happy to reach this milestone on the first conversion as we partner with EFW to meet high level demand in the market,” said. “We’re looking forward to providing the best possible performance for our customers with our extensive structural and avionic modification capabilities.”
Paul Chase, ATSG Chief Commercial Officer, advised: “The A330 will provide a solution to ATSG customers seeking a freighter that offers both operational and economic benefits.”
Powerful like an ant: the little robot flitting across the warehouse floor is capable of carrying up to 500 kg at a time – more than 10 times the load its human peer would manage. 100 of these autonomous mobile robots (AMR) are set to support DB Schenker’s 650 staff at its newest contract logistics warehouse in Rudna in the Czech Republic. The high-tech warehouse includes seven packing lines with 162 stations, a vertical order picker and an automated sorter, and is set to offer fast, efficient, quality, customized supply chain logistics to retailers, B2C, e-commerce and for value-added services. It predicts that the warehouse will handle up to 59 million products per year.
One of 100 untiring tiny employees in Rudna, Czech Republic. Image: DB Schenker
The AMRs which operate on a conveyor line of 3,000 meters in length, can carry out their duties for up to three hours, after which their battery needs recharging. They take themselves to one of the charging stations in the warehouse when their battery is low, and can recharge in less than ten minutes. “The autonomous robots are controlled by software that records all shelf locations and the location of all goods. The robot closest to a shelf picks up the shelf and takes it to the desired picking station. The operator uses the pick-to-light system to remove the required quantity of goods from the shelf. After removing the goods from the shelf provided by the autonomous mobile robot, the operator places the box with the goods on the conveyor belt, which transports them to the next workstation for further processing, consolidation, or packaging,” the release explains. They support the 650 human employees in the warehouse, relieving them of the need of carrying out heavy or monotonous tasks.
Niklas Wilmking, Member of the Management Board for Contract Logistics, DB Schenker, said: “DB Schenker offers an excellent environment for innovation, technology, and highly qualified employees. By deploying automation and robotization, we have been able to optimize processes. This ensures particularly fast and punctual handling and at the same time creates better conditions for employees. After just a few weeks of operation, we were able to achieve a significant throughput for our customer from the electronics sector.”
Jettainer announced this week that is has appointed Elfi Chik to its North Asia sales team in Hong Kong. In her new role as General Manager Sales in North Asia, she will be responsible for developing and increasing market opportunities for Jettainer across China and North Asia. The ULD management company’s strategy if focused on strengthening its foothold in Asia.
Based in Hong Kong, Elfi Chik drives sales in North Asia. Image: Jettainer
Elfi Chik joins Jettainer from Worldwide Flight Services where she was Commercial Director Asia Pacific. Starting out a Hong Kong Airport Services Limited back in 2005, she has amassed sales and cargo experience through a number of positions with companies such as All Nippon Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Paramount Hong Kong Express Ltd. In 2016, she took on the position of Senior Global Account Manager Asia Pacific at American Airlines as was responsible for the success of the airline’s cargo sales activities in the region. Over the past 20 years, she has built up a strong cargo network that will stand Jettainer in good stead.
Thomas Sonntag, CEO of Jettainer, stated: “Elfi Chik boosts our team as a well-connected sales and air freight expert on both international and regional level. Having successfully established our offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, the expansion of our team will once again bring us closer to the market and our customers’ requirements. Chik’s extensive regional and international experience will be essential as we continue to grow in Asia. Her intercultural expertise will be instrumental in responding even better to each market’s specific needs.”
The STA (Scheduled Time of Arrival) is one thing. The ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is, or ought to be, closer to the truth and is the one question all consignees have – right down to the individual online shopper expecting their delivery. Many things can get in the way of a shipment’s STA – from unforeseen events, delays due to technical or weather conditions, resource problems, mistakes, etc. Lack of information and transparency cause lack of trust among shippers and freight forwarders, and are increasingly less acceptable in today’s technologically advanced age. Hence, air freight tracking solution developer, BlueBox Systems, has created an ETA feature that enables precise predictions, putting an end to uncertainty. Users gain a better overview of their transport and logistics processes, enabling them to plan more efficiently and cost-effectively, and act more quickly in the case of irregularities. Gone is the long-winded manual tracking alternative.
An intelligent crystal ball feature to solve an age-old problem. Image: BlueBox Systems
Martin Bernemann, Chief Technical Officer at BlueBox Systems, explained why his company came up with its ETA solution: “If you don’t know exactly where your expected deliveries are and if you don’t fulfill your customers’ wishes in terms of deliveries, all other positive services can become pointless. For this reason, supply chain transparency plays an important role. We continuously track thousands of shipments every day. Using this information, we have built a database from which we can derive the ETA of new shipments. This intelligent function offers shippers and carriers the best possible prediction given the information available.”
Franziska Damm, Director at 4flow, illustrated: “Many companies struggle with delays, costly disruptions and dissatisfied end customers because they have limited insight into their air freight shipments. Real-time tracking and accurate ETA predictions can therefore provide a real competitive advantage. We use BlueBox Systems to take our 4PL services to a new level for our customers. By using this software, we can optimize logistics processes and provide our customers with better visibility and control over their air freight shipments.”
Menzies Aviation and logistics company, Eurus Express started the new month with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at developing a joint venture (JV) to benefit from the business growth potential that exists in China’s Hainan Province and beyond. Hainan was chosen because it has a free-trade port status, which offers the best foundation for growth on an international level. Eurus Express, which has its headquarters in Hainan Province, is among China’s leading integrated logistics companies, with a global network of 58 locations in 17 countries. Together with Menzies Aviation, it aspires to “provide best-in-class cargo and logistics services in China [and help] the province become an international logistics and aviation leader,” the press release states.
Collaborating to secure sustainable growth in China. Image: Menzies
Philipp Joeinig, Group CEO, Menzies Aviation, announced: “We are thrilled to be working with Jackie Mung, CEO of Eurus Express, and his team, whose outlook and ambition is strategically aligned with our own vision. The creation of a JV presents a valuable opportunity for us to accelerate business growth in China and beyond to deliver best in class aviation services across the region. We are looking forward to working with Eurus Express to deliver market leading, high quality aviation services in Hainan and beyond.”
Jackie Mung, CEO, Eurus Express, outlined: “Our vision is to empower our people, partners, and communities in Hainan to thrive, as this market transforms at breakneck speed. The future of progress relies on imagination and vision to see beyond today. By combining vast local insight and global best practices, together we can facilitate pioneering solutions for sustainable growth.”
Ever optimistic on the future of the air cargo industry. Image: Meantime Communications
Sponsored by the Airforwarders Association (AfA), the Air and Expedited Motor Carriers Association (AEMCA) and Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), the AirCargo 2024, now in its 27th year, is looking to exceed its previous visitor stats, according to Fried. 85 exhibitors and around 800 representatives from airlines, airport authorities, freight forwarders, truckers, expediting companies and the like, will descend on Louisville, Kentucky from 11-13FEB24, to discuss key topics such as sustainability, cargo security, shifting global regulations and their impact on trade, and emerging tech designed to support forwarder processes. The agenda features almost 50 industry experts in the series of panels and presentations.
Brandon Fried, Executive Director, Airforwarders Association, expects a record turnout, detailing: “Our sessions will delve into critical issues that impact the daily operations of freight forwarders, trucking companies, airlines, and other stakeholders. I am particularly proud of the Women’s Networking Session, focusing on Perspectives on Imposter Syndrome, as we strive to foster inclusivity and diversity within our industry” and refers to the event as “a premier networking event, bringing together key players and fostering collaborations that drive success for the global airfreight industry.”
Multimodal supply chain technology provider, Kale Info Solutions, announced the appointment of two new positions in its Americas team: Maureen Kam, who assumes the post of Vice President Sales, Canada, and Camilo Navarro, who is the Sales Manager for South America. They will be instrumental in the company’s strategic expansion across North and South America, continuing to promote and implement Kale Info’s Port and Airport Cargo Community Platforms across the region. Both are well-versed in cargo. Maureen Kam’s background includes sales, marketing, ecommerce and digital transformation positions at Cathay Pacific Airways, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, and Cargojet, for example, with posts in Asia, the South Pacific, and North America. Camilo Navarro, has a solid Colombian industry background, having begun at British Airways World Cargo back in 1989, and worked for Cargex, Centurion Cargo Airline, Menzies Aviation, among others since then. He will be spearheading Kale Info’s growth of its Cargo Community Systems in South America.
Maureen Kam is Kale’s VP Sales for Canada. Image: Meantime Communications
Amar More, Chief Executive Officer, Kale Info, specified: “We are heading into 2024 and beyond with the best expertise and knowledge at the helm of our Americas operations. Our focus is on fostering growth and enhancing community systems across the Americas, ensuring the benefits of digitalization reach ports and airports throughout the regions.”
Maureen Kam commented: “In my new role I will be leading Kale Info’s sales and marketing strategy to deliver customer success across our community platforms and enterprise solutions. Our customer-centric approach and commitment to delivering end-to-end collaboration among stakeholders will benefit users with cost efficiency, reduced cargo dwell time, rapid information exchange, and heightened efficiencies across the supply chain.”
Camilo Navarro stated: “Latin America (LATAM) is a strategic hub for global trade. Our cargo community systems, fortified with a dynamic multi-modal corridor, are designed not only to enhance collaboration throughout the supply chain but also to bolster the advancement of burgeoning economies in the region.”
Over in Amsterdam, where the 1,000-strong dnata handles around 550,000 tons of cargo each year and carries out ground services for almost 40 airlines (operating circa 10,000 flights/year), the company is well on track to meet its 2030 carbon reduction target. Globally, dnata aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% within the next 6 years. On a local level, this translates into transitioning from fossil-fuel powered vehicles to electric, for example. With the delivery, recently, of 15 electric smart cars, soon to be complemented by a further five, dnata can now boast that over 65% of its fleet of 250 ground support equipment (GSE) units in The Netherlands is green since it is either powered by electric or solar energy. Not just that, but also its remaining legacy GSE fleet is fueled by biofuel in the form of 100% hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), and thus emits 90% less carbon dioxide emissions than its diesel predecessor throughout its lifecycle.
15 electric smart cars have been added to dnata’s AMS ground fleet. Image: dnata
Jan van Anrooy, Managing Director, dnata Netherlands, said: “We are committed to investing in green equipment and infrastructure to maximize environmental efficiency across our operations. Through close collaboration with our partners, we have promptly leveraged the airport’s new infrastructure by replacing our entire car fleet. As a result, over two-thirds of our fleet now operates on electric power or solar energy. We will continue our efforts to further reduce our environmental footprint, contributing to dnata’s commitment to reduce global carbon emissions.”
The development of green hydrogen for aircraft propulsion and for airports to achieve net zero is gaining momentum – predominantly in Northern Europe. Shortly before the turn of the year, 16 airports between the Baltic States, Scandinavia, and northern Germany, founded a hydrogen initiative1). This was followed, a few days later, by a landmark agreement on the use of SAF between the Norwegian company, Norsk eFuel, Cargolux, and the airline, Norwegian2). And the H2 journey continues apace.
Image of ZEROe hydrogen-powered turboprop aircraft – courtesy: Airbus
A group of companies, led by aircraft manufacturer Airbus, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to investigate the feasibility of a hydrogen ground infrastructure at airports in Norway and Sweden.
Alongside Airbus, the signatories are SAS, Swedavia, Avinor, and Vattenfall. This group’s main aim is to provide better understanding of hydrogen aircraft concepts and operations, supply, ground infrastructure and refueling needs at airports, in order to push forward the development of a hydrogen aviation ecosystem in both Nordic states and beyond. The work will also identify the pathways to determine which airports will be transformed first to operate hydrogen-powered aircraft in both Scandinavian countries, as well as clarify regulatory requirements.
“Sweden and Norway have great potential for H2”– Faury Hydrogen is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry’s fuel mix in the future and will therefore have effects on the ground infrastructure of airports.
Turning to the MoU; Airbus emphasized that it is the first time that a feasibility study of this kind covers two countries and more than 50 airports. The pact reflects the partners’ shared ambition to use their respective expertise to support the decarbonization of the aviation industry and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.
“Hydrogen stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” notes Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus. The executive went on to say: “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. I am very pleased to enter into this cooperation with partners fully engaged to take significant steps towards decarbonizing aerospace. It fits perfectly with our strategy of deploying hydrogen aviation ecosystems in the most suitable parts of the world.”
Early movers The role of green hydrogen as the most environmentally friendly energy carrier in aviation is underlined by Abraham Foss, CEO of airport operator, Avinor: “Hydrogen is emerging as a key energy carrier in future fossil free aviation.”
As the owner and operator of 43 airports across Norway, Avinor has been working on sustainability for many years already and has been a driving force and facilitator for the green transition of Norwegian aviation. “Norway, as well as Sweden, is well positioned to be an early mover in the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft. We look forward to contributing with our expertise as well as infrastructure to bring this important work forward,” the Avinor executive states.
Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s President and CEO, emphasizes that the partnership is a major and important step towards fossil-free aviation in northern Europe. “It will strengthen Swedavia’s role as a front-runner in fossil-free aviation, while at the same time taking another important step in the transition within the aviation industry,” the executive notes.
Still a bumpy road ahead Encouraging the transition towards achieving net-zero emissions is a journey that matters not just for SAS, but for the entire aviation industry, exclaims SAS’ President & CEO, Anko van der Werff. He points out that SAS has already established some collaborations in fossil-free aviation. But with Airbus on board, the transition from carbon to hydrogen powered aircraft gains additional drive.
Yet, it is still a bumpy road until the first H2 powered passenger and/or freighter aircraft crosses the skies. This is acknowledged by Anna Borg, President and CEO of energy giant, Vattenfall. Breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge, she states. However, “the cross-border collaboration demonstrates the willingness to bring about change. We look forward to contributing with expertise in electricity market development, electrical infrastructure, and hydrogen production in Sweden.”
While all this is comparable to plans presented by ADP as airport operator of Paris-CDG, and other large platforms, it needs to be said that smaller, regional airports will probably be faster movers in the field of Green Hydrogen and its transformation into Sustainable Aviation Fuel, remarks aviation and energy expert, Hugo Duchemin of COMWORXX S.A.S., France. Business flight operators at these airports are experiencing pressure to comply with environmental aspects. “Their customers, often multinational corporations, are also publicly under fire and can be a driving force when it comes to investing in the availability of emission-free synthetic kerosene (e-fuel),” he adds.
Decarbonizing ground ops at airports are part of the scheme The use of H2 to power future aircraft is not only expected to significantly reduce aircraft emissions but could also help decarbonize air transport activities on the ground. In 2020, Airbus presented its first ZEROe concept with the ambition to bring the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market by 2035. The development of the corresponding technology is now underway in a global Research & Technology network, the plane maker assures.
In addition, Airbus kicked off the “Hydrogen Hub at Airports” program to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations across the entire value chain. To date, agreements have been signed with partners and airports in ten countries including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
As pointed out by Hugo Duchemin (COMWORXX), the concept of hydrogen hubs at airports was already presented independently by both an aerospace alliance and a hydrogen company at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022. Not only will these hubs serve airport-internal operations, but they will also benefit all connecting services such as the thousands of air freight trucks working on behalf of the major airlines and forwarder to feed industrial cargo from production sites to cargo terminals, and from there to larger freighter terminals across Europe, notes the expert.
Even in the ideal world, where every employee is safety-conscious and up-to-date with their training, medical emergencies can still occur in the workplace. Whilst most accidents can be prevented through relevant awareness training, sudden illness is not predictable. Whatever the emergency situation, are you and your colleagues well prepared to deal with it? Would you know what to do?
Every second counts when it comes to an accident or illness. Image: Canva/CFG
Having just voluntarily attended a 2-day first aid course and realized that much has changed since the last time I was instructed in the subject, it caused me to reflect on safety in the air cargo workplace. Not least, because most of the other participants were nominated company first aiders and similarly reported that it had been years since their last course.
Standards are usually regulated Standards for first aid in the workplace are generally set by your national authority. They describe the legal requirements or guidelines surrounding the number of trained first aiders per team size, and the necessary first aid supplies, training, and equipment, based on the nature of the work and potential hazards.
ICAO, IATA, and EASA offer safety courses and/or medical manuals and guidelines, but a general first aid course can be taken anywhere and is usually offered by the Red Cross or ambulance services in your country. Even if your workplace does not encourage or offer this, you would do well to bring up the topic with HR, and ensure that – whatever the result – you arrange your own training. After all, accidents and incidents do not just happen at work.
Prevention is better than cure Particularly work in the warehouse or on the aircraft ramp, poses a number of safety risks if staff is not properly trained, or if they are exhausted due to limited resources, or having to deal with badly built-up pallets coming in, for example. Not to mention, dangerous goods, forklift incidents, heavy lifting, etc. Training in all aspects of workplace safety should come first on any company’s staff agenda and be regularly refreshed. The usual recommendation is every two to three years for basic first aid, or every year for CPR training. You should consider the different potential risks in work environment and arrange the necessary training to counteract these. For example, learn how to deal with the many possible dangerous goods incidents. And since we learn through routine, regular practice scenarios should be planned or at least written/verbal reminders of how to deal with certain situations should be sent via regular, available communication channels.
Are you set up to provide quick, basic help? Yet, whether you work in the warehouse, on the ramp, or in an office, medical emergencies are not just the result of accidents, they can also be due to illness, dehydration, or stress. Whatever the case, does your workplace have a first aider quickly on hand, and the necessary medical supplies or equipment to provide quick, basic help until the medical crew arrive? Does everyone in the workplace know where the first aid kit is kept? Are they familiar with its contents? Do you have enough trained staff on hand who know how to apply those supplies? And if so, when was your staff last trained in first aid? In an ideal world, everyone should be aware of the measures to be taken in the case of an injury or illness, rather than have the responsibility for immediate care rest on just one or two sets of shoulders, since what would be the scenario if they were both not there on the day something happens? Have you developed clear first aid procedures on how to respond to medical emergencies, are these displayed, and is everyone aware of them and who their local first aiders are? Are all emergency numbers clearly listed?
And how up-to-date is your first aid kit? Would your first aid kit pass an inspection? Is it easily accessible and clean? Are you aware of what it needs to contain? Are all the contents still within their sell-by date? Do you have a functioning defibrillator (AED)? Enough supplies to deal with wound care in the case of cuts, scrapes, or other injuries, and prevent infection, or should more be ordered? In other words, enough bandages, disposable gloves, and antiseptics, etc.?
A safe workplace is a happier workplace Quite aside from having to face legal penalties if workplace first aid procedures are not upheld, a working environment in which everyone is aware of how to act in a medical emergency, is likely to function far better than one where employees feel less safe. From a safety perspective, too: the more aware staff is of the risks around them, the more careful they will be in their work. Ideally, all employees should be trained in basic first aid, since the quicker an ill or injured person receives help, the greater their chances of recovery/survival and prevention of further injury. Also, the more people are trained, the more likely they will feel confident to step in when needed. Ultimately, it also creates a better company culture, knowing that help is on hand in an emergency.
Keep the information fresh at all times However, as I stated at the beginning, make sure your employees regularly get to refresh what they know about first aid. Practices change over time, and if you were still taught about using biros to create tracheotomies for people having problem breathing or were told that anyone having an epileptic fit should have a spoon in their mouth to prevent them from swallowing their tongue, you could now be doing more harm than good. Those methods are no longer used.
And the era of technology – whether in the form of a multi-lingual, talking defibrillator unit or a smartphone that you can place on speaker phone while you administer help following the instructions of the professional emergency services contact on the other end – also creates better response possibilities.
So, invest in first aid training and thus in your team.
And if you have an air cargo first aid story or Best Demonstrated Practice that you would like to share with CargoForwarder Global’s readers, let us know in the comments below, or send us a LinkedIn message/email to cargoforwarderglobal@kopfpilot.at
