ACW 6th February 23

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals

PML Kenya invests in state-of-the-art vacuum cooler ...

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INSIDE

MARTINAIR PLACES ORDER FOR ...

MARTINAIR, part of the KLM Group, has placed a firm order with Airbus for four new A350F freighter aircraft. Martinair is the operating carrier for ...

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FREIGHTIFY SECURES $12 MILLION AS IT DEMOCRATISES ACCESS TO BEST PRICES FOR FREIGHT FORWARDERS

Freightify has announced a USD $12 million Series A funding round to save 70% of the time spent on manual tasks while halving the operational costs to do business for them.

The round was led by Sequoia Capital India & Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia with participation from Trail Mix Ventures and Alteria Capital. The round also includes returning investors Nordic Eye Venture Capital and Motion Ventures. Founded in 2016, Freightify initially started as a marketplace for freight forwarders to conveniently search, book and track freight. This experience in automating sea freight paved the way to a software-as-aservice (SaaS) pivot. Freightify’s platform, with rate management and quoting capabilities, is able to empower freight forwarders to procure, manage and quote freight prices (including all possible ancillary charges) in less than two minutes.

Freightify is navigating a unique approach in the industry, away from a marketplace model that offers a one-to-many solution, and more of an all-

encompassing personalised platform that freight forwards can license as a white label solution for their websites offering an unparalleled engagement opportunity for their customers.

Over 200 freight forwarding companies providing global logistics services (across 45 countries) use Freightify to digitise their operations. These customers have reported halving the cost and a substantial time saving in doing business. Some customers deploy a Freightify white label platform and have reported an increase in retained business and an increase in revenue by 20%.

“We set up Freightify to remove the heavy lifting of manually providing quotations, accepting email/telephonic bookings, managing documentation, coordinating and tracking shipments. Freightify solves these challenges by giving them and their customers a live pricing platform like the ones used by travellers to compare airfares, showing real-time rates on a single screen. Freight forwarders are like the travel agents for global trade, however, air travel is not as

complicated as global trade. Supply chains require experts to manage cargo throughout the entire lifecycle and freight forwarders play a vital role in greasing the wheels,” Raghavendra Viswanathan, CEO of Freightify, said.

Freightify’s new funding round will help launch new functionalities and deliver on a strong and expanded product roadmap, expand the sales team globally, especially in North America, build channel partnerships, and increase their brand awareness globally as they expand into new geographies and segments.

“The global freight forwarding industry, with a market cap of over $300 billion, has been never more ripe for disruption and adoption of technology...we are truly excited to be partnering with the passionate team at Freightify, which provides white labelled rate automation solutions that is truly unique and can bring in a lot more visibility to the ever changing dynamic freight rates,” Harshjit Sethi, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India, added.

DNATA, EMIRATES LEISURE ... DNATA, a leading global air and travel services provider, has celebrated the launch of its operations at Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International ...

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AIR CHARTER SERVICE OPENS... AIR Charter Service has continued to expand its North American operations with a new Washington D.C. office, serving

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AIR CARGO AFRICA TO SHINE ...

air cargo Africa, the sector’s leading industry exhibition and conference, comes to Johannesburg, South Africa from 21-23 February. Having

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FourKites launches data connector to help businesses maximise the power of supply chain data

FOURKITES has announced the launch of Data Connector, an offering that allows customers to automatically access and leverage FourKites data directly within their existing business intelligence tool.

“Data Connector has enabled our company to integrate additional data points into internal reporting for better traceability,” Kaitlyn DeSpiegler, Logistics Manager – Strategic Projects, 3M, said. “This, in turn, has helped us gain insight into our export process as it relates to delays and handoffs. The data feeds into a larger end-to-end view that our export and import teams use to track goods processing through 3PL warehouses and the exporting country.”

“Business leaders are realising that trusted, highquality supply chain data goes far beyond trucks and trains; it is relevant to all corners of the enterprise. The more accessible that data is across their organisation, the more they can optimise their operations,” Priya Rajagopalan, Chief Product Officer of FourKites, said.”

Aero Africa appoints Chair

Professor Issa Baluch as an advisory board member

Martinair places order for four new A350F aircraft

MARTINAIR, part of the KLM Group, has placed a firm order with Airbus for four new A350F freighter aircraft. Martinair is the operating carrier for KLM Cargo. The four A350Fs emit over 40% less CO2 and make 50% less noise than their predecessors. The

compared to their predecessors. That is why we decided to place this order earlier than originally planned. Instead of in 2027, we will replace the freighters from autumn 2026. We are accelerating KLM’s sustainability efforts with this,” Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, said.

AERO Africa air cargo management group has announced the appointment of Chair Professor Issa Baluch as a non-executive advisory board member effective 1st January 2023.

Baluch is credited with pioneering sea/air multimodal transport via UAE into Africa and other regions and was Founder and CEO of Swift Freight International, which he headed from 1989 to 2008. Issa has also been heavily involved in GSSAs and cargo airlines in the region.

“It is a pleasure and honour to be working with Professor Issa Baluch. We are confident that his advice and extensive experience in air cargo logistics in Africa and the Middle East will guide us to the right path for the future growth of our organisation and open doors to new opportunities,” Christos Spyrou, Group CEO, said.

“I am delighted to join the energetic leadership of Aero Africa and to play a role in their strategic growth plans in the Middle East & Africa,” Baluch added.

new aircraft will replace the current Boeing 747 freighters from the second half of 2026.

The A350F is the freighter version of the A350. It is suitable for carrying a range of cargos, including fresh produce, express shipments, pharmaceuticals, horses and oversized cargo. The maximum payload of the chosen configuration is 108 tonnes.

“Fleet renewal is an important part of KLM’s ambition to become more sustainable.

In this, we take our responsibility. We want to emit less CO2 because of the climate and reduce noise for local residents. The A350F reduces CO2 by over 40% and noise by 50%

WILLIAM CARR

“In choosing the A350F, we are taking an important step to cut CO2 emissions and noise pollution. I am very pleased with these new, technologically advanced aircraft joining the fleet, which fit well in the Air France KLM Martinair Cargo operation. For our customers, the versatility of the A350F is good news for the future. The new aircraft are an important addition, supplementing the belly capacity of our extensive intercontinental passenger fleet,” Adriaan den Heijer, Executive Vice President of Air France-KLM Cargo and Managing Director of Martinair, said.

publishing, William Carr founded the company in 1993 with the A-Z Worldwide Airfreight Directory which was published twice each year and quickly became the industry’s principal source of reference before the internet took over.

In the following thirty years he oversaw the creation of Air Cargo Week, the development of various websites and the growth of major industry events around the world. He took the company into the digital age and guided it through the industry’s recent difficult times to ensure that the global airfreight community received its news and information every week without fail.

WITH great sadness we report the death of William Carr, chairman of A-Z Group Limited (Azura International), publishers of Air Cargo Week. His passing on 28th January followed several weeks of failing health.

From a family background in newspaper

Tributes have been received from trade and industry sources around the world. They include terms like; “an inspiration to so many”, “charming and courteous”, “a stalwart of printed publications in our sector”, “a fine gentleman”, “great insight” and many more. Nobody would disagree.

A true gentleman indeed and one who will be sorely missed.

dnata, Emirates Leisure Retail and SEGAP join forces with Zanzibar Airports Authority

DNATA, a leading global air and travel services provider, has celebrated the launch of its operations at Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) with its partners Emirates Leisure Retail and SEGAP, a joint venture between airport infrastructure and operations specialists Egis, and private equity fund manager AIIM (African Infrastructure Investment Managers).

The three companies will work closely together to deliver world-class services for airlines and passengers at the newlybuilt international terminal (T3) of ZNZ. The partnership is expected to significantly contribute to the government’s target of boosting its trade and tourism sectors.

The investment represents over $10 million and, to date, has created some 500 local jobs with the companies.

dnata will provide its globally renowned, quality ground, passenger and cargo handling services to airline customers at ZNZ, ensuring safe and timely operations of flights and an excellent travel experience for passengers. In addition, dnata launched meet & greet and lounge services through its airport hospitality brand, marhaba, to help passengers further enhance their experience and enjoy a smooth airport journey from check-in to boarding.

Emirates Leisure Retail has partnered with MMI as master concessionaire for all food and beverage, duty free and commercial outlets at T3. In collaboration with Eight Inc, the companies have created an innovative and immersive travel experience, ZOMA, designed to create a sense of place and extend the holiday feeling for passengers. In the ZOMA Zones each store is inspired by the scents, feelings, and flavours of the island. In addition to these outlets, ELR and MMI carefully selected and curated the best retailers from the island to spotlight some of the best that Zanzibar offers.

SEGAP entered into a 10-year technical partnership with Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA) to manage and operate Zanzibar and Pemba airports. The consortium will act as a long-term partner to help position Zanzibar as a leading

tourism destination, improve airport performance across all fields (including passenger experience, operation, profitability, etc.) and enhance airport infrastructure and services. The consortium will act as one project team for ZAA, covering different airport management and operation aspects.

“We’re delighted to celebrate the launch of our airport services and retail offering with our partners at Zanzibar’s new, advanced airport terminal,” Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group and Chairman of Emirates Leisure Retail and MMI, said. “We are confident that our investment, alongside our commitment to safety, quality and service excellence, will provide a major positive impact on Zanzibar’s transport, tourism and trade industries. This in turn will deliver significant benefits for the local community and businesses. We will continue our efforts to consistently deliver world-class services, earn the trust and loyalty of airline customers and travellers, and be an employer of choice in Zanzibar.”

“We are delighted to continue our key role in ZAA’s strategic development in cooperation with the airport’s stakeholders, after a successful year of cooperation, where we have contributed to operational improvements to support the growth of tourism in Zanzibar,” Olivier Baric, Egis Aviation Director for Africa, said. “Together and over the next 12 months, we will continue with our endeavours to support the modernisation of facilities, processes and staff needed for Zanzibar to achieve high quality, safety and security services in order for Zanzibar to be recognised as having an international airport that is an outstanding gateway to a destination that has everything to attract visitors, from world-class beaches to a UNESCO World Heritage site.”

To establish operations, dnata has hired and trained over 340 local talent and deployed a fleet of more than 120 pieces of ground support equipment at ZNZ. The company will gradually expand its operations and team, and by 2024 expects to handle more than 4,000 flights annually with a team of over 400 aviation professionals at the airport.

dnata is also investing in a state-of-the-art facility to offer cargo services at the airport, supporting local trade and businesses. The cargo centre, which is scheduled for completion in 2024, will comply with the highest industry standards ensuring efficient and safe handling of a broad range of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles.

The dnata Group has been contributing to Zanzibar’s tourism sector through its global travel businesses for decades. In 2022 dnata Travel, a leading travel services provider in the GCC region, facilitated flights, hotel bookings and holiday packages for thousands of travellers to Zanzibar.

SEGAP will provide general airport management and operation services to ZAA, including: improving operational and financial performance, development of airport assets, increasing passenger and cargo traffic, airline route development, best practice and compliance with international standards. SEGAP has also seconded a number of key experts into the airport – including three managers – to work closely with the ZAA teams and facilitate organisational improvements and knowledge transfer. ZAA also benefits from access to Egis’ network of 20 airports across the globe, for knowledge and best-practice sharing across many airport management aspects, and databases for operational performance and benchmarking.

Air Charter Service opens new Washington, D.C. office

AIR Charter Service has continued to expand its North American operations with a new Washington D.C. office, serving the Virginia and Delaware regions as well as the capital. Joel Fenn has been appointed as CEO of the new office, which is the company’s ninth in the United States.

“We have always had a strong customer base here in the capital and we were fortunate enough to have a couple of extremely successful years across our US offices, despite the pandemic, and felt that now was the right time to open our office here,” Fenn said.

Fenn started his ACS career in 2005 in the company’s London headquarters, where he worked his way up to the position of Private Jets Director, before taking on the same role in the Hong Kong office. He then moved to Miami in 2015, taking the reins when ACS opened their Florida office in the city. Adding to the experienced team is Chris Fisher, the company’s Cargo Business Development Director.

“Obviously D.C. and the surrounding region are key to our US growth plans and we’re very excited to open an office here. Joel and Chris bring their wealth of experience and will be looking to work on large government contracts. Joel has previous experience of running an ACS operation from its inception and is absolutely the right person for the job,” Justin Bowman, ACS’s CEO, added.

TAM Group accelerates expansion in ASEAN

TAM Group has announced the opening of three offices in Southeast Asia. In response to the growing demand in the region.

Tam Group has embarked on joint ventures with Thailand’s GP Group and Vietnam’s TP Cargo Transport Services to launch offices in the key strategic locations of Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The move signifies a return to normality for Asia-Pacific’s aviation industry as the world looks beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am honoured to have two great partners in the region that will help cater to our clients’ needs, and I am confident of a mutually beneficial partnership with all our

stakeholders,” Alvin Tam, VP, Commercial of TAM Group said.

“The Southeast Asia region is primed for growth. Amid a flood of global downgrades, Thailand’s economic outlook remains resilient, and the economy is poised for growth in coming years despite economic uncertainties and volatility. We look forward to tapping into new opportunities by combining our local market knowledge with TAM Group’s global reach. We are confident that this will be a successful collaboration that provides clients with a high standard of service,” Anju Shah, Managing Director of Geepee Air Service, TAM Group’s partner in Bangkok, said.

Bat for a Chance launch South African partnership with The CATCH Trust and Virgin Atlantic Cargo

BAT for a Chance (BFAC), the cricket charity helping underprivileged children experience the joy of cricket has partnered with The CATCH Trust and Virgin Atlantic Cargo in a new South African cricket partnership for 2023.

BFAC has teamed up with Virgin Atlantic Cargo, as part of a continuing programme of kit donations across the world, scheduled for 2023. The programme kicked off last year in Barbados and Pakistan working with the Roland Butcher Academy in Barbados and the sports charity FemGames led in Pakistan by Ebba Qureshi, a trustee of the charity and the wife of former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood. BFAC is a partner of Sri Lanka’s leading charity, The Foundation of Goodness and Kushil Gunasekera.

The kit donations in South Africa were overseen by The CATCH Trust which has a passion for delivering community cricket-led initiatives. The trust has been supporting the Khayelitsha township in the Western Cape since 2014 and has developed a strategy to bring about gender equality and opportunities for

Zongteng Group selects

WFS to handle new 777F services as it boosts SinoEuropean e-commerce cargo capacity

WORLDWIDE Flight Services (WFS) has been awarded a contract to handle Zongteng Group’s new Boeing 777 freighter flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

Zongteng Group is a leading provider of cross-border e-commerce services, including fulfilment and customised supply chain solutions provided by its sub-brands, YunExpress, Elogistic and Worldtech, and reported a turnover in 2021 of €3.85 billion. The new Shenzhen-Paris freighter route is the company’s latest initiative to realise the immense potential of Sino-European cross-border trade.

The new 777F service will provide 15,000 tonnes of annual cargo capacity, providing Zongteng Group customers with highly reliable e-commerce logistics services and optimised lead times. In Q3 2023, the Group expects to add a second Boeing 777F to increase its Shenzhen-Paris CDG operations to six to eight flights per week and lift its available capacity to a projected 28,000 tonnes per annum.

WFS has been appointed to provide ramp and cargo handling services for the cargo flights at Paris CDG, which are operated by Zongteng Group in collaboration with Central Airlines.

“WFS is proud to be using its ramp and cargo handling expertise at Paris CDG to support the launch and growth ambitions of Zongteng Group’s new 777 freighter services. The strong growth in demand for cross-border e-commerce capacity from China to Europe requires more cargo capacity as well as the support of fast and reliable handling on the ground in order to meet customers’ service expectations. We are confident this partnership between Zongteng and WFS will deliver these high service standards,” Laurent Bernard, VP Cargo France at WFS, said.

marginalised communities.

With the kind support of Virgin Atlantic Cargo, BFAC has delivered 18 bags of equipment thanks to the remarkable generosity of a number of sponsors and partners including IG Index sponsors of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Nium a global Fintech Unicorn business and sponsors of the International Cricket Council, Former Sri Lanka coach Simon Willis’s Fledglings Cricket and Moonwalkr, an Indian based cricket manufacturer.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Bat for a Chance to bring our expertise in transporting cargo to such a worthy project,” Phil Wardlaw, Managing Director at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said. “Partnering with Bat for a Chance means Virgin Atlantic Cargo is able to bring a real opportunity for children to participate in this wonderful sport and experience the joy of cricket, in South Africa and across the world.”

MAKING A SUCCESS OF AFRICA’S CHALLENGING CARGO MARKET

In its 22nd year of operation, Astral Aviation is cementing its status as Africa’s leading all-cargo airline with a global footprint.

The airline was originally launched to provide charter solutions to the humanitarian fraternity due to the close proximity of Kenya to regions in the horn and Central parts of Africa. Using wet-leased freighters, Astral was able to improve accessibility and connectivity for aid and relief cargoes to remote locations.

“This was achieved by a number of humanitarian airlifts, including performing the world’s largest air-drop programme in Southern Sudan, which gave it the expertise to provide solutions in difficult regions,” Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aviation, said.

Evolving market

Astral has had a natural evolution over the past two decades, moving from being a non-scheduled operator with a focus on charters to a scheduled operator with a unique scheduled network to serving 20 destinations with a fleet of 15 freighters from its hubs in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dubai, Liege and Hong Kong.

“We had the opportunity of scaling our business eight years after formation, by transforming into a scheduled carrier with a fleet of dryleased freighters, with a focus of creating a scheduled network to niche destinations, for its clients which include over 40 interline partners and global freight forwarders via its Global GSA Network,” Gadhia stated. “The journey has been fulfilling with plenty of learning along the way as Africa continues to be amongst the most difficult and complex regions to operate into.”

Going from its original goal of humanitarian airlifts, Astral now carries various types of cargoes, such as perishable; medical items, vaccines, humanitarian, aid and relief cargoes; express/e-commerce cargoes; mining, oil & gas flights; peacekeeping and rations; project cargoes; consumer goods, including mobile phones and electronics; excess baggage.

It’s not just the cargo carrier that’s evolved in that time though. When Astral launched, the air cargo sector in Africa was non-existent, except for a handful of local cargo airlines, as the market was dominated by foreign carriers.

The situation has changed marginally with a number of African airlines diversifying into cargo. However, the sector continues to

be dominated by foreign carriers, who account for 80% of the international market share and 30% of the intra-African market. That’s why African airlines have an opportunity to increase their market share by acquiring freighters and entering into co-operation with regional carriers, which is a part of the objective of the Single African Air Traffic Market (SAATM) - a unique initiative of the African Union to boost the aviation sector in Africa.

Infrastructure has improved in the region, with a number of cargo terminals coming up in various hubs. However, Africa still lacks airside infrastructure, including cold storage facilities for perishables and pharma, which is required for it to truly capitalise on the options within the cargo market.

Striving for success

Astral puts its success down to five key elements: its staff, fleet, expertise, partnerships and hubs.

With a staff of 150 people, the cargo airline prides itself on delivering the highest level of customer service with an agile and resilient mindset and strong communication.

Through its diverse fleet of freighters, ranging from six tonnes to 110 tonnes across six different aircraft types, Astral has worked to ensure it can offer a competitive product for its client’s payloads.

Having been in operation for 22 years, Astral has seen how the African region has developed, giving them expertise in how to operate effectively within some of the most complex parts of the continent.

Partnering with over 40 airlines and freight forwarders in Africa and beyond, as well as securing a strong GSA network, Astral has developed strong connections to deliver its product.

With its hub and spoke concept, which evolved around flying air cargo to Africa from its five hubs, Astral has worked to ensure it has strong connectivity.

Despite their best efforts though and the detailed plan in place, 2022 was a difficult year for companies across Africa, including Astral Aviation, due to the decline of air imports into the region amid the post-Covid and global recession. This was compounded by the lower output from China. Although, exports continued to grow, especially for flowers into Europe and the Middle East, as well as fresh meat moving to the Middle East.

“With a staff of 150 people, the cargo airline prides itself on delivering the highest level of customer service with an agile and resilient mindset and strong communication”

AFRICA’S MARKET

Domestically, the intra-African market has been stable despite these turbulent times, with cargo maintaining a key place amid limited resumption of passenger flights post-Covid.

The overall strength of the African market has also been impacted by the pace of digitalisation, which remains slow in the region despite excellent efforts being made in regions such as Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa. However, for the digital revolution to truly take hold in Africa, more resources will need to be invested across the aviation sector.

Creating a modern fleet

In September 2022, Astral Aviation and Vaayu delivered the World’s First A320P2F, which was converted by ST Engineering, to an Indian Cargo Start-up, Pradhaan Air Express, which is based in Delhi and operates non-scheduled flights within India and Asia.

The A320F is a narrow-body freighter which is suited for operations out of India, which will continue to be the flagship aircraft for Pradhaan Air Express. Plans to look at new opportunities for the A320P2F are being explored in the Middle East, Europe and Australia.

Astral also entered into an agreement with Nordic Capital to acquire the World’s First E190F, which will be converted by Embraer and will be delivered in November 2024 and January 2025. The decision was based on the suitability of the E190F to be a reliable and efficient feeder aircraft due to its 12 tonne payload and to offer clients a better frequency out of our Nairobi Hub thus replacing the Fokker 50 and DC9F Freighters.

With the planned intra-African expansion of Astral’s network out of East, Southern and West Africa from the Nairobi, Johannesburg and Lome hubs respectively, the potential of a point-to-point feeder aircraft will be met by the E190F, hence Astral’s decision to acquire two with plans for several more.

“The Embraer E190F will be the perfect freighter for e-commerce and express cargoes within Africa and will be a replacement for the ATR72 and B737-300F,” Gadhia explained. “We remain confident that the E190F will be a versatile and competitive option for aircargo within the Intra-African market due to its range and safety performance.”

AIR CARGO AFRICA TO SHINE SPOTLIGHT ON REGION’S GROWING CARGO COMMUNITY

air cargo Africa, the sector’s leading industry exhibition and conference, comes to Johannesburg, South Africa from 21-23 February. Having been rescheduled due to the Covid pandemic, it is back again to celebrate domestic innovations and global partnerships in Africa’s vibrant cargo community.

That disruption, while unfortunate, allowed the industry to focus on opportunities to adapt to changing environments, innovating to meet the new normal, and offering interest insights and enthusiasm that will drive the future of the air cargo industry in Africa and beyond.

One of the most anticipated trade shows for the global industry, air cargo Africa has cemented its leadership position over the past few years by attracting some of the most influential companies and professionals to the show.

The African aviation industry, both for passenger and freight movement, is witnessing a massive surge in terms of launch of new carriers. Amid the expansion of trade volumes between Africa and the world, as well as rapid digitalisation of global supply chains, air cargo Africa has earned the trust of the global cargo industry as the number one platform for thought leadership, business networking, and discovering new technologies.

With more than 2000 attendees expected, over three days of focused networking events and knowledge-sharing conferences, air cargo Africa 2023 will bring together leading airlines, airports,

GSAs, freight forwarders, cargo handling companies, IT solution providers, and many other important players in the global cargo community.

Amid the topics that will lead the conversation at the event are: The highs and lows of air cargo in Africa during and after the pandemic; future of freight is digital – a reality check; logistics for e-commerce in Africa – building fast, reliable and sustainable solutions; pharma and healthcare; and more.

“We are very excited to confirm our participation in air cargo Africa 2023 as this is the right platform for us to showcase our airfreight solutions and share our experience of flying the largest freighter network to and within Africa,” Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO of Astral Aviation, said.

“We look forward to the 2023 edition as we wish to increase our brand awareness and promote our products in the African logistics and aviation community. We are excited about the networking and social activities at air cargo Africa 2023,” Christos Spyrou, CEO and Founder of Aero Africa, added.

“We are delighted to participate at air cargo Africa 2023 because it is the right platform to address different aspects of the industry in this important region which holds tremendous potential for global impact…Africa allows us to look at new different pharma logistics models that combine air cargo with larger multimodal integrations,” Frank Van Gelder, Secretary General of Pharma.Aero, said.

Driving the digitalisation discussion

Fresh from the organisation’s bi-annual working group meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, CargoiQ is excited to join industry leaders at air cargo Africa to share its expertise on methods to enhance quality and standardisation in the air cargo supply chain.

The event saw more than 50 cargo executives, representing 31 Cargo iQ members meeting in person, with additional participants joining online for three days of updates on current projects and the launch of new ones. The event saw attendees work on specific issues at micro levels, track improvements, and apply the model to all affected areas, with an added element of friendly competition in the form of its Quality Rally (Q Rally) initiative.

Members reviewed the status of implementation of FIW/ FOW/ Exception Handling Code Procedures (EHCP), added to the Master Operating Plan (MOP) in March last year, and examined any barriers to implementation, with good progress reported by members across the board.

The Q Rally initiative has taken to new heights, targeting and achieving more specific milestones, with its impact in solving advanced supply chain issues growing increasingly far reaching. January’s Q Rally winners won for their work to streamline the Freight on Hand (FOH) shipment acceptance process in a ground handler member’s Nairobi office.

The Door-to-Door (D2D) sub-working group was reinstated to address forwarders’ challenges in implementing D2D specifications, which allow Cargo iQ members to measure the movement of freight from shipper to consignee, developed based on the MOP.

A further session was dedicated to updates to Cargo iQ’s Care Protocol, and user group meetings also took place, enabling various stakeholders to address their specific difficulties faced in applying Cargo iQ processes.

The Working Group meetings were book-ended by Cargo iQ’s Advanced training sessions, which were very well attended, with more than 20 executives attending each session.

“Airlines, forwarders, and ground handlers bridged the gap between how supply chain processes are standardised and how people on the frontline interact with them,” Megha Palkar, Assistant Manager, Cargo iQ, said. “They were incredibly interactive sessions and feedback was hugely positive.”

Palkar will join the digital debate as a speaker on the ‘Future of freight’ panel on day two of the air cargo Africa conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 21st to 23rd February 2023, sharing her perspective on the industry’s need for technological innovation

“Airlines, forwarders, and ground handlers bridged the gap between how supply chain processes are standardised and how people on the frontline interact with them”

SEKO Logistics announces new Senior Vice President, Global e-commerce

PML KENYA INVESTS IN STATE-OF-THE-ART VACUUM COOLER

PML Kenya has invested USD $300,000 in a new vacuum cooler system designed to provide customers with an affordable and highly efficient temperature control measure to improve cool chain management.

The new Weber Next Gen EU8 EP vacuum cooler boasts the very latest technology and is widely acknowledged as the best system on the market extending the life of products by two to seven times longer than regular cooling methods. The state-of-the-art system cools products from 20-30oc to 1-5oc in just 15-30 minutes and has a maximum capacity of 4000kg. Based at Mitchell Cotts Air Cargo Terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi, the cooler is located to provide both landside and airside access.

The convenient siting of the facility ensures that customers can deliver products landside, have them vacuum cooled and then stored in cold rooms. The already cooled shipments can then be seamlessly delivered to the aircraft (airside) directly from the cold stores within the shortest possible timeframe, reducing exposure times and effectively maintaining the cool chain to maximise shelf life.

PML Kenya has a prior working relationship with Mitchell Cotts - as a customer for carriers handled by the freight

forwarder – however, the vacuum cooler initiative represents the first major project where the two companies have joined forces as business partners.

By investing in this value-added service, PML Kenya is anticipating increased business from both existing and new small holder shippers and growers, who will be keen to benefit from the cost effective and easily accessible vacuum cooling solution. The equipment was commissioned on 13th December 2022, and launched on 12th January 2023 and is already in use.

In the long term, PML Kenya will continue to invest in technology to further enhance its cool chain management credentials and is looking to install a blast chiller at the same facility, offering a cooling system for products that arrive on site hot but which don’t qualify for vacuum cooling.

“Investing in future perfect technology has always been part of the PML ethos, as is delivering a superior level of customer service to our customers. This latest investment is a perfect example of our ongoing commitment to providing a best-in-class cool chain management solution to our clients and collaborating with like-minded businesses - who share our vision and values – to achieve this,” Silas Kashindi, Group Director at PML Kenya said.

SEKO Logistics has announced its latest advancement in its global e-commerce business with the appointment of Richard MacLaren as the new Senior Vice President, Global e-commerce. MacLaren will be responsible for enhancing and executing the overall strategy and structure for the SEKO e-commerce business. He will lead the SEKO team in delivering high-velocity e-commerce logistics solutions for clients to excel global supply chain growth, quickly and sustainably.

MacLaren brings over 20 years of experience in supply chain, logistics, contract logistics, e-commerce, and cross-border e-commerce to this position. Prior to joining SEKO, MacLaren was the global senior vice president for consumer goods and e-commerce at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics (Hellman). MacLaren led teams across the world, including Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas. He was also part of the global leadership team reporting into Hellmann’s supervisory board in Germany. Following an early career in finance, MacLaren transitioned into sales and commercial roles followed by a leadership role involving the creation of a North American third-party logistics (3PL) and supply chain consultancy business.

“Global e-commerce demand only continues to increase,” Steen Christensen, Chief Operating Officer at SEKO, said. “To efficiently and successfully cross borders, retailers are looking to partner with logistics providers who are prepared to meet their needs around the world and in individual local markets. Richard brings that leadership expertise. He’s the right person to lead the future of our e-commerce business and help our clients move their supply chains forward.”