ECS: PUTTING THE ‘SALES’ INTO GSA

The DNA of Paris-based ECS Group contains expansion in its molecules and cells. That’s the proud boast of Adrien Thominet. ECS Group executive chairman. He says: “Expanding our business opportunities is in the foundation of our DNA. In fact, we are always looking for opportunities, especially since as a GSSA (General Sales and Service Agent), we have the opportunity of attracting new customers thanks to our service portfolio. At a time when the market requires agility and cost control, our set of services, our abilities, have been developed specially to satisfy a wide range of needs. We will continue to adapt it according to market evolutions.”

The roots of ECS Group go back almost 40 years. In 1998, a range of major local GSAs around the world consolidated into the ECS brand. This is why some of its airline contracts date back to as early as 1985. These older relationships involve GSAs in Italy and Spain and they are still in place today. The Group’s latest contract it is with ITA Airways in Switzerland.

Currently, the Group represents hundreds of companies in over 50 countries. ECS Group can count on its 1,200+ employees around the world to offer high-quality service tailored to each of its partners, believes Thominet. The Group is committed to a completely new way of thinking about GSSA expertise through its “Augmented GSSA” strategy, which takes into account its four pillars: Commercial, Abilities, Technology and Sustainability.

Sales resources

Thominet explains the functions of a GSA or GSSA: “The GSA generally substitutes itself for the local airline organisation. We are fully dedicated to managing on behalf of the carrier, giving them peace of mind to deal with other strategic issues.

“Airlines typically consider working with a GSSA to rely on our much larger organisation in terms of sales resources, local operations oversight, network market penetration, and so on. So there is usually no bypass option. In addition to these core services, ECS Group has developed other solutions, through its abilities, that help airlines in other aspects. Indeed, most airlines prefer to outsource and focus on specific commercial actions rather than incur fixed costs on non-revenue generating functions such as administrative operations.”

Like industries in many parts of the world, the freight industry is not above issues regarding finding and recruiting staff. Thominet muses: “Finding staff is always a challenge in our industry, but we have the advantage of working in a community-based industry where we are close to our customers and suppliers. This allows us to quickly identify the best profiles.

“Retaining staff is a combination of the company’s philosophy and the business opportunities it can bring. We like to involve our staff in the growth of the company and getting new opportunities is also a key factor. For example, we favour internal promotion over external recruitment, while providing team members with an environment where they can express their talent. They are at the heart of our know-how.”

Thominet is aware that the market has been dropping since November, mainly as a result of the economic situations in many parts of the global. Inflation has strongly affected consumer and business purchasing power worldwide, which has a direct impact on export orders and trade for ECS Group’s airlines.

He says: “We expected this configuration in view of the overall conditions, so this trend was widely anticipated. However, it should be noted that due to different geopolitical and macro-economic contexts, this trend depends on the markets. For example, we expect a rebound in Asia in the second half of the year.”

So what actually is the difference between a GSSA and a GSA? Do clients chose ECS Group because it is a GSSA?

Thominet notes: “Most GSAs now offer GSSA solutions; this part has become paramount and is now almost an expectation for carriers. At ECS Group, we wanted to go even further, so we developed all the additional abilities, going far beyond the GSSA concept and becoming an Augmented GSSA.

“Our clients come to us because they know we are a strategic partner they can rely on to develop their business objectives. They know that we are a GSSA that has the right tools for their needs because we have developed them according to those needs and that ECS Group will continue to be agile, adapting to the current and the future market transformation.

“We hope to be present soon in Central America and Africa, two regions that show promise in terms of air cargo development. Another of our objectives is to intensify our presence in Asia. We expanded ECS Group’s footprint in this region last year with the opening of two global air cargo offices, one in Korea and one in Japan, and we are now targeting Northern Asia, especially China.”

Looking forward five years, how does Thominet see the ECS Group in 2028?

He considers: “We hope that by then we will have transformed the GSSA concept into a general logistics agent, covering several outsourcing solutions beyond the sales side.

“We also aim to be a type of GSSA that is fully compliant with sustainability rules, with a CSR aspect fully integrated in its processes, and that will have been able to accompany the digital transformation of our industry, offering cutting-edge innovative tools.

“In a nutshell, we hope to be one of the leaders of this transformation.”