CargoAi unveils new payments solution for air freight

Air cargo digital enabler CargoAi has made another first move for the industry as the tech company has introduced its integrated payment solution CargoWALLET. The project, which started 2 years ago and accelerated with the CargoTech partnership, went through months of successful testing. CargoAi said it worked with a ‘large and proven finance provider’ but CEO Matt Petot shared in an interview that the company made banking connections with multiple providers to enable an end-to-end finance payment solution with the same cost as bank transfers in more than 30 currencies.

The new feature will allow freight

Scan Global Logistics has a new owner

Danish logistics provider Scan Global Logistics (SGL) announced in February that its newest owner, CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII or CVC, has agreed to acquire a majority shareholding in the company from an investor group led by AEA Investors Small Business Private Equity.

AEA took over Scan Global Logistics in 2016, after which SGL saw forwarders to make payments for their air cargo shipments directly within the CargoMART booking flow. What’s revolutionary with the payment solution is that it will enable freight forwarders to book space for their shipments—and pay for them— even without an IATA CASS number, AWB stock, or any bank guarantee. revenue grow by 33 percent percent each year since 2017. Over the last 5 years, the company has made over 30 acquisitions, including that of Hong Kong-based Sea-Air Logistics in July 2022.

The CEO added that CargoAi also partnered with financial providers to offer financing solutions to facilitate up to 60-day payment terms for freight forwarders in the form of PayLater. German forwarder network Gross Fuchs in a separate announcement said that it will grant its members access to the new payments solution.

Both AEA and SGL’s management will become minority stakeholders and co-invest alongside CVC. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the deal is expected to close in the second quarter. In Asia, CVC also owns Fast Logistics in the Philippines, which operates an extensive network of transport, warehousing, distribution, and logistics solutions covering inland, air, and sea forwarding and courier services.

CMA CGM extends air cargo service to Shanghai

CMA CGM AIR CARGO is stepping up its commercial development with the introduction of scheduled services to Shanghai using its Airbus A330-200F. The French cargo airline will fly the widebody freighter to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) from its hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) four times a week, equivalent to 240 tonnes of weekly capacity. Flights depart from CDG on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays starting 17 February.

The addition of Shanghai brings a total of 15 scheduled flights per week to Asia and the US for CMA CGM Air Cargo. The company also operates five flights a week to Hong Kong (HKG) using a Boeing 777F with 450 tonnes of weekly capacity. Flights depart from CDG to HKG on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Cainiao teams up with DHL in Poland on e-commerce

Alibaba logistics arm Cainiao Network signed an agreement with DHL eCommerce Solutions as the two companies look to capitalise on Poland’s fast-growing e-commerce market, with plans to improve the country’s out-ofhome delivery services.

DHL will purchase part of Cainiao’s subsidiary in Poland, and the two companies plan to invest 60 million euros to build one of the country’s largest networks of parcel lockers with user-friendly interfaces to cover the

e-commerce giant JD.com opens third warehouse in California

JD Logistics United States opened its third self-operating warehouse and distribution center in California, bringing its total warehouse space in the state to over 1.3 million square feet. The company is looking to utilize cutting-edge technology to provide omnichannel fulfillment services for online and offline orders and has already deployed a container transport unit (CTU) robot system in one of its warehouses in California.

This system allows warehouse

First And Last

mile.

Cainiao has been setting up its European hub in Liege and launching sorting centers in major markets in Europe over the last few years. The company operates parcel lockers in Poland, Spain, and France, whilst DHL has an extensive network in Europe, counting over 90,000 access points. The transaction is subject to merger control clearance in jurisdictions of certain countries, with approvals expected in the coming months.

employees to wait in designated working stations while the CTUs pick up and drop off goods. Image scanners check the packages in microseconds, whilst JD’s smart logistics system calculates where the packages should be dropped off. The packages are then grouped by region into larger bins, which are picked up by forklifts and brought to the corresponding trucks for delivery to their final destination.

This helped JD.com increase the number of storage units from 10,000 to 35,000 by making full use of the height of the warehouse and improved operating efficiency by 300 percent.

Aramex takes next mile in cargo drone and bot deliveries

Aramex has turned another chapter in its ambitions to become digitally sustainable as the transport and logistics provider announced the successful testing of its drone and roadside bot deliveries in Dubai, a press release confirmed.

The initial tests were conducted at the Rochester Institute of Technology in partnership with BARQ EV, a commercial drone delivery service provider in the UAE, and Kiwibot, a Colombia-based company specializing in delivery robotics.

Aramex plans to expand its drone and robot delivery testing across the Middle East and Africa region, as well as other core markets where it operates. The company has also rolled out mobile outlet trucks that allow the company to operate drones and bots, as well as offer pickup and drop-off points at strategic locations.

The tests were performed with the support of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, Dubai Future Foundation and Dubai Smart City. Aramex plans to transition its fleet to emissionfree vehicles and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.