SHORT SHOTS

FCS opts for speed ramp handling via Dakosy’s FAIR@Link
Following a wide-reaching test phase together with a number of its customers, the Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) affiliate and Frankfurt Airport’s largest independent cargo handling, Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) has adopted Dakosy’s FAIR@Link Ramp Control System for all incoming shipments. (Exports will be added stepwise from AUG22). This will help to minimize truck waiting times and help to speed up landside handling as trucks are able to book loading and unloading slot times online via the tool’s Transport Pre-Announcement (TPA). Forwarders upload all the required information to the Ramp Control System, which then automatically checks availability, assigning a ramp for a specific time slot, and transmitting live updates during the dispatch process. “This standardized approach allows FCS to use its facility infrastructure more efficiently, counteracts peak times, and increases the ability for all parties to plan and utilize their resources efficiently.”
Ulrich Wrage, CEO of Dakosy, stated: “The participation of FCS in the Ramp Control System is an important milestone. For shippers and forwarders, the application means a standardized booking of time slots in the airport’s Cargo City South. All players will ultimately benefit from the site-wide use of the system through shortened waiting times, greater transparency, and optimization of the cargo handling process.”
Joachim von Winning, Managing Director of Air Cargo Community Frankfurt, added: “We want to further enhance the performance of Frankfurt Airport and continuously improve its framework conditions. Digital networking is a central element in this. The automated allocation of ramps at FCS further accelerates cargo handling in Cargo City South,” and Claus Wagner, Managing Director of Frankfurt Cargo Services, underlined: “At FCS, we are reaping the rewards of much more efficient processes, which are also significantly improving capacity. Both our customers and our employees will benefit.”

Maersk Air Cargo’s home
After an absence of 17 years, A.P. Moller – Maersk is returning to Billund, Denmark, having decided, in response to customer requirements, to make the country’s second largest airport its very own air freight hub for the launch of Maersk Air Cargo. Its airline will become operational later this year, operating a fleet of five freighters: two new B777F, and three leased B767-300 cargo aircraft. “Three new B767-300 freighters will also be added to the US-China operation, which will be initially handled by a third-party operator,” the press release explained, outlining a fleet ramp-up running through to 2024. Torben Bengtsson, Global Head of Air & LCL (Less than Container Load), A.P. Moller – Maersk, declared: “Maersk Air Cargo is an important step of the Maersk Air Freight strategy, as it will allow us to offer customers a truly unique combination of air freight integrated with other transport modes. We see an increased and continued demand for air cargo both today and going forward as well as a growing demand for end-to-end logistics, why it is important for us to strengthen our own-controlled capacity and advance further on our air freight strategy.”
That strategy has seen the transferal of the existing in-house aircraft operator, Star Air’s, activities into Maersk Air Cargo; a move backed by customers, suppliers, employees, and the Danish Civil Aviation Authority.
The next step is an agreement with the Flight Personnel Union (FPU), part of the Danish Confederation and Trade Unions (FH), in preparation for the local jobs being created to handle the airline’s daily flight services. “Maersk’s ambition is to have approximately one third of its annual air tonnage carried within its own controlled freight network. This will be achieved through a combination of owned and leased aircraft, replicating the structure that the company has within its ocean fleet. The remaining capacity will be provided by strategic commercial carriers and charter flight operators,” the press release details.
Speaking for Billund Airport, its CEO, Jan Hessellund, stated: “We have had growth, defied corona, and set a new record year in cargo in 2021. It does not happen without good partners, and we do what we can to make our partners good. Now Maersk Air Cargo enters the stage at Billund Airport and raises it a notch. We are incredibly proud that we are being chosen as Maersk's European hub for air freight, and we look forward to developing the collaboration to even new heights.”

AIT Worldwide Logistics’ gateway to India
The American supply chain solutions company, AIT Worldwide Logistics has its sights set on the world’s second-most populous country, India. First stop in its global office network expansion strategy: Mumbai, where the company now employs 11 trained logistics staff, with a view to quadrupling its India team before the end of this year, as it secures additional licenses to provide integrated supply chain solution services for air and ocean operations.
AIT’s Chief Business Officer, Greg Weigel, said: “Establishing a dedicated team in India improves service integrity for shippers. The office’s comprehensive connection with AIT’s global operations platform allows us to provide customers with the most seamless experience possible.”
That seamless experience is based on the company’s lean business model, as AIT’s Vice President of India and Middle East, Vikram Paul, explained: “By outsourcing certain areas of finance, human resources, and operational execution, we control costs while focusing on the core of our business – world-class logistics solutions for clients. Keeping our operations as efficient as possible helps us make our customers more competitive. The India team is agile and experienced, but most of all, they embody a ‘start-up’ mentality that correlates with India’s emergence as a net manufacturer and exporter.”
This start-up mentality has led to AIT-Mumbai “already handling a broad variety of air and ocean shipments to and from China, Indonesia, North America, Poland, United Arab Emirates, and Western Europe, among others. With operations at all major airports and seaports across India, the team supports customers representing the region’s prominent automotive, consumer retail, life sciences, and technology industries.”
Delhi is next on the list this year, and “multiple AIT facilities” are planned “in strategic locations across the Republic of India in 2022 and beyond.”

Warehousing1 is Schenker Venture’s first venture
Set up last summer, Schenker Ventures is DB Schenker’s subsidiary dealing with all of the company’s venturing activities. It is split into three focus areas: Venture Building, Venture Studio, and Venture Capital. Schenker Ventures recently participated in a Series A funding round alongside are Aster Capital, Wille Finance, HV Capital and Base10 Partners, top tier venture capital firms with an expertise in scaling e-commerce and LogTech businesses, and carried out its first investment in a start-up focused on e-commerce: Warehousing1, which received more than 10 million euros in this joint backing.
Warehousing1 is a 2018-founded, Berlin-based e-commerce fulfilment platform. Patric Hoffmann, Head of Schenker Ventures, detailed: “We want to nurture innovation in the logistics industry. Post-pandemic online shopping behavior is here to stay. Consumer brands around the globe have adapted their sales channels to the new market situation. The result is a multitude of new and diverse online shopping opportunities. Warehousing1 taps into that trend. We look forward to working together with the great team of Warehousing1. It will be a mutual learning opportunity.”
By that, he alludes to investment that goes beyond simply financial support: “Warehousing1 will receive access to subject matter experts for e-commerce retail and consumer goods, warehouse operations, and IT infrastructure.”
Paulina Banszerus, responsible Investment Manager at Schenker Ventures, added: “Warehousing1 is right in the sweet spot of our investment strategy. The platform addresses a strongly growing market segment of logistics with a highly scalable digital and low-asset solution. Complementary to experienced financial investors, we want to create a competitive advantage through our network and expertise.”
Nils Aschmann, Founder and CEO of Warehousing1, which offers small and medium-sized logistics companies a single network enabling them to quickly source suitable warehousing space and fulfilment services and flexibly scale up their logistics as required, said: “For us it was important to gain active partners that are able and willing to provide us with further targeted expertise in the field of logistics. We want to enhance and digitalize the fulfilment experience for the booming e-commerce market. Therefore, we are very pleased that Schenker Ventures has decided to join us as a strategic investor.”

Amsterdam opts for full Automated Nomination
Automated Nomination is an efficient, digital and – the clue is in the name – automated solution to a previously time-consuming manual process whereby ground handlers at Schiphol Airport would have to wait for import cargo to arrive on the premises, for them to then review the corresponding paperwork prior to be able to nominate a forwarder to deal with the shipment. Since 01APR22, this is now done digitally, and paper declarations are no longer accepted. Not only does Automated Nomination speed things up, but it also reduces the risk of human error, and increases the level of operational sustainability. Rather than having to wait for the physical arrival of cargo and docs, the shipment’s information is already shared prior to the incoming flight’s arrival. The Automated Nomination’s algorithm predicts which forwarder will collect a shipment on the basis of its AWB, airline, and shipper data, and has proven to be 99% accurate.
“We have been piloting Automated Nomination with growing success since October 2021, and are proud to have now rolled it out officially as a mandatory process at Schiphol Airport,” David van der Meer, Cargo Partnerships Director for the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP), Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, explained. “We aim to have every shipment nominated automatically, which offers benefits for every stakeholder in the cargo supply chain. Automated Nomination creates a better connection between the air waybill (AWB) and the receiving forwarder. With every digital service we activate from within the SCMP, we get closer to our goal of having the most seamless cargo process in Europe.”
Already 140 forwarders (and more to come) participate in Automated Nomination, and digital station declarations at Schiphol have grown from 1,200 declarations in OCT21 to 3,000 declarations by the 01APR22.

Air Canada Cargo is going live on CargoAi
“We're thrilled to be announcing, the partnership between Air Canada Cargo and CargoAi. Both organizations share very ambitious growth plans in the post pandemic months and years to come, as well as a relentless focus on the customer experience. As such, we are looking forward to leveraging this alignment in vision and strategy, and bringing the best digital booking experience to our joint customers,” Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi, announced. From the middle of this month, Air Canada Cargo capacity will start to become visible and accessible via CargoAi’s eBooking & eQuote platform, for registered freight forwarders. The roll-out across the North American carrier’s network will be carried out in steps, with a view to having all global regions added by the end of 2022.
“We continue to invest in our digital transformation, which is a key pillar of Air Canada Cargo's strategy as it continues to adapt to the changing landscape in airfreight. We're looking forward to further leveraging our API capabilities and the opportunity to reach out to additional users via the CargoAi marketplace. We're continuing to grow our distribution reach and we're confident that the features available on CargoAi will be well suited to the large range of our product portfolio,” said Matthieu Casey, Managing Director, Commercial – Cargo at Air Canada.
“Freight forwarders using the CargoAi solution on the marketplace or via the API Suite integrations not only have the option of making and managing instant bookings for their shipments but can also leverage the built-in eQuote tool to send quote requests on any product, commodity, BUP, or shipment size. This scope coverage makes CargoAi a much-needed and unique tool for freight forwarders looking for a one-stop shop to increase the productivity of their airfreight procurement activities,” the release explains.

Qatar Airways Cargo is Gaussin’s zero-emission launch customer
French engineering company, Gaussin, an expert in Automotive Guided Vehicles and innovative green and smart vehicle solutions, has successfully developed and tested an automotive multi-directional transporter in close collaboration with Qatar Airways Group’s cargo handling subsidiary, Aviation Services Cargo. The “AMDT FULL ELEC” vehicle, which has been engineered to transport all kinds of ULDs (totaling up to 7 tons in payload) during airside cargo operations, is 100% electric and therefore emits zero emissions. Its rechargeable LMP® lithium metal polymer batteries have a battery life of up to 6 hours, and not only can the vehicle be deployed 24/7, but it has also been designed to withstand the high temperatures and weather conditions of the Middle East. It includes other innovations such as integrated weighing scales to compare the actual pallet weight against its tag weight, for example – an important safety and security measure within aviation. Given its capability of maneuvering in small spaces, it can also be flexibly used inside the cargo terminal, increasing cargo operations efficiency in storage space and speed.
Qatar Airways Cargo will be Gaussin’s first commercial customer for the AMDT FULL ELEC serial production version which will be assembled in Qatar, starting in the second quarter of 2022. The airline signed a contract for the delivery of 6 AMDTs with an option for 50 units. In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, and Qatar Airways Cargo’s 2050 net zero carbon targets, these zero-emission transporters will gradually replace the cargo airline's diesel pallet carriers. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo, stated: “We, at Qatar Airways Cargo, are proud to be using this innovation and to have played a part in its design, taking us a step closer to a more sustainable industry. Qatar Airways Cargo is aware of the challenges of tomorrow and is fully committed to building a greener future with its partners.”
Christophe Gaussin, CEO of Gaussin, commented: “Gaussin is pleased to be a partner of Qatar Airways Cargo, supporting it in its sustainable goals through its expertise in designing, assembling and offering smart, connected zero-emissions vehicles for freight transportation.”

Brigitte Gledhill

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