RattanIndia Enterprises Ltd. (“REL”) an electric power distribution company announces a strategic investment in US based Matternet, the world’s most extensive urban drone logistics platform. With this investment, REL has forayed into the deep-tech Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry, which is set to transform logistics ecosystems worldwide. Matternet, based out of Silicon Valley counts Boeing, Mercedes-Benz, McKesson Ventures and Sony as investors. Anjali Rattan, Business Chairperson, RattanIndia Enterprises, said, “We are highly impressed with the team and credentials of Matternet. The partnership with Matternet is in line with our philosophy of investing in new age cleantech companies with tremendous growth potential. We share Government’s vision of Drone as a futuretech, which opens new vistas of business opportunities”.

Collaborative efforts from members of the BLR Airport ecosystem and passengers’ endorsement of top-quality services saw Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) being adjudged as ‘The Best Airport Staff in India and Central Asia’ at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2021. “This is truly a fabulous reward for all of us working at the BLR Airport ecosystem as this recognition is based on passenger voting. A big thank you to all our passengers who appreciated our hard work and voted for us,” said Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL). “We dedicate this award to every member who has worked towards improving passenger experience at BLR Airport. I believe this award will add further impetus to our pursuit of excellence,” Mr. Marar added. This award is particularly significant considering the challenging year that the aviation industry has experienced following the outbreak of COVID-19.

DTDC successfully transported approx 39,000 doses of Covishield vaccines across India for a leading Bengaluru based hospital chain. DTDC leveraged its precision logistics solutions and wide reach to deliver the Covishield vaccine across five cities – Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Raipur and Jaipur in a time-bound operation. The time and temperature-sensitive task was done using a unique packaging solution, with added features like Temperature monitoring, Control Tower enabled movement, Continuous alerts and notifications to clients and a pan-India delivery network ensuring the utmost security. The DTDC Transportation Control Tower, dedicated to this movement, ensured that end-to-end transportation was completed within 12 hours. All along, DTDC has ensured top-tier standards of quality and best practices while ensuring timely transportation of the vaccines. DTDC carefully designed the Temperature Controlled Vaccine Transportation initiative to provide an end-to-end service. DTDC helped the hospital chain zero in on the appropriate packaging and supported them with complete knowledge of the thermal system. The entire movement was continuously monitored, and the temperature was recorded through a data logger, ensuring the client has full visibility of the temperature variation during the movement.

The final bids in a bankruptcy auction for India’s largest private shipyard have been submitted, and the list of potential buyers has narrowed to three unconventional owners – a global container terminal operator, a steelmaker and the world’s biggest broker for vessel demolition sales. Pipavav Shipyard, founded in 1997, is the largest private shipbuilding firm in India and the first non-government yard in the nation to receive a naval shipbuilding order. Indian conglomerate Reliance Group took control of the yard in 2016 after a debt restructuring, but by 2019, Pipavav – renamed Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd (RNaval) – was again unable to make payments on its loans. Its bankers initiated bankruptcy proceedings to recover an estimated $1.2 billion in debt, and the Indian Navy canceled its order for a series of patrol vessels. The firm has been on the auction block since late last year, but due to COVID-19 disruption, the sale has been extended.

The global full-service provider Hellmann Worldwide Logistics and Hella Polska, a global leader in the field of lighting systems and vehicle electronics, are extending their cooperation for another four years. As part of the contract extension, the cooperation will be expanded to also include cross-border logistics services. Hellmann has been the full service contract logistics partner of Hella Polska already since 2017 providing services such as the storage of around 10,000 indices (SKUs), the completion of lamp sets for bus and trailer manufacturers as well as the domestic distribution and export handling from Czeladź, Poland. “Thanks to Hellmann´s efforts and professional, solution-oriented approach, we are very pleased to extend our cooperation. Based on mutual experience, we share the common goal of optimizing processes while achieving synergy effects in our warehousing and transport operations,” says Marcin Wieteska, managing director, Hella Polska. “The contract extension with Hella Polska underlines our commitment and understanding of our customer´s needs. Longstanding customer partnerships are a key pillar of Hellmann’s strategy, and as such, continuing to grow together is always our motivation for the future,” says Jacek Przybyłowski, managing director Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Poland.

Deutsche Post DHL Group (“DPDHL”) has signed an agreement to acquire up to 100 percent of J.F. Hillebrand Group AG (“Hillebrand”) and its subsidiaries at an equity value of around €1.5 billion. Hillebrand generated revenue of around €1.4 billion in the last twelve months, will ship 500,000 TEUs in 2021, and has more than 2,700 employees worldwide. Hillebrand is a global service provider specialized in ocean freight forwarding, transport and logistics of beverages, non-hazardous bulk liquids and other products that require special care. The strategic combination of Hillebrand with DHL’s Global Forwarding, Freight (“DHL”) division will strengthen the Group’s position in the dynamic ocean freight forwarding market. “With the growing maturity of our freight forwarding business, this bolt-on acquisition of Hillebrand is highly complementary to our existing portfolio. In line with our Group Strategy, we strengthen our core logistics business and deliver profitable long-term growth”, says Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL Group. “Using our financial strength, we are able to pursue quality investments while reinforcing our unchanged commitment to deliver on investor return expectations.”

Seventy-five years ago, Delta made its official but humble entry into the cargo business. 200 pounds of freshly picked mushrooms loaded aboard a DC-3 destined for Atlanta, making farm-to-table a possibility decades before it became a culinary hashtag. That first week of operation in 1946, the airline carried a little bit of everything to customers across the U.S.: a 64-year-old, $1,500 soup tureen; 1,100 pounds of auto parts filling six crates; 450 pounds of candy; a box of silver coins. Delta planes had served the Allied cause during World War II, transporting everything from food and surgical supplies to weapons and auto parts overseas. That helped give Delta what was needed to turn cargo transport into a full-fledged business. “The airline has grown, and the nature of our Cargo business has changed significantly over the last 75 years, but we are still in the business of providing Best-in-Class service to our customers with any of their freight and logistics needs – large or small,” said Robert Walpole, vice president, Delta Cargo. “We are here to support our customers and communities in the U.S. and across the globe. We look forward to another remarkable 75 years.” Today, Delta Cargo offers access to industry-leading shipping solutions and carries on average 2.2 billion cargo tons every year. Whether it’s transporting life-saving pharmaceuticals, organs for transplant, fresh flowers, seasonal produce or beloved pets, Delta Cargo’s strong product portfolio provides world-class service for every customer’s needs.

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) experienced record air cargo volumes during the first half of 2021 with a recovery in passenger traffic. Between January and June, 1.73 million metric tons of air cargo transited ANC, a 23.45 percent increase over the first half of 2020. “E-commerce ‘tech-celeration,’ port delays and low product inventories are causing a significant increase in air cargo activity. Our central location on the trans-Pacific trade lane, coupled with our efficient infrastructure and special transfer rights, have resulted in greater utilization of ANC by shippers to maximize their air-cargo potential,” said Jim Szczesniak, the Anchorage Airport Director. “We are seeing a continued shift in supply chains from periodic, container-sized shipments via ocean cargo to more regular, pallet-sized shipments via air cargo. With more than $1 billion in private sector cargo developments in the pipeline at ANC, we expect this growth trajectory to continue.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomes Air Canada Cargo to the association’s IATA Net Rates air cargo rates platform, allowing the Canadian carrier to expand its digital offering to provide an additional digital option to its customers. Under the TACT Air Cargo Solutions umbrella, freight forwarders can access the latest information on rates, rules, tariffs, schedules and compliance information that can be accessed online or integrated with customer systems, accelerating the distribution of rates to market while simplifying and reducing the cost of rate handling procedures. “IATA is very pleased to welcome Air Canada Cargo to the IATA Net Rates platform to support its cargo rates distribution processes. We look forward to future collaboration with Air Canada Cargo,” said Frederic Leger, Interim senior vice president Commercial Services and president, CNS.

Following two years of successful operations at its office in Melbourne, cargo-partner has now strengthened its setup in the country with an investment into the forwarding company Associated Customs & Forwarding (ACF). The acquisition was officially completed as of August 1, 2021. With this step, the international transport and info-logistics provider has gained two new locations in Sydney and Brisbane and grown its team in Australia to 35 employees. ACF was established in 1972 and is a global, IATA-accredited service provider for air and sea freight, customs brokerage and contract logistics. The company operates 3,000 m² of warehouse space in Sydney, including a bonded warehouse with in-house customs clearance as well as a quarantine warehouse serving the requirements of Australian import procedures. Stefan Krauter, CEO of cargo-partner, is convinced that the collaboration is a win-win situation for both companies: “Our partnership with ACF complements our existing service and product portfolio thanks to ACF’s expertise in logistics, value added services as well as domestic transport solutions. With the addition of Sydney and Brisbane to our network, we can now cover the entire east coast of Australia. At the same time, customers of ACF will benefit from cargo-partner’s comprehensive network of offices, warehouses and experienced teams around the globe.”