Category Archives: International

Ethiopian Cargo has launched a transpacific freighter service between South Korea and the US. The air cargo carrier operates B777-200F, one of the most technologically advanced aircraft on the route, offering a remarkable freight service to our cargo forwarding customers worldwide with reduced flight hour, seamless connectivity and better payload. The new B777F service operates from Incheon to Atlanta via Anchorage, with its first flight took place on November 9. Tewolde GebreMariam, Chief Executive, Ethiopian Group says, “We are delighted to have launched our newest freighter service to our cargo forwarder customers worldwide, extending from Incheon to Atlanta via Anchorage in the current global pandemic crisis where speed in the supply chain management is highly required to deliver urgently required goods.”

Pharma.Aero has enlarged its membership base with three new full members – Dubai-based logistics and transportation services company First Priority Cargo, global 4PL BDP International and Lima-based ground handler SAASA (Servicios Aeroportuarios Andinos S.A). Over the course of the last two months, Pharma.Aero has onboarded a total of 8 new members. Jeremy Mitchell, Director, Pharma.Aero adds, “The membership of Pharma.Aero continues to grow with like-minded logistics companies. First Priority Cargo has been a long-time partner of Sharjah Airport. We are delighted that First Priority is becoming a member of Pharma.Aero, a testament towards the growing significance of pharma at Sharjah Airport. Pharma.Aero also welcomes BDP International, which has been providing global logistics services for the Pharma industry for decades and SAASA, which provides handling & storage of pharma shipments. The joining of SAASA enlarges our network in South America. We look forward to the new collaborations that could emerge between these new members and our existing members.” Ditlip Sitlani, Vice President, Business Intelligence & Operations, First Priority Cargo said, “We strive to be the best in customer service and pharma safety is an important part of the end to end journey. We are pleased to join a collaborative organisation which understands the care and responsibilities we should all have in this industry. We look forward to adding value and sharing of our thoughts and new ideas with the entire Pharma.Aero membership.” Simona Ravera, Director of Sales, EMEA LifeSciences & Healthcare, Business Development Solutions, BDP International shares, “Following our long term strategic plan and initiatives related to the LifeSciences & Healthcare industry such as to build around customer needs and service models in end-to-end pharmaceutical logistics, BDP International is happy to …

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), DP World and Etihad Credit Insurance has showcased innovative trade credit and export financing solutions in a joint webinar. During a well-attended webinar titled, ‘Etihad Credit Insurance Collaboration: Trade with Protection’, Jafza-based companies were given a walk-through of ECI’s solutions as part of the Free Zone’s drive to ensure the growth of businesses, while lowering the cost of export, by reducing the risk of non-payments, and funding, by lowering banking pre and post-shipment funding in the current unprecedented economic climate Jafza has introduced ECI’s tailored solutions to support UAE-based businesses and increase trade by providing them with protection against commercial and non-commercial risks. More than 8,000 companies in the free zone are set to directly benefit from the strategic collaboration of Jafza and ECI, giving export businesses a major boost and a competitive edge in the regional and global markets. Jafza believes that Etihad Credit Insurance’s range of export credit, financing and investment insurance products will directly benefit Jafza’s customers, particularly the SMEs. The partnership will be a game-changer for the export of goods and services because ECI’s support increases cash flow, enables trade and contributes towards sustaining growth even as the markets recover. The shared objectives of ECI and Jafza represent the vision of the leadership to establish the UAE as a preferred global hub for exports. The Free Zone is working closely with ECI to take this partnership forward and reinforce their commitment to business continuity with confidence. In addition, ECI has issued more than 1,600 revolving credit guarantees for a total exposure amount of AED1.2 billion in the first half of 2020, which is equivalent to AED4 billion guaranteed non-oil trade coverage. …

Continuing its contributions for the sustainability of the global supply chain by building a global air cargo bridge all across the globe with its cargo flights, Turkish Cargo started to carry COVID-19 vaccines with its strong fleet, wide flight network and special cargo service quality. Offering service to 127 countries around the world, Turkish Cargo carried the COVID-19 vaccines, manufactured in China, to Brazil which is at a flight distance of approximately 17 thousand kilometers. The COVID-19 vaccines, loaded inside 7 containers equipped with dedicated cooling systems, were transported safely from Beijing to Sao Paulo, the biggest city of the South America, with a connection flight at Istanbul. By carrying pharmaceuticals to the key and certificated destinations such as Mumbai, Brussels, Istanbul, Singapore, Dubai, Basel, London and Amsterdam, Turkish Cargo created a global pharmaceutical corridor between more than 400 destinations and maintains its commitment for transporting the COVID-19 vaccines that are ready or being developed. Holding the IATA CEIV (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators) pharma certificate, Turkish Cargo, maintains the cold chain at the optimal conditions thanks to the ‘TK Pharma’ product which was has designed for carrying pharmaceuticals at global standards. Transporting pharmaceuticals all across the global in great numbers during the course of the pandemic, the successful brand carried more than 40 thousand tonnes of pharmaceuticals, medical products and medical equipment between January and September, and reported a growth over 50 percent for the pharmaceutical shipments during the same period. Turkish Cargo provided a capacity increase for the COVID-19 vaccine shipments In order to satisfy the increased demand for transportation of the vaccines, pharmaceuticals and temperature-controlled cargo, Turkish Cargo commissioned the temperature-controlled smart warehouse with an additional …

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the weekly economics’ chart showing the estimated economics of an average B777-300 operation on Transatlantic, under market conditions Pre-COVID-19 versus during COVID-19 (Mar-Aug 2020). This week’s chart explores how the economics of such flights have evolved compared to before COVID-19. The association has modelled a typical North Atlantic operation with a B777-300 aircraft, assuming the market conditions before and during the pandemic. According to this this week’s chart, the average flight is almost able to cover its flight-specific operating costs (loss of US$ 2,000). This is in large part thanks to cargo revenues that now play a more important role than previously, accounting for 41 per cent of revenues vs. 9 per cent. However, the model also suggests that covering the non-flight specific fixed costs would be challenging with such low loads. This is all the more concerning as airlines need to spread those costs across their entire fleet, much of which is currently grounded or at least vastly under-utilised. The main assumptions of the model are that passenger load factors drop to the average that airlines have reported in recent months, whilst cargo load factors as well as yields increase as a result of the shrinkage of belly capacity in the market. Fuel costs are also adjusted to reflect the recent prices. It is worth noting that the above simulation is not necessarily representative of all routes and aircraft. Demand for cargo varies largely between route areas with most demand for cargo from Asia to the rest of the world and the B777-300 is an aircraft with one of the largest belly capacities. Depending on the size of the belly and …

In collaboration with tech innovator Verity, DSV is implementing an autonomous drone system in several of its warehouses to help manage inventory. The drone system can scan barcodes without human interaction and detect if pallet positions are empty or occupied. Operating mainly at night, the drones don’t interrupt warehouse operations. Inventory management traditionally involves manual barcode scans to count the warehouse inventory and keep track of stock. Besides being an unsafe and arduous task, manual counts often result in inventory data not being up to date due to discrepancies. The DSV Innovation Hub continually works to innovate DSV’s customer offerings and its operations, and after connecting with Verity, the two companies tested the system at the Moerdijk warehouse in the Netherlands, completing thousands of autonomous flights and tens of thousands of scans. “The drones know down to each centimetre where goods are located, and the information they provide with their scans can be compared with information in our system. This helps us to increase the predictability and visibility of inventory,” says Luca Graf, Senior Director, Innovation, DSV. The pilot showed that manual counts can be avoided to a large extent and that inventory data becomes virtually error-free, thereby helping to reduce stock. The successful pilot now leads to roll-out of the drone system into more DSV warehouses. “We want to offer our customers high-tech supply chain solutions, which is why we work with innovative companies like Verity. We have had a good, hands-on collaboration with them on this drone system, which we expect can benefit many of our warehouse operations where the business case makes sense,” says Peter van der Maas, Executive Vice President, Benelux, DSV Solutions.

In a bid to provide an integrated supply chain management solution enabling aerospace businesses to prioritise and focus on their core activity, B&H Worldwide and OnLogistics have joined forces. “By creating this alliance with OnLogistics we are cementing our position in the aerospace industry as specialists committed to customers who operate within this challenging and time-sensitive vertical market.” says Gary Wilson, Group Managing Director, B&H Worldwide, in adding, “In this collaboration of expertise we aim to serve the aerospace sector with a seamless supply chain solution embracing inventory management, warehousing and international distribution”. Nick Bennett, Managing Director, OnLogistics, adds, “Establishing this new venture with B&H Worldwide is a strategic alliance that will combine the strengths of OnLogistics’ warehousing and ‘on site’ service solutions plus B&H Worldwide’s global forwarding strength. The landscape of aerospace logistics has changed, we must therefore rely on our mutual strengths to deliver an agile and cost-effective service. Our aim is to provide global solutions from a network of local expertise.” OnLogistics is a UK-headquartered aerospace, defence & engineering logistics specialist providing a range of aerospace integration services including contract packing, packaging design & supply, distribution and storage incorporating kitting and direct line feed. Its capabilities have tremendous synergies with B&H Worldwide whose own services bridge the operational and visibility gap between the aircraft and its global freight network. B&H’s unrivalled expertise in delivering freight solutions across the aerospace industry combined with the supply chain transparency means it can provide customers through the use of its innovative, in-house designed IT solutions are highly tailored to suit customer operating models. Its custom-designed FirstTrac software sets the benchmark for the aerospace logistics industry.

Shankar Shinde, Chairman Elect, Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) has been elected unanimously as Managing Director of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Association (IFCBA). IFCBA enjoys the status of Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) representation on World Customs Organisation (WCO).The election of Shinde in IFCBA’s crucial position once again underscores the growing importance of FFFAI and India at large in the international Logistics & Customs Brokers business. Having more than 30 years of experience in Logistics and Customs Broking industry Shinde is very well-known for his huge contribution to the entire industry. Apart from FFFAI and IFCBA, he has also been associated with various industry associations including Nashik Customs House Agents Association as President, International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) as FFFAI nominated representative, Brihanmumbai Customs Brokers Association, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, etc. In addition, from FFFAI Shinde is spearheading the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project collaborating with the Government of India. “The international trade community depends on the work done by Customs Brokers and IFCBA serves Customs Brokers by keeping them at the centre of the international trading system. It is IFCBA’s mission to promote the value and use of Customs Brokers worldwide,” emphasized Shinde while commenting on the importance of IFCBA. IFCBA works to bring about improvements in Customs policies and best practices on a global basis. These improvements benefit both Customs and Customs Brokers for achieving transparency in trade facilitation measures, brainstorming towards innovation for recommendation of seamless cross border customs processes and standardization with use of technology in achieving paperless transaction.

Aimed at supporting airports to prepare their logistics for vaccines, the Cool Chain Association (CCA) has launched the Covid-19 Distribution Change Management Matrix. The Matrix looks at adherence to temperature requirements, packaging, forecast and quantity, and timeframe across different stages in a vaccine’s journey through an airport. The Cool Chain Association will share the Matrix with members for them to complete and then bring together the information to help the supply chain focus on potential pinch points, training needs, safety and security, as well as supplier and risk management, and quality. “CCA members can share vital information, which, once consolidated, will provide a useful resource as the industry prepares in the best way we can for the distribution of the vaccines,” said Nicola Caristo, Secretary General, the Cool Chain Association and Airline Partner Manager, SkyCell. “We are not aiming to suddenly find an end-to-end solution, but focussing on airports, where we know there are potential bottlenecks and where we can use the vast knowledge in our network to help establish workable guidelines.” The scheme was unveiled during association’s recent Covid-19 Taskforce Workshop, where the focus was on the need for both shippers and legislators to play their part. Guest speaker Ruud van der Geer, Global Deliver Strategy team MSD, said, “The pharma industry was working to be as prepared as possible in volatile times. The biggest challenge is that we have to develop a network, but there are still so many unknowns, from the required shipping temperature to where it will be manufactured and delivered, and the overall manufacturing capacity.”

With an aim to bring its global cargo operations onto a single integrated digital cargo platform to improve operational insight across its entire network, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has appointed IBS Software. This will be achieved through the deployment of IBS Software’s iCargo SaaS-based cargo management solution. The implementation will see SIA transitioning from its existing air cargo systems to iCargo to support its cargo business units, which include sales, import and export operations, air mail handling and revenue accounting. This will serve to strengthen its ability to better manage cargo capacity, gain enhanced visibility of shipment yields and revenues, optimise network performance and seamlessly collaborate with partners’ systems, as well as drive efficiencies and improve operational resilience. “The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the air cargo industry and greatly accelerated the need for change, especially in digitalisation. We look forward to working closely with IBS Software to leverage the many strengths of iCargo to improve our digital capabilities and allow us to deliver a differentiated customer-centric quality of service, while staying compliant and up-to-date with global industry standards and initiatives.” said Chin Yau Seng, Senior Vice President Cargo, Singapore Airlines. “Singapore Airlines is an iconic brand in the airline industry, synonymous with innovation. It gives us immense pleasure to welcome them to the iCargo user community during these turbulent times. We greatly value the trust that Singapore Airlines has placed with us and I’m looking forward to our teams jointly developing the next generation of air cargo ecosystem for their customers and partners,” said, Gautam Shekar, Senior Vice President and Regional Head of Asia Pacific, IBS Software. iCargo is an integrated solution that supports the end-to-end business functions such as cargo …