Cristián Ureta, the current chief executive of LATAM Cargo, is leaving the company and Andrés Bianchi, currently senior VP of sales for North America, Europe and Asia, will assume his role.
South America’s biggest carrier said in a statement, “This change is part of the restricting process that LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates are undergoing. It is aimed at building a simpler and more efficient organization that can face complex macroeconomic scenarios and a more competitive environment.”
Bianchi has been part of the group since 2001 when he joined the finance department. After getting a masters in business administration from the Wharton School of Business and working at McKinsey & Co, Bianchi returned in 2010 to the group joining LATAM Cargo in Miami.
In addition to his current role, he served as VP finance and senior VP network. During his 12 years at LATAM Airlines Group, Bianchi gained experience in both the passenger and cargo side of the business, which now gives him a “comprehensive view of the company and the tools necessary to successfully lead LATAM Cargo”, added the company statement.
Stated Bianchi: “We will focus on reinforcing LATAM Cargo’s competitiveness in order to maintain our leadership in Latin America. We plan to achieve this by continuing to support our customers closely, improving our product portfolio, and enhancing our productivity.”
LATAM’s cargo revenues fell by 7.7% in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the same period of 2015. The carrier attributed the decline to a 3.1% decline in cargo traffic and a 4.8% decline in cargo yields in comparison to the fourth quarter of 2015.
Total group passenger and freight revenues for the full year 2016 reached $9.5bn, compared to $10.1bn in the prior year. The decrease saw a 16.5% slide in cargo revenues.
XPO Logistics recently announced a major expansion of its last mile logistics network in the Chicagoland area. The new facility in Bolingbrook, Ill., effectively doubles the capacity of the company’s market delivery center (MDC) in Chicago to nearly 100,000 square feet. The new hub serves some of the nation’s most well-known retailers, e-commerce companies and manufacturers of heavy goods.
XPO is the North American leader in the home delivery of furniture, appliances, large electronics, home exercise equipment and other heavy goods. The company operates 46 MDCs in the United States. Each site provides a range of services, including storage, assembly, packing, quality control, scheduling and returns management.
Charles Hitt, president of XPO Logistics’ last mile business unit, said, “We’ve seen a strong increase in demand for our services as consumers gain confidence in making major purchases online. Our strategic expansion in the Chicagoland area gives us the capacity to handle our customers’ growth and flex with their seasonal requirements.
Hitt added, “When we arrange a delivery to someone’s home, we become a brand ambassador for the retailer or e-tailer. It’s our job to ensure a satisfactory consumer experience. We manage this through sophisticated technology and constant engagement with the independent contractors who perform these deliveries.”
XPO facilitates over 12 million last mile deliveries annually. The company’s cutting-edge technology provides constant visibility of goods in transit and enables real-time consumer feedback.
Kerry Logistics Network Limited recently participated in the commencement ceremony of the first eastbound freight train from London to Yiwu with the support of a long-standing customer for this service. The project is not only a significant step forward in the Group’s development strategy in line with the ‘One Belt One Road’ Initiative, but also a strategic move advancing the Group’s further expansion into the rail freight and multimodal services.
The train, which departed from London, is scheduled to arrive in eastern China’s Yiwu in around 18 days. The 7,500-mile journey will pass through nine countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. The freight cost is lower than that of air and ocean freight, while it is twice as fast as ocean transport.
In August 2016, Kerry Logistics successfully delivered a rail freight shipment of over 80 containers from Yiwu to Madrid, Spain, passing through eight countries in 19 days.
London is the 15th European city and the latest destination added to the China-Europe rail network under the Belt and Road Initiative. The first freight train from Yiwu to London launched on 1 January 2017 took 18 days. It was mainly for carrying clothes, shoes and other consumer goods made in China.
Kerry Logistics will continue to develop under the Belt and Road Initiative to create new form of transportation models, offering more options to customers across various industry segments.
With one of the world’s fastest growing populations, mega events like Dubai Expo 2020 on the horizon, and 80% reliance on imported food, RSA Cold Chain is opening for business in a region that is in urgent need of more professional cold chain management facilities. This latest venture from third-party logistics provider RSA Logistics opened the doors to its state-of-the-art cold chain facility with a glittering ceremony in Dubai South this week.
The new facility from RSA Cold Chain will eventually house 21,000 pallets, with phase one offering an initial capacity of 10,800 pallets, coupled with sophisticated, end-to-end 3PL services for packaged food, fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products and frozen food. The warehouse comprises eight independent chambers, with a unique ammonia-based chilling system allowing each chamber to accommodate temperatures as low as -25 degrees.
His Excellency Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, officially opened the new facilities and said: “We are excited to welcome RSA Logistics’ latest venture, RSA Cold Chain, as part of our Dubai South community. RSA Logistics and Dubai South have shared a warm association since the inception of the free zone. We have enjoyed watching the company break frontiers with its expansion projects and look forward to seeing it grow more alongside the development of this dynamic zone. RSA Cold Chain represents a best-in-class example of an efficient and effective distribution solution to propel growth for food and beverage industry customers. At Dubai South, we are ideally placed to support companies in meeting their logistical challenges. We do so by offering purpose built, fully customizable solutions, giving them the freedom to operate and grow their businesses in the best way possible.”
The site for the new facility is strategically located just outside the bonded zone in Dubai South, maximising ease of access and minimising delays in the movement of food products. RSA Cold Chain will also provide temperature-controlled transportation, providing an end-to-end solution designed to meet the most stringent requirements for food storage and transportation. As one of the first companies to start operations, RSA has been a critical partner in leveraging Dubai South’s integrated multimodal logistics platform. Thanks to the company’s unparalleled speed, connectivity and efficiency of operations, RSA can transfer goods from sea to air in only a matter of hours.
Speaking at the event, Abhishek Ajay Shah, Co-Founder and Managing Director of RSA Logistics said: “We are immensely proud of our latest project, RSA Cold Chain, which fills an important gap in our customer service offerings. The cold chain sector is still in its infancy in the Middle East and we believe we are in the right place at the right time. We will now be able to offer a scalable and fast growing solution to quality-focused food companies in the region.”
The National Association of Freight and Logistics has successfully concluded its annual networking event where its President Nadia Abdul Aziz highlighted that the Association wants to raise the freight forwarding standards in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The President also talked about the challenges to the logistics industry and said NAFL members should be ready and prepared for the forthcoming Value Added Tax (VAT) and Blockchain technology.
The NAFL’s annual event was attended by a majority of its members and non-members in addition to representatives of Emirates airline, flydubai, Etihad Airways, Dubai Customs, Dubai Airport, Head of Air Cargo operations, IATA, officials from airlines and United Advocates.
Top officials from United Advocates, IBM and Deloitte addressed the networking event and talked about the issues related with VAT and Blockchain and how it will enhance the industry.
Earlier addressing the annual event, NAFL President Nadia Abdul Aziz presented the progress report of the Association. The president informed its members about the important global exhibitions related to the industry coming up in 2017. She urged the members to get the benefits of important industry-related courses being offered by the NAFL. She also welcomed Mr. Abdulla Bin Khediya, who has been appointed as the Senior Executive Coordinator between NAFL and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s office, Honorary patron of NAFL.
“The main reason of this workshop and networking event is to talk about various initiatives of NAFL and exchange experiences. We want to raise freight forwarding standards in the UAE. To achieve this goal, we do training workshops and networking events and many of them are complementary to our members,” she explained.
She added: “Here at the event we have airlines and they can give NAFL members better services. We, as a National Association want to fully support our national airlines.”
NAFL works with a lot of vendors and tries to get as much as possible discounts for its members, she informed and listed the latest reputable vendors of NAFL.
Giving an example, she said a couple of NAFL members have excellent knowledge regarding Africa market, Iraq and other important markets. They can exchange the business and knowledge within the network of members so others can get the benefit of it to expand their business.
NAFL’s upcoming ventures including promoting the UAE logistics industry at the Africa & Middle East conference in Casablanca and also later in Malaysia at the FIATA World Congress.
Aramex recently announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2017. Revenues increased to Dh1,106 million, up 7% compared to Dh1,029 million in Q1 2016. Aramex’s Net Profits in the first quarter decreased by 5% to Dh91.8 million, down from Dh96.9 million in Q1 2016.
Aramex’s Net Profits dropped due to the increase in value of the provision related to the company’s incentive scheme. Not accounting for this provision, Q1 Net Profit would have been Dh105.1 million, an 8.5% increase from Q1 2016.
Aramex’s strong Revenue performance in the first quarter was driven by growth across Asia-Pacific. Revenues in other regions were affected by currency fluctuations, especially the Egyptian Pound, which otherwise would have grown by 12%.
International Express recorded double digit growth in Q1 2017, driven primarily by the robust performance of cross border e-commerce, and continues to be the main driver of growth for Aramex. The Domestic Express business witnessed an increase compared to last year’s performance, with Asia-Pacific contributing significantly to this growth. Freight growth witnessed a slight rebound in Q1 but was affected negatively by currency fluctuations.
Leveraging innovative technologies will continue to be a key focus for the business in the remainder of 2017. Aramex will also continue to actively look for future acquisitions and strategic partnerships in key markets to grow its global footprint.
Etihad Airways and Jettainer are extending their cooperation until 2021. The leading international service partner for outsourced ULD management will continue to manage and maintain the container fleet of the United Arab Emirates’ national airline during the next five years. The introduction of intelligent containers, so-called smart ULDs, is also planned for this time frame. Smart ULDs autonomously inform about the containers’ position, temperature or maintenance status.
David Kerr, Senior Vice President Etihad Airways, said, “The cooperation with Etihad Cargo has turned Abu Dhabi into one of our most important hubs. The trust we’ve now been given is a confirmation of our work and an incentive to continue to convince through our best service in the future,” said Carsten Hernig, Managing Director, Jettainer. “Furthermore, Etihad Cargo, as an innovative and growing airline, is an ideal partner to go live with our smart ULDs.”
Etihad Cargo will be Jettainer’s first customer for the smart containers, which are fitted with GPS for constant traceability, can autonomously measure changes in temperature, shocks and other external influences, as well as give status updates. This enhances maintenance and management processes. The higher transparency leads to a variety of benefits for costumers such as quality assurance.
CHAMP Cargosystems has signed long term customer Silk Way West Airlines to its Weight & Balance load planning solution for their fleet of Boeing 747 freighters. This extension by the Baku-based airline to Weight & Balance reaffirms its strong relationship with CHAMP.
Serving more than 50 destinations worldwide, Silk Way West Airlines was searching for a credible IT solution that would allow staff perform their load planning faster, with greater accuracy, whilst optimizing the fuel burn of their aircraft.
“Silk Way West Airlines is happy to have an even wider relationship with CHAMP,” says Kamran Gasimov, CEO at Silk Way West Airlines. “The breadth of functionality and ease of use made it a simple choice to incorporate CHAMP’s Weight & Balance solution into the suite of products we already use.”
“We are delighted to further expand our portfolio of services that we are providing to Silk Way West Airlines, re-affirming our mutually beneficial relationship,” says Nicholas Xenocostas, Vice President Global Sales and Marketing at CHAMP Cargosystems. “We are sure that the versatility of our Weight & Balance Solution will help our client further enhance their operational excellence.”
In addition to Weight & Balance, Silk Way West Airlines are using CHAMP’s Traxon Global Customs, Cargospot Airline and Cargospot Revenue applications.
CHAMP’s Weight & Balance is currently the most advanced load planning software in the market, with functionality that encompasses an auto-load option with built-in logic to ensure effective off-loading on multiple flight-leg operations. The solution enables airlines to efficiently and safely plan all freighter aircraft loads, however complex, and helps load masters to keep an aircraft within permissible center of gravity limits throughout the flight.
The software not only ensures compliance with all operational and safety requirements, but also enables comprehensive audit trails and reporting, providing further business intelligence into the fleet’s overall performance.
The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) of the European Commission has visited ENAIRE in Madrid, Spain, to learn about developments for the SESAR Deployment Manager programme to modernise Europe’s Air Traffic Management (ATM) network
The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) of the European Commission (EC), responsible for managing the technical and financial implementation of different European Union (EU) programmes, including Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), has visited ENAIRE headquarters in Madrid, Spain, to see how the EU funding has supported the deployment and the evolution of the ENAIRE’s aeronautical data network (REDAN).
This official visit on 27th April was focused on the project ‘Implementing an IP-based ground-ground data communication network in ENAIRE’, which is one of the five projects ENAIRE co-financed under the Call 2014 of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme, a key EU funding instrument to facilitate targeted ATM infrastructure investment at European level.
The delegation was accompanied by a representative of the Spanish Ministry of Transport and SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM), the industrial partnership that synchronises and coordinates the modernisation of Europe’s air traffic management system under the political oversight of the European Commission.
“I am happy to see that CEF funding helps to achieve ambitious implementation goals. The modernisation of ENAIRE’s Communication and ATM system will enable deployment of further SESAR solutions to harmonise the European sky. This will bring direct benefits to passengers by increasing safety and decreasing air travel costs,” said Andreas Boschen, Head of CEF Department, INEA.
“Achieving the Single European Sky (SES) performance objectives, as well as the overall economic benefits expected from the ATM modernisation, is linked to the timely, coordinated and synchronised deployment of SESAR”, said Ángel Luis Arias, Director General at ENAIRE.
“ENAIRE is fully committed to delivering SESAR operational capabilities into Spanish airspace and today we are very pleased to welcome INEA and the European Commission and showcase the progress and tangible benefits our implementation projects bring to our customers and the entire European ATM network.”
“ENAIRE’s efforts to continue to modernise the Spanish ATM were clearly demonstrated during the visit. I am happy that co-funded modernisation projects, under the coordination of SESAR Deployment Manager, are initiated and implemented. I am also proud of the effective and actual cooperation with ENAIRE, as well as the other involved industries, which are contributing to the achievement of SES goals,” said Massimo Garbini, Managing Director SESAR Deployment Manager.
The objective of the project is the modernisation of the existing ENAIRE’s aeronautical data network, called REDAN, in order to align its technology with the current and future state-of-the-art facilities. The nodes of this network are located in the control centres and towers and in communication centres supporting all data communications involved in the provision of CNS/ATM services offered by ENAIRE.
REDAN ensures an agreed level of ground-ground interconnectivity between ENAIRE air traffic service units and airspace users with the highest levels of availability and security. This deployment will facilitate information exchange with the communication requirements of new applications, voice and data integration and the reduction of maintenance and operation costs.
Jettainer, the international service partner for outsourced ULD management, is now offering its ‘JettApp’ for smart phones. For Android devices, the application can now be downloaded from the Google Play Store. An iOS version is also already being planned. The mobile IT solution supports employees at the international stations and repair shops in managing the pallets and containers of airline customers in an even more efficient and transparent manner.
All relevant ULD movements can be individually summarized and clearly represented with the app. Various functions also facilitate the handling of complete pallet stacks and allow for the exchange of messages when the units transfer from one airline to another, as well as the search for ULDs or airway bills.
The app, which was until now only available on tablets – the so-called JettTabs – has been recording a steady increase of user figures since its introduction in 2012. All of the current 5,000 users will now be able to utilise the app with their existing JettWare logins. In 2016, the user surface was extensively redesigned to make it easier to use. The app is an important part of the company’s innovation culture. Currently, Jettainer is nominated for the German Innovation Award 2017 for its “Decision Support System”. The system uses huge amounts of data to support the controllers in their worldwide management of ULDs.
“With the JettApp for smart phones, we’re expanding the service for our customers. The intuitive usability helps make our employees’ work easier at their individual locations. At the same time, we’re also increasing the process effectiveness and taking another step towards digitalisation and paperless work,” said Thorsten Riekert, Director Sales, at Jettainer.
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
