Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings has announced that President and Chief Executive Officer William Flynn will retire from the company on January 1, after a 13-year tenure, and become Chairman of the Board on that date.
The board has appointed John Dietrich, current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as Flynn’s successor. Dietrich will become President and Chief Operating Officer effective immediately, and he will retain the role as President when he assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2020.
Additionally, Robert Agnew, current Chairman of the Board, will become the Board’s Lead Independent Director, effective January 1, 2020.
The company said that the transitions and appointments are the “culmination of a comprehensive succession process led by the board to ensure strong leadership continuity as the company continues to advance its strategic growth agenda”.
“One of our key responsibilities as a board is the implementation of a leadership transition plan to ensure the company’s continued success in the future,” said Agnew. “Given John’s depth of experience and proven track record of performance, we are confident that he is uniquely suited to take on the Chief Executive Officer role and lead Atlas into its next growth phase.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Bill for his extraordinary leadership. He has built a company that is more dynamic, more profitable, and better-positioned to deliver continued success. Under his leadership, we have grown our fleet, diversified our service offerings, broadened our customer base, and developed a world-class team of talented, customer-focused employees. Bill is well-prepared to have a significant impact as Chairman of the Board.”
Atlas said that significant achievements made during Flynn’s tenure include the transformation of Polar Air Cargo with the DHL joint venture; investment in the 747-8F platform; acquisition of Southern Air, which added 777 and 737 operating capabilities; growth in relationships with express and e-commerce customers; expansions with long-term customers; and entry into passenger charter flying.
Additionally, the company launched and expanded its dry-leasing subsidiary, Titan.
“It has been a great privilege to lead the company through this period of tremendous growth, and strengthen our position as a leader in global aviation outsourcing,” said Flynn. “I am proud of our dedicated and experienced employees, and the business we have built as a team.
“For over two decades, John has had an unparalleled commitment to this company and our employees. He also has played a key role in driving our success. He has the visionary leadership and solid expertise needed to usher in a new era of growth. I look forward to working with John, my fellow board members, and the Senior Leadership Team as we continue executing our strategic growth agenda to create long-term value for our customers, shareholders and employees.”
Dietrich has over 30 years of experience in the aviation and air cargo industries, including more than 20 with Atlas Air Worldwide. He has served in his current COO role since 2006.
Dietrich joined the company in 1999 as Associate General Counsel and was promoted to Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 2004, which included responsibility for human resources and corporate communications. Prior to joining Atlas Air Worldwide, Dietrich worked for United Airlines for 13 years, serving as a corporate attorney in his last position there.
Dietrich said: “I am honored to have been selected to lead this great company, and continue the strong momentum established under Bill’s leadership.
“We have an outstanding team of employees and a powerful portfolio of aircraft and service offerings. We are fortunate that Bill will continue to be an asset to our team through his role as Chairman. Together with our Senior Leadership Team and talented base of crew and ground staff employees, I look forward to building future growth opportunities.”
Continuing to serve on the Senior Leadership Team are Michael Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc.; Spencer Schwartz, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Adam Kokas, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; and Patricia Goodwin-Peters, Senior Vice President, Human Resources.
Emirates SkyCargo, the air cargo division of Emirates Airline, has announced the appointment of Alyazeya Saeed and Fatma Ahli to the key positions of Cargo Managers of Oman and Kuwait. As recent graduates of Emirates SkyCargo’s Commercial Management Program, the two Emirati women will oversee the airline’s cargo operations in the two countries.
Emirates SkyCargo’s Commercial Management Program was created to provide UAE nationals with the skills and knowledge to prepare them to hold key roles within the air cargo industry. As part of the program, candidates engage in practical work related to activities in cargo operations and sales.
Alyazeya Saeed, Cargo Manager for Oman, joined Emirates SkyCargo in 2016 as a fresh graduate, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration
Fatma Ahli, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management from Higher Colleges of Technology.
Commenting on the program and the appointments, Nabil Sultan, divisional SVP of Emirates Skycargo said, “Emirates SkyCargo’s Commercial Management Program continues to attract UAE nationals with substantial potential. The program has graduated more than 10 UAE Nationals since 2014 who now occupy several senior roles in the organization.
“The Commercial Management program also plays a significant role in preparing the trainees for future responsibilities as leaders in the logistics industry. I am confident that both Alyazeya and Fatma will be great assets to the team and we’re very proud to see Emirati women succeed in the Cargo logistics industry.”
Lockheed Martin’s board of directors approved the appointments of new leaders for two of the corporation’s business areas. Frank St. John will move to executive vice president of Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS) and Scott Greene will become executive vice president of Missiles and Fire Control (MFC). St. John succeeds Dale Bennett, who intends to retire but will serve as strategic advisor on the executive leadership team through the end of the year. Both Greene and St. John will serve as corporate officers. Their appointments will be effective Aug. 26.
St. John, 52, joined Lockheed Martin as an intern more than 30 years ago, and took on roles of increasing responsibility in engineering and program management before joining the corporation’s executive leadership team. For the past year and a half, he has served as executive vice president of MFC. Under his leadership, MFC secured significant long-term strategic contract wins and grew international sales significantly.
Greene, 61, has served as vice president of Tactical and Strike Missiles in the MFC business segment since August 2017, where he had total business, operational and financial responsibility for that line of business. With more than 38 years of experience, Greene has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout the corporation.
“Frank and Scott are proven leaders who have built impressive records at Lockheed Martin. They bring a commitment to excellence and strong customer focus to their respective business areas,” said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Marillyn Hewson. “These appointments reflect Lockheed Martin’s commitment to succession planning and strong governance. We have deep talent and expertise in our executive leadership team, and I am confident Frank and Scott will continue to deliver strong performance in their new roles.”
Bennett began his career in the US Air Force and joined Lockheed Martin in 1981. In his most recent role as the leader of RMS, Dale led a team of more than 35,000 people across the globe working on a diverse product portfolio of over 1,000 programs ranging from helicopters to naval platforms. He has been a champion for the corporation’s military veteran workforce and an advocate for STEM education initiatives.
“We appreciate Dale’s leadership and service over his remarkable 40-year career in the military and in industry,” Hewson said. “His broad experience across engineering, business development and strategy made him a uniquely valuable part of our leadership team. We wish him well in his retirement.”
FedEx Express has launched SMS functionality within the FedEx Delivery Manager application in the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The enhancement is part of an on-going expansion of the service to 59 countries, covering 80 percent of global GDP.
FedEx Delivery Manager provides recipients with the ability to customize their FedEx Express deliveries, with convenient options such as rescheduling the delivery time or location, an added benefit for small and medium-sized businesses.
The platform will support the e-commerce market in the region. According to a report by BMI research, e-commerce in the Middle East is expected to be worth US $48.6 billion in 2022, up from an estimated US $26.9 billion in 2018.
“Expectations in last mile delivery and returns are only set to increase with the e-commerce landscape growing rapidly and more retailers and small businesses going online,” said Nathalie Amiel-Ferrault, vice president of Customer Experience and Marketing at FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa.
“Convenient delivery options within e-commerce will remain key to customer satisfaction and the overall online shopping experience. FedEx Delivery Manager demonstrates our efforts to strengthen our last-mile delivery capabilities and provide more control and flexibility to our customers,” he added.
Recipients expecting deliveries to their residence will receive a notification by SMS or email from FedEx when their package has shipped. The recipient can choose to change the delivery instructions in a few simple steps via a secured website. FedEx Delivery Manager is free of charge, easy to use, and secure.
Businesses will benefit from greater customer satisfaction, increased loyalty and cost savings through reduced instances of returns. Customers can choose the right delivery option for their shipment at no added cost with up to date notifications every step of the way via SMS or email.
It also allows FedEx Express to minimize delivery attempts to customers who may not be home to receive deliveries.
A new report by Honeywell has revealed two-thirds of medium-to-large organizations in the UAE (68%) and Saudi Arabia (66%) believe Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies are critical to business operations, or will become critical in the next five years.
Honeywell partnered with YouGov and IDC to launch the “IIoT Market Spotlight – UAE & Saudi Arabia” study, which analyzes the views of approximately 250 C-level executives at companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia across the buildings and cities, transport and logistics and industrial sectors. The report features insights from interviews with executives to gauge their perceptions, degree of implementation and investment outlook on IIoT-enabled technologies and digitalization initiatives within their organizations.
Norm Gilsdorf, president for Honeywell, High Growth Regions, Middle East, Russia and Customs Union, commented: “Digitalization initiatives and Industrial Internet of Things technologies are revolutionizing the way companies across the Middle East operate, by connecting disparate systems across industrial operations to derive previously untapped information that can drive new growth.”
“Our survey reflects a strong and growing appetite to embrace digitalization across UAE and Saudi Arabia. Our customers are generating more data from increasingly connected operations, and are asking for technologies to aggregate this data and convert it into insights that drive profitability. Through the right combination of hardware, software, analytics and cybersecurity, these companies are poised to realize the gains Industry 4.0 has to offer,” added Gilsdorf.
Increasing the performance of operations was highlighted as a main benefit by survey respondents currently leveraging IIoT solutions in both countries (UAE 50% and Saudi Arabia 51%). Time savings came in second as a key benefit (UAE 48% and Saudi Arabia 50%) and increased revenues came third (UAE 28% and Saudi Arabia 38%).
Almost half of companies are already investing in IIoT today: In the UAE, 46% of decision-makers surveyed say their companies are already investing either moderately or heavily in IIoT, with 40% of organizations in Saudi Arabia reporting similar investment.
A majority of companies surveyed plan to increase IIoT investments in the next five years: In the UAE, 72% of the decision-makers say their companies will increase investments in IIoT, with 64% of organizations in Saudi Arabia reporting a similar outlook.
Cybersecurity will become more critical: Executives also report a growing appetite for investments in cybersecurity solutions in the next five years in both the UAE (75%) and Saudi Arabia (68%).
Fears over data security, budget issues and staff training are holding firms back: Data protection (39%) and a lack of funding (37%) are deemed to be the main challenges to IIoT adoption in the UAE. While a lack of digital culture (50%) and a lack of qualified staff and training (46%) are cited as key hurdles in Saudi Arabia.
As part of its commitment to advancing digital transformation in the region, Honeywell has launched two innovation and knowledge-exchange hubs in the UAE in the past year. The Company will also open a new training and knowledge-sharing hub for IIoT technologies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, representing continued significant investment and commitment to digitalization efforts.
The Honeywell Masdar Innovation Center in Abu Dhabi and the Honeywell Technology Experience Center in Dubai are designed to encourage collaboration and engagement between stakeholders and facilitate the co-creation of industry-specific solutions through the adoption of IIoT technology. Together, the centers demonstrate solutions for a range of sectors including industrials comprising oil and gas, refineries, manufacturing; smart buildings, cities and hospitality; as well as transport, aviation, supply chain and logistics.
The Company also established the Honeywell Industrial Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Dubai last year, a pioneering technology center that tests and demonstrates process control network vulnerabilities and threats, trains regional customers with real-time attack simulations and provides advanced customer consultations.
Ecommerce fulfillment warehouses have some unique challenges, they need to be able to handle a large volume of smaller orders, and these orders might require more touch-points and customized services such as special packaging and ‘gift and return’ label printing.
At the same time, warehouse managers are all too aware that their customers expect rapid delivery as well as access to information about what stage of delivery their goods are at. There might also be a constant need to reconfigure the warehouse, as today’s fast movers can rapidly become tomorrow’s slow movers.
Because of this, Vishal Minocha, senior product director, development, Infor, says the tech solutions provider is focusing on developing WMS systems that respond to the unique needs of e-com logistics.
“At Infor, these Warehouse Management System requirements are being reflected in the demand we’re seeing in the Middle East for our Infor CloudSuite WMS, which provides flexibility and configurability and lets you adapt the allocation and picking strategies to handle the complex order mix of B2B and B2C orders,” he says.
“Voice enablement can provide hands-free picking which is a great tool to pick smaller units or cases – which represent the majority of the orders in ecommerce world,” he adds. “The ecommerce warehouse might have some automation, such as AGVs or sortation systems, so it is important for a WMS to provide technology that is easy-to-integrate via REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs or open business objects.”
DP World uses Infor solution to power new global intelligence network
Since most of the ecommerce orders are shipped via small parcel carriers, it is also important that WMS can integrate easily with a small parcel shipping system and print carrier compliant labels with proper rate and tracking information, Minocha adds.
Maersk Supply Service has reconfirmed its commitment to Fleet Xpress, in a three-year contract extension which also sees one of the world’s largest offshore support vessel operators among the first companies to sign up to Inmarsat’s new dedicated bandwidth service for charterers.
Deployed off Europe, the Americas, West Africa, South East Asia and Australia, 40 Maersk Supply Service vessels include some of the most modern anchor handlers, subsea support vessels and platform supply vessels in the offshore services industry.
QE2 gets major internet upgrade in Dubai during refurbishment
Maersk Supply Service is also a strong advocate for digital solutions that use high quality data to optimise vessel operations, recently adopting a new energy advisory system in support of an initial target to reduce fuel consumption by 5% by 2020.
Eric Griffin, VP of Offshore Energy, Inmarsat Maritime said: “We are delighted that Maersk Supply Service has committed to Fleet Xpress to enable its digitalisation strategy and in particular that the company will use our new dedicated bandwidth service to provide its charterers with their own connection through the same terminal and hardware on the vessel.”
The new Charterer plans on Fleet Xpress have been designed specifically for Offshore Supply vessel operators to meet the increasing connectivity requirements of third-party charterers and to run across dedicated bandwidth that does not interrupt the vessel’s primary bandwidth.
Maersk Supply Service chief information officer, Thomas Stampe, said: “IT solutions that offer us and our customers greater control and flexibility over data management are key to any initiatives that seek to achieve smarter and more agile vessel performance.”
Since its launch in March 2016, Fleet Xpress has been installed on board around 7,000 ships, establishing itself as the market-leading maritime broadband connectivity option in the maritime industry.
A report published in 2018 by market analyst Euroconsult indicated that Fleet Xpress was the fastest growing maritime VSAT service.
Atran Airlines, the Russian air express carrier within Volga-Dnepr Group, is introducing a new route into its network between Hangzhou (China), an emerging technology hub and home to the e-commerce industry in China, and Riga (Latvia).
The flight, which is to be operated every Thursday onboard its recently deployed Boeing 737-800BCF, will provide up to 23 tons of cargo capacity for e-commerce shipments of Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group.
The new freight call is another step of the ongoing cooperation between Volga-Dnepr Group and Cainiao Network after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the end of 2018 with the aim to strengthen the Volga-Dnepr Group’s positions in the area of cross-border shipments in the market and jointly build a global smart logistics network to meet upgrading demands.
“We have been focusing on satisfying growing demand of cross-border shipments, analyzing best-case scenarios for the consumers and launch of the lane Hangzhou-Riga is a result of our joint cooperation,” said Dmitry Obsharov, general director of Atran Airlines. “Atran Airlines will offer cargo connection between Hangzhou, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region, and Riga, which opens up distribution possibilities to both Russian and EU markets.”
On top of this, our customers will favor weekly air cargo services from Riga to Moscow (Vnukovo) with access to interline routes and CIS connections,” he added.
“Cainiao is striving to enhance cross-border logistics service for merchants, brands and consumers. We are pleased to partner with Atran Airlines to leverage its freight capabilities to provide efficient cross-border delivery,” said James Zhao, general manager of Cainiao Global.
“With the arrival of Atran, Riga Airport has become the first Baltic airport to be used for direct regular e-commerce cargo transportation to China,” said Ilona Līce, chairperson of the Board of Riga Airport. “It provides invaluable opportunities for both businesses and the economic cooperation between the Baltic region and China in general, especially considering that Atran will also provide a connection to Russia, thus providing new opportunities for Baltic exporters.”
Atran Airlines, which operates the fleet of Boeing 737-400SF and Boeing 737-800BCF, is concentrating on creating bridges for the booming volumes of online purchases between China and Russia, expanding its network and enlarging the fleet.
The new service adds to the recently launched Xi’an route into Atran’s fold with the carrier being aimed at further increase of its foothold in the region.
While there is currently more supply than demand for property in the Dubai industrial and warehousing markets, the Silk Road strategy and an increase in firms from e-commerce, manufacturing and 3PL sectors are likely to drive demand through the second half of the year, says Savills.
In its Dubai Industrial Market H1 report, Savills says rents for these properties have dropped during the first half of the year. Grade A property rents dropped between 4% to 6% across the city, and Grade B rental values fell 8% to 10%.
According to Savills report, Dubai has gone through a physical transformation as local economies become consumers rather than just being a point through which goods are transported and as such the local market is changing the demands of the supply chain and logistics processes.
At the recent Warehouse Summit Mena, National Association of Freight & Logistics President, Nadia Abdul Aziz noted that the UAE market was currently the third strongest logistics market in the world and the regional leader.
To maintain its robust global position, the Savills report predicts that Dubai Silk Road strategy, will play a strong role in spiking demand for warehousing and industrial space in the city, especially among Chinese investors.
It focuses on enhancing trade between free zones, the Emirates, and connecting logistics services including between DP World locations across the world.
James Lynch, the head of industrial and logistics at Savills Dubai, said, “Demand in the industrial and warehousing sectors has been subdued in the first half of 2019. The transactions we have seen are towards spaces that have been built-to-suit and a ‘flight to quality’ as organisations seek operational efficiencies through improved facilities.”
“Landlords are increasingly flexible, so there are good opportunities available for those pursuing space upgrades,” stated Lynch.
“The positive news is that we are predicting government initiatives, such as the Dubai Silk Road, will create uplift in demand, while private sector growth in the ecommerce and 3PL sectors can also boost performance in the second half of this year,” he added.
UAE-based retailer Lulu Group International intends to set up a sourcing and logistics facility in Nigeria to export local agricultural produce to its various operations across the GCC, India and Far East.
The plan was discussed during a meeting between Muhammedu Buhari, President of Nigeria, and Yusuff Ali MA, chairman of Lulu Group during the Annual Investment Summit being held in Dubai.
Buhari urged Yusuff Ali to invest in his country, saying: “Come to Nigeria and prosper and have handsome returns on your investments, within the shortest possible time.”
Yusuff Ali briefed the Nigerian President about Lulu’s activities and expressed interest to work with Nigerian farmers to promote local produce and to ensure food security.
“We are also interested to sign contract farming deals with local farmers and entrepreneurs to help supply fresh vegetables and fruits to our hypermarkets worldwide,” said Ali.
A high level team of Lulu is expected to visit Nigeria soon for further discussion with authorities.
“Discussions were held to invest in Nigeria’s retail sector by Lulu Group and more importantly to invest in local agricultural products and help to market them worldwide will be extremely beneficial for the local farmers”, said Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigerian Foreign Minister after the meeting.
Lulu currently has similar facilities in other African markets such as South Africa and Egypt.
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
