Shawn Richard, Vice President Global Air Freight at SEKO Logistics, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Airforwarders Association (AfA), the voice of the airforwarding industry in the United States.
He joins other newly elected BOD members for the upcoming 2021-2024 term of office and will be officially sworn into office at the AfA’s virtual Board meeting on 5 January. The new recruits will join eight existing AfA Directors in continuing the success of the Association and guiding its future growth and development.
Brandon Fried, AfA Executive Director, commented, “The Airforwarders Association is delighted to have Shawn Richard joining our Board. Shawn’s extensive experience and vast industry knowledge make him an ideal Director as we continue our ambitious agenda in promoting the interests of freight forwarders in Washington.”
Shawn joined SEKO Logistics in early 2018, bringing 30 years of logistics industry experience, including extensive knowledge of carrier management, procurement and cross-border e-commerce. He began his career managing inbound and outbound handling operations for air carriers at New York JFK before joining the predecessor to DHL Global Forwarding in Miami, playing an important role in the successful integrations of Danzas, Exel and Airborne Express into DHL. He later moved back to the U.S. Northeast with Geodis and, prior to joining SEKO, held the posts of Chief Operating Officer at Worldnet Shipping USA and as Northeast Regional Sales Manager for Delta Airlines Cargo.
Commenting on his appointment, Shawn said, “I am looking forward to working with the other Board members, as well as the entire AfA membership, to ensure we continue to adopt a proactive role in relation to compliance, security and innovation, which will guarantee the health and survival of our industry. The AfA will continue to advocate for Freight Forwarders, and this will be more important than ever in the post-COVID world, which will undoubtedly continue to encourage innovation in the supply/demand chain. I plan on being heavily engaged in key issues for our industry, notably airport congestion, K9 screening and GHA outreach initiatives to plan and implement immediate service improvements for Forwarders.”
The Airforwarders Association (AfA) serves as the voice of the airforwarding industry. As an alliance of indirect air carriers, cargo airlines and related businesses operating across the global transportation community, it represents member companies dedicated to moving air cargo through the supply chain, not only airforwarders, but truckers, airlines, warehouse operators and businesses delivering a range of supporting services, including the technology, training, compliance, insurance and legal sectors.
Saudi Arabian Logistics Company (SAL), Saudi Arabia’s leading cargo ground handler and logistics provider, is pleased to announce the unveiling of its new pharma and perishable facilities at the Cargo Village in Riyadh, specializing in perishables and all types of pharmaceuticals, including the much-awaited COVID vaccines soon to be rolled out worldwide.
His Excellency the Saudi Minister of Transport Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser inaugurated SAL’s new facilities at the country’s main gateway, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SAL, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, is tasked to complement the nation’s goal of creating a global logistics hub.
With 5,000 square meters of storage, the pharma and perishable facilities combined can adequately handle up to 365,000 tons of cargo a year. With SAL’s partnership with the Saudi Customs, Saudi Food and Drug Authority has made clearance of shipments becomes easier and faster.
The new facilities have four docks for loading refrigerated containers. The project, which started its operations, also has twelve warehouses with different temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius to suit the nature and type of cargo to be stored. In addition, within the facility, there is special storage dedicated for flower cargo.
SAL CEO Omar Hariri commented, “The launch of the Riyadh Cold Storage facilities comes at a historic moment that coincides with the world’s anticipation for the delivery of the COVID vaccine. This urgency makes us harness the capabilities of the operation capacity of our pharmaceutical facility and be fully prepared to receive and handle the new vaccines in coordination with the health authorities.”
The new project, he added, will enhance SAL’s handling and storage services for medical and pharmaceuticals in line with the highest quality standards approved by the EU GDP.
The opening of the facilities ushers in a new and advanced phase for handling sensitive cargoes including foodstuffs that require special care. Within the facilities, there are divisions run by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Saudi Customs to inspect and expedite the cargo handling process to avoid an unbreakable cool chain.
The new facilities also feature a 650 sqm temperature control breakdown area. There’s also an area for shipping refrigerated containers enough for 20 active containers. It is also equipped with a thermal isolation area.
Last May, SAL started its operations at its new facilities in the Riyadh-based King Khalid International Airport’s Cargo Village. The total area of the facilities is 42,000 square meters while its operation capacity reaches 450,000 tons a year including cargoes and goods handled.
SAL aims to contribute to the Vision 2030 objectives and turn the Kingdom into a global logistics hub and invest in its strategic geographical location connecting three continents.
The Saudi Ministry of Transport assured the country’s transport infrastructure and facilities, particularly air cargo and logistics, are fully prepared to handle COVID-19 vaccines once it’s ready for distribution.
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has ceremonially signed five agreements with a number of companies during an official visit from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the State of Israel.
Captain Waleed A. Hameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air said “We take great pride in being part of the official delegation from the Kingdom of Bahrain and hope this is merely the beginning of developing further aviation opportunities. During our visit, we have signed a number of great agreements that will solidify the confidence in aviation between the two countries.”
Gulf Air and EL AL Airlines signed a comprehensive MOU which sets the foundation to discuss potential joint codeshare operations between Manama and Tel Aviv, as well as on the global flight networks beyond the two carriers’ hubs and contains plans for greater commercial cooperation in the fields of loyalty, cargo, engineering, travel technology and any area that can benefit both airlines and their customers.
Gulf Air has reached an accord with TAL Aviation Group to represent Gulf Air in the State of Israel. TAL Aviation is a Global Airline, Travel & Tourism Representation organization with more than 35 offices covering over 50 countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas. TAL Aviation’s core business & activity is the representation, distribution & sales of over 30 international airlines, both passenger & cargo; management of over 20 international hotel, cruise, car rental suppliers & products sold and distributed throughout its worldwide network; Official Contractor for IATA & Coordinator of ARC making more airlines and travel solutions available to the traveling public; Destination Marketing – developing marketing strategies to establish a strong presence of major tourism authorities in new locations; Digital Marketing & Promotions – offering complete digital marketing solutions and maximizing advertising & PR exposure; A-La-Carte Modular Solutions – offering both individual & multiple modular services to suit each client’s needs; Market Consultancy & Business Intelligence – providing strategic market research needed before entering a market and connecting companies to business intelligence systems.
Moreover, Gulf Air entered a Line Maintenance agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Aviation Group. Under the contract, the Aviation Group will provide a comprehensive technical response to all of Gulf Air’s airplanes expected to land at the Ben Gurion International Airport, including post- and pre-flight services and support for any technical issues. IAI’s Aviation Group provides Line Maintenance services to some 75% of the airlines that arrive at the Ben Gurion Airport.
The airline also signed an agreement with Q.A.S. Israel Ltd for Ground Handling, Cargo, Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) and Lounges.
Lastly, Gulf Air and Newrest Israel signed an agreement for on-board catering. Newrest is a specialist in out-of-home food service and a global leader in multi-sector catering.
Etihad Cargo, has agreed a landmark partnership with Validaide, the largest global platform for special handling capabilities of logistics suppliers, to co-manage and co-share station facilities for pharmaceuticals and other special cargo with global customers.
The Premium Membership partnership, which sees Etihad Cargo join Validaide’s Advisory Board, extends the carrier’s digital reach to more than 500 logistics providers. Customers will be able to define, share and search special cargo handling capabilities, with Validaide serving as the central platform to leverage Etihad Cargo’s full network management power across 70 labelled network stations.
“In this constantly changing environment, the logistics industry needs to understand where capabilities lie and what constraints exist. Through Validaide, Etihad Cargo will provide their customers with additional transparency on their station capabilities, including new SOP and Lane Risk Assessment features, while reducing the time to collect and manage this information by 95 per cent,” said Martin Drew, Managing Director – Cargo and Logistics at Etihad Cargo.
“The move is decisive considering the anticipated distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Following the launch of Etihad Cargo’s specialized pharma and healthcare service, PharmaLife, which offers tailor-made, sector-specific pharmaceutical shipment solutions, the Validaide partnership provides additional digital capabilities to global pharma customers. Etihad Cargo can now extend the use of Validaide in various business processes by integrating station capabilities data into the corporate website and booking system,” added Drew.
Natalie Niers, Head of Capabilities Platform at Validaide, added: “Having recently extended Validaide platform to include a Premium Membership for air carriers, aligning with a global carrier and digital transformation leader like Etihad Cargo will significantly enhance the platform’s possibilities to shape the future.”
Eelco de Jong, CEO at Validaide, added: “Transparency on transport and storage conditions is critical for distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, which require extensive industry collaboration and data sharing. Etihad Cargo’s addition to our Advisory Board extends our industry community model and will assist in defining a development roadmap to address global needs.”
In addition to pharmaceutical logistics through its IATA CEIV-certified PharmaLife product, Etihad Cargo will provide access to its full portfolio of dedicated solutions including IATA CEIV-certified FreshForward for perishables, LiveAnimals and SkyStables for the transportation of pets and horses, SafeGuard for valuable cargo, and Dangerous Goods.
Etihad Cargo and Validaide are both active members of Pharma.Aero, the cross-industry collaboration for pharmaceutical logistics, and both pursue digitalization projects within the broader air cargo industry.
The world’s largest producer of machine-woven carpets, Oriental Weavers Group (OW Group), has chosen DHL Global Forwarding (DHL) as its logistical partner for global supply. DHL will distribute OW Group’s products via air and ocean freight primarily to the United States, Europe and across the Gulf region, including managing all corresponding customs clearance processes.
Headquartered in Egypt, OW Group has manufacturing facilities across three countries and is one of the most recognized brands in the industry, especially in the tufted and jet-printed rugs and carpets category.
DHL Global Forwarding recently announced that it would be neutralizing the carbon emissions of all less-than-container load (LCL) ocean freight shipments from 1 January 2021.
“As we continue to progress towards our net-zero logistics-related emissions targets, it is exciting to be able to find a like-minded partner in Oriental Weavers as we work to not only grow their international market share, but to do so in a sustainable manner that can make a difference to the climate agenda,” said Magued Ragheb, Country Manager, DHL Global Forwarding, Egypt.
The value of Egypt’s exports of carpets and other textile floor covering was $310.09 million in 2019 and despite the impact of weakening global supply chains on the textile sector, a key component of the Egypt’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Egypt’s GDP is expected to rebound to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2022.
Industry observers are optimistic that the economy will be boosted by economic and structural reforms, and the logistics sector will play a vital role to support exports and economic recovery.
Ahmed Abd El Aleem, Group Logistics Senior Manager, Oriental Weavers Group said: “Oriental Weavers remains committed to sustainable manufacturing as we navigate a challenging, yet positive business landscape. While we continue to grow our global footprint, it is critical that we have a strong logistics partner like DHL to ensure our supply chains are green, resilient and uninterrupted.
“DHL has both the expertise and global network, but it is even more important that we share a common vision towards attaining long term sustainable growth.”
Bayer Middle East FZE has announced the launch of its regional distribution center that will reduce time-to-market by as much as 58 percent, the company estimates.
The center will facilitate the delivery of more than 3400 tons annually, while ensuring greater network flexibility, increased frequency and dedicated stock for customers in the Middle East.
The warehouse is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, close to the Jebel Ali Sea Port with easy connections to Al Maktoum International (DWC) and Dubai International (DXB) airports and major road arteries.
Equipped with the latest warehousing and cold chain technologies, the facility operated by Agility, one of the world’s leading logistics companies, is spread over 60,000 m² with multiple storage temperature options.
Accommodating over 100,000 pallet positions, 56 loading docks and 83 material handling equipment, the center is fully compliant with Ministry of Health, EU Guidelines on Good Distribution Practice and World Health Organization standards.
Thomas Panzer, SVP, Head Supply Chain Management Pharmaceuticals at Bayer AG, said: “Customer focus is among Bayer’s core values and is embedded deeply in our overall supply chain strategy. With a presence in the Middle East for more than 85 years, we have been providing important healthcare and crop protection products to customers in the region.
“Within the last decade we have successfully launched various innovative products that advance the unmet health and nutritional needs of the region, which as the next step required us to invest in logistics infrastructure to ensure greater flexibility and reduce lead times.”
Henrik Wulff, Senior Bayer Representative, Middle East & Head of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Middle East said: “Advancing health and nutrition remains a priority for us. We want to ensure increased and closer product availability especially amidst COVID-19 through this center. Benefitting from Dubai’s strategic geographic location and logistics infrastructure and Agility’s experience, scale, operational capability and regional track record, the Center improves our distribution model in the Middle East and optimizes our last mile processes.”
Integrating fully with Agility’s warehouse management systems, Bayer will maintain visibility and traceability of inventory employing the latest technologies. The center will be supported by another facility that will be implemented in Germany in mid-2021 as part of Bayer’s long-term commitment to Middle East customers.
Albert Asool, CEO, Agility Dubai said: “Through this partnership we aim to support Bayer with world-class warehousing that incorporates multiple temperature-zone storage and cold-chain solutions. Our strategically positioned regional logistics hub, pharma supply chain expertise and distribution network incorporate a comprehensive suite of services, technologies and tools that provide visibility and traceability down to the unit level.”
Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Gateway Bonded Zone (EGBZ), located on a large site at KFIA in Dammam, has marked two new milestones in its development.
Firstly, EGBZ has been certified as being Good Storage Practices Compliant (GSP) for the receiving, storage and dispatch of general cargo and medicines.
GSP is a quality evaluation system devised by the World Health Organization to ensure good storage conditions are maintained for Cargo moving through the supply chain process.
In particular, it requires that storage facilities should be clean, dry and maintained within acceptable temperature and humidity limits.
Merchandise should be stored off the floor and suitably spaced to permit cleaning and inspection.
The EGBZ is fully equipped with the latest web-enabled inventory management technology, providing real-time online virtual Cargo visibility for its users. The zone’s storage temperatures range is from 24C to minus 12 C.
Secondly, the zone recently handled a Sabic Charter Flight originating from Italy. The contents of the charter were transferred by SAL to the EGBZ via an airside road connecting the zone to KFIA’s main flight apron.
The cargo is being held in bond at the EGBZ’s dedicated AF chamber for draw down by Sabic in line with its manufacturing requirements.
Inventory management, clearance and final mile delivery services will be performed by DHL Global Forwarding.
The zone can be utilized by EGBZ’s clients as a multi-modal freight gateway and/or a consolidated bonded storage facility for land, air and sea freight consignments.
Global Response Aid (GRA), part of the Agility group, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories will make Avigan available in Malaysia following a recent decision by the Malaysian Ministry of Health’s Drug Control Authority to approve the anti-viral drug for treatment of patients infected with COVID-19.
The Malaysian Drug Control Authority’s approval of Avigan is recognition of the urgent need to provide safe and effective treatment solutions to patients diagnosed with Coronavirus. It follows recent decisions by regulatory bodies in Indonesia and India to approve Avigan for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Avigan was developed by FujiFilm Toyama Chemical as an influenza anti-viral. In June, FujiFilm signed an agreement with GRA and Dr. Reddy’s for the exclusive global production, distribution and commercialization of the drug.
The joint venture has participated in an array of clinical trials of Avigan, including large studies in the Middle East and five Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies in the United States, Japan, China and the UAE. The drug has shown positive results, reducing fevers and shortening recovery time in patients in the early stages of COVID-19 infection.
Originally developed for influenza, Avigan or its generic have been used to treat up to 400,000 patients. Avigan is available in tablet and IV form. It is stable and easy to transport without need for refrigeration, and has a shelf life of ten years.
Mitch Wilson, CEO of GRA, said: “Avigan is increasingly being adopted as a first line defense because it can reduce the likelihood that patients in high-risk categories will ultimately require hospitalization. Approval by Malaysia expands availability and means that Avigan is now available to treat more than 3 billion people in China, Indonesia, India and Malaysia.
“It has become a vital tool in global and national efforts to stave off a potentially disastrous next wave of COVID-19. We expect further approvals in other countries in the near future and will be announcing multiple manufacturing locations to meet the growing global demand.”
Junji Okada, President of FujiFilm Toyama, said: “As our joint venture partners GRA and Dr. Reddy’s continue to advance their critical regulatory milestones to make Avigan available globally, the ever-growing need for effective treatment is becoming more crucial as we approach this next wave.
“This approval granted by the Drug Control Authority in Malalysia means Avigan being available nationally is a welcomed development at a time where the infection rates in Malysian are increasing daily.”
The route will strengthen trade between the two countries and support customers, particularly small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), with their international expansion, the company said.
Now, customers shipping to Israel can choose from a range of services tailored to their different needs, depending on their business requirements.
One of them is FedEx International Priority, the “fastest shipping option available to customers in the UAE today”, the company claims.
SMEs account for approximately 99% of businesses in the UAE and Israel.
The air and ground networks of FedEx Express will support a stronger commercial link between the UAE and Israel, and enable companies to gain faster access to markets and new customers within the two countries, the company said.
The UAE and Israel recently signed a peace accord to normalize relations, which will explore economic cooperation and investments in sectors such as logistics, aviation, agricultural technology, green energy, and food and water security.
Within the next three to five years, bilateral trade between the UAE, one of the top three global re-export hubs, and Israel is expected to reach $4 billion annually.
Freight forwarder cargo-partner has commenced the rollout of the CargoWise platform, owned by WiseTech Global, across its global network.
CargoWise will enable cargo-partner’s logistics providers to carry out transactions for freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, shipping, tracking, land transport, e-commerce and cross-border compliance, using a single platform.
The software is being rolled out in stages across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the US and is expected to be completed by March 2023.
Stefan Krauter, chief executive of cargo-partner, commented: “CargoWise will be a revolutionary step in our next stage of growth. The ability to manage our global freight forwarding operations from a single platform that provides real-time visibility across our supply chain will enable cargo-partner to increase operational efficiency and focus on driving customer experience. We also expect to significantly improve cost efficiencies and productivity across our teams.
“The implementation of CargoWise is in line with our high-tech approach and commitment to providing end-to-end solutions that help us stay ahead of our competitors.
“We see our future role in the digitalization of the global supply chain not in developing own standard software, but in developing individual client solutions, deep integration and ultimately in building clusters of artificial intelligence together with our customers. Of course many of these clusters will be connected and communicating with each other.”
WiseTech Global founder and chief executive Richard White, added: “As we continue to welcome more leading logistics service providers to adopt our CargoWise platform for full global rollouts, we move one step closer to delivering on our vision to be the operating system for global logistics.
“The deep functionality available within CargoWise will ensure cargo-partner has a strong foundation for future business growth.”
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
