Ford Trucks continues expansion in Europe

The company aims to expand its global growth to 45 countries by the end of 2021 and to 55 countries by the end of 2024.

American automaker Ford Motor Company continues to expand its global footprint with Ford Trucks specifically targeting to conquer the vast European market in the next few years.

After the successful selection of distributors in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, the company has set its eyes in the strategically important French market.

Ford Trucks plans to be present at 25 points by 2022 in France, which has a key position in Europe as a strategic market. During the launch, Ford Trucks delivered 60 of its ‘ITOY – International Truck of the Year’ award-winning vehicles to the Combronde Groupe, one of France’s most important logistics fleets.

F-Trucks France, appointed distributor of Ford Trucks, is a joint venture with Groupe Maurin, Groupe DMD and Groupe Amplitude, which are among the most well-established names in the French automotive industry, and it has been formed to establish Ford Trucks’ presence in the country.

Haydar Yenigün: “France will play a key role in our European growth strategy.”

 At Solutrans 2021, Ford Otosan General Manager, Haydar Yenigün, described how proud the company is to be moving into Europe’s second largest heavy-duty trucks market after Germany:

“Through our engineering expertise and superior R&D, we now produce trucks and operate in over 40 countries worldwide. Winner of the 2019 International Truck of the Year (ITOY) award, the F-MAX continues to be one of the most important symbols of our production power, engineering capabilities, design, technology, and vehicle development skills.

“After receiving the ITOY award, we accelerated our growth plans as a result of the high demand for the F-MAX from Europe. To meet this demand, we’ve established a presence in Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as the Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Spanish markets. In recent weeks, we stepped into Germany, Europe’s largest heavy-duty trucks market. Now, we are proud to partner with our distributor F-Trucks France to move into the French market which is Europe’s second largest heavy-duty trucks market and France will play a key role in Ford Trucks’ growth plans.”

Ford Trucks’ goal is to expand to 55 countries by end-2024

Ford Trucks, manufactures and develops vehicles for more than 40 countries around the globe. Its international growth shows no signs of slowing, despite the pandemic. Ford Trucks aims to achieve permanent growth across the whole of Europe and plans to expand its global operations to 55 countries in the next 3 years.

After receiving the 2019 International Truck of the Year (ITOY) award, Ford Trucks has brought forward its growth plans with the high demand from Europe for the F-MAX. After establishing its presence in Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain and Italy in 2019, it is now also able to serve demand in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.

The company aims to expand its global growth to 45 countries by the end of 2021 and to 55 countries by the end of 2024.

Ford Trucks has sold 1000 vehicles in Romania in two years!

Romania has become one of the most important markets in Eastern Europe for Ford Trucks with 1,000 vehicles sold in just two years.

To celebrate the delivery of the 1,000th vehicle, a ceremony was arranged at the offices of Cefin Trucks, the local distributor in Bucharest, the company shared.

During the ceremony, Ford Trucks International Markets Director Emrah Duman outlined Ford Trucks’ progress during the past two years. “In only two years in Romania, we’ve reached 8% market share in the heavy vehicle sector. We’re the market leader in the construction sector, with a 27% market share, as well as being in second place in the road trucks sector with 24% of the market share.”

Ford Trucks has used its more than 60 years of engineering experience to emerge at the forefront of global competition in the heavy commercial vehicles sector. The company first entered the Romanian market in May 2017.

“As an EU member with a quickly developing economy, new construction projects, and state investments, Romania is in a position of focus for us. With new construction projects and state investments, Romania is in a position of focus for us,” said Duman.

“At Ford Trucks, we’re very happy that we’ve been able to deliver 1000 trucks in such a short time. This success in Romania is due to our partnership with our distributor Cefin Trucks, the quality of our products and their suitability for the European market, our excellent engineering talent, the power of our research and development departments, and our technology.”

Ford Trucks’ F-MAX truck, winner of the 2019 International Truck of the Year award, plays a very important role in the company’s success in Romania.

“We’ve now completed our infrastructure in all of Romania’s big cities. At 12 locations, we provide sales, after sales service, and spare parts. By the end of this year, we’ll have 14 locations. The result of all this hard work is that, at the end of 2 short years, we’ve reached 8% of Romania’s market share for heavy commercial vehicles,” said Duman.

Noting that Romania’s construction sector is growing rapidly, Duman added, “We’ve become the market leader in Romania’s construction sector, with 27% of market share. Also, we have the second largest market share in the trucks sector, with 24%. All of this success was achieved in only 2 short years.”

Campus Germany: Lessons in sustainability

At the ongoing Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE, the first world expo held in the Middle East and North Africa region, Germany highlights the many possibilities on how technologies and innovative ideas can sustain the planet and its inhabitants.

Planet earth is home to over 7.9 billion people. In less than 30 years, about 70% of them will live in cities and experts say a network of sustainable infrastructure and services would be needed to sustain their needs.

This much people would need reliable supplies for green energy, clean water and environment, food, sustainable housing, education, transportation, sources of livelihood, safe public spaces, healthcare, among many other things.

The forward-thinking Germany is bringing once again innovative and creative ideas on how this challenging scenario can be addressed by combining our natural resources with science, engineering smart technologies and human ingenuity.

At the ongoing Expo 2020 Dubai, UAE, the first world expo held in the Middle East and North Africa region, Germany highlights the many possibilities on how technologies and innovative ideas can sustain the planet and its inhabitants.

Unlocking the possibilities on this issue is the German Pavilion’s “CAMPUS GERMANY” located in the Expo’s Sustainability District. The Pavilion showcases 36 innovative and creative exhibits linked to the subject of sustainability, grouped in “labs” dedicated to the topics of energy, cities of the future and biodiversity.

Dietmar Schmitz, the Commissioner General of the German Pavilion, explained EXPO 2020 is unique because it thrives on common goals to sustain the planet while protecting people.

“I think it’s very important to protect our environment. This was the reason why we decided to exhibit at the Sustainability District,” said Schmitz, a veteran of six world expos. “This is a very accomplished exhibition and we’re greatly impressed with the pavilion as a whole. We’re very happy with the curated content on the topic of sustainability.”

“Our CAMPUS GERMANY is based on the principle of sharing knowledge and ideas – because only together will we be able to change our future for the better. To this end, our agency facts and fiction has created an immersive experience for people young and old, no matter where they come from or what language they speak,” he added.

He praised the UAE government for uniting countries in this mega event despite the pandemic, sending a glimmer of hope that the future

“The pandemic is a special situation. But on the other hand, every Expo organizer is like organizing it for the first time. We got it all (the pandemic). Here in Dubai, they want to do everything right. I think they did it in a very good way. They have a lot of expats from different countries and this helps very much,” the German Commissioner said.

“All countries are working together for this Expo. My message to the public is come to the Expo. Look at the different pavilions and their topics, learn and take something from it so we can create a better world,” he added.

Three-themed Areas

The German Pavilion’s three themed areas will house an array of fascinating exhibits designed to encourage interaction and raise awareness of how important sustainability is both for today and tomorrow.

Ernst Peter Fischer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Arab Emirates, said the three core parts of CAMPUS GERMANY include energy transition, city of the future and diversity.

“The three core parts of our exhibition are about energy transition, city of the future and biodiversity. We want to show our German contribution to addressing these most pressing challenges for humanity. We don’t want to show-off or sell anything. That’s not what Expo is about.

We truly believe in Expo 2020 Dubai’s great theme: “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. And: Having a fun time while doing that. The theme is great because it describes what the world needs to do. Right now. With urgency…,” the ambassador said.

Energy Lab und Energy Terrace: Generation, transmission and storage of electricity  

Visitors to this lab will be able to learn all about the sustainable generation of electricity, loss-free transmission and alternative forms of storage.

One exhibit, provided by start-up Enerkite, takes a new approach to wind energy with kite-based systems that offer a considerably more efficient means of generation than traditional wind power facilities. Another, supplied by Heliatek, relies on energy produced by the sun. It is an ultra-light, flexible, ultra-thin, organic solar film that can be used for completely new applications beyond the capabilities of conventional solar technology.

In 1987, two German physicists received the Nobel Prize for their development of a ceramic material that conducts electricity loss-free at a temperature of -206 °C. E.ON’s AmpaCity exhibit develops their idea further and shows how it can work in practice, paving the way for a technology that is set to play a key role in transmission in tomorrow’s energy grids.

Another exhibit, supplied by Munich City Council in collaboration with the federal state of Bavaria, focuses on the sustainable utilization of geothermal technology, which can be used to generate electricity and heat. Munich’s medium-term goal is to meet its district heating needs primarily from this renewable source and to make its district heating 100% carbon-neutral.

Another exhibit is about limestone – a cost-effective material that offers an excellent means of storing renewable energies in a particularly sustainable and efficient manner. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which has provided the exhibit, have found a way of making the more than 600°C reaction temperature manageable.

The exhibition will also feature the StenSea – “Stored Energy in the Sea” project, which is being conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology. Using a model, the exhibit will demonstrate how offshore pumped storage stations in the sea work and how, particularly if installed along the coastlines of Europe, Japan and the US, they could supply as much as 1,000 times today’s land-based pumped storage capacity.

Future City Lab and Future City Terrace: Life in tomorrow’s cities

In the Future City Lab and on the Future City Terrace, things will move to the beat of tomorrow’s cities in an exhibition covering a wide range of ideas, from food supply to mobility.

With its partner SSI SCHAEFER, INFARM presents a future-proof, smart, modular farm where everything grows in perfect conditions – with 95% less water, 90% less mileage, 95% less land and zero chemical pesticides.

Two other exhibits are about energy and fresh-water supply. The first shows a dye-sensitized concrete material, which researchers from the “Building Art Invention” platform at the University of Kassel use as a photovoltaic cell. By applying a solar-active, organic liquid, such as fruit juice, their invention can turn any building into a solar power facility.

The other demonstrates that traces of medicines, viruses or chemicals remain in purified water despite state-of-the-art technology and large amounts of energy being used in the water treatment process. It will present a process developed by the Technical University of Munich and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (Berlin water utility), which harnesses the power of natural bacteria to reduce these residual pollutants in a targeted and efficient manner.

Two further exhibits in the Pavilion cover mobility from two very different angles. TK Elevator’s “MULTI” reinvents the elevator as an urban transport system. Horizontal transport, vertical transport far higher than currently possible, significantly better utilization of valuable building space and a smart control system mean MULTI will revolutionize how the buildings and cities of the future are planned.

In addition, the 7-Seater Lilium Jet showcases the vision to create a sustainable and accessible high-speed, regional transportation service. The electric vertical take-off and landing jet by Lilium offers industry-leading capacity, low noise and high performance.

Another exhibit helps to make use of carbon dioxide and thus to promote a circular economy. It will present a process developed by Covestro and their partners, which enables as much as 20% of the crude oil used in plastic production to be replaced by securely bound carbon dioxide. In addition to videos and displays explaining exhibits, attractions at the German Pavilion will include computer games, one of which allows visitors to try their hand at filtering out bacteria from waste water.

Biodiversity Lab and Biodiversity Terrace: Unravelling the mysteries of our planet

The Biodiversity Lab and Biodiversity Terrace will give visitors a first-hand experience of Earth’s riches. As well as revealing some of nature’s wonders, these two areas will show how nature actually inspires technological innovations.

Of an estimated 10 million species on our planet, only 2 million have actually been described. The Taxamap, the work of Dr Marin Freiberg from iDiv and Leipzig University, shows all terrestrial species currently known.

It is a map of diversity – diversity that we need to protect. This is also the focus of BASF Agricultural Solutions’ interactive game on biodiversity in agriculture. The loss of natural habitats is one cause of global biodiversity decline and this exhibit shows solutions for modern sustainable agriculture that makes intelligent use of land. In turn, this allows for the most resource-efficient yield without devoting more land to farming. The result is better protection for biodiversity without major decreases in yield.

Another exhibit examines the challenges facing agriculture around the world as a result of climate change. It shows how the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-2) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research center applies state-of -the-art processes to explore, for example, the properties plants will need in the future to cope with increasingly extreme environmental conditions.

UGT’s “EcoUnits” will also be on show, illustrating those ecosystems – highly complex structures – can be investigated under laboratory conditions. And another exhibit, supplied by iDiv, will demonstrate the disastrous impact of European earthworms on North America’s ecosystems.

Dubai Airshow 2021 marks major turning point in recovery and growth of international aviation and aerospace industries

After a year of postponement, Dubai Airshow returned this year as the largest aviation and aerospace global event to be held since the onset of the pandemic, more powerful, dynamic and bigger than ever with over 104,000 attendees and an incredible USD78 billion worth of deals made during the five-day event (14-18 November 2021).

Organizers said this was the event’s biggest edition since its launch in 1989, marking a turning point in the international aviation and aerospace’s industries recovery and growth efforts.

The mega event welcomed more than 104,000 attendees and witnessed a 50% increase in trade visitors which included global senior executives from 148 countries. It was also a significant milestone for the defence and space sectors which saw a range of deals and agreements declared.

Some of the notable deals which took place during the event included Airbus which announced orders and commitments totaling 408 aircraft (269 firm orders and 139 commitments). The agreements covered the full range of commercial aircraft families, including a first commitment for the A350F freighter derivative. Airbus launched its latest global market forecast outlining progressively shifting demand from fleet growth to accelerated retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft resulting in a need for some 39,000 new-build passenger and freighter aircraft. Of these,15,250 aircraft (around 40%) are for replacements.

On the opening day of the show alone, Indigo Partners portfolio airlines placed a firm order for 255 A321neo Family aircraft, including 29 XLR. This included Wizz Air ordering 102 aircraft (75 A321neo + 27 A321XLR); Frontier 91 aircraft (A321neo); Volaris 39 aircraft (A321neo) and JetSMART 23 aircraft (21 A321neo + 2 A321XLR).

Boeing announced an order of 72 of its 737 Max from new Indian airline Akasa Air. It also announced orders for 11 of its 737-800BCF cargo planes from aircraft leasing company Icelease, nine converted 767-300BCF freighters from DHL, and orders for two of its long-range 777F freighters from Emirates SkyCargo. Boeing received four orders of passenger planes and freighters from Air Tanzania and three of its widebody 777-300 passenger jets from UAE-based aviation services provider Sky One FZE.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence signed AED 22.5 billion worth of contracts with European, American and Asian contractors and suppliers at the Airshow. The UAE Air Force and Air Defence (Afad) on the first day awarded a contract worth Dh11 billion to Abu Dhabi-based advanced technology firm Edge Group’s subsidiary GAL for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and specialised support services for the UAE Airforce and Air Defence.

Tawazun Economic Council (Tawazun) and Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which the latter will establish a wholly-owned facility in Abu Dhabi. The formation of the subsidiary is part of Tawazun’s efforts to attract and promote long-term partnerships with major companies in the defence, aviation and aerospace sector. Tawazun also signed a Euro 216.9 million deal with Aeroter to purchase 100 VRT500 helicopters.

MBRSC signs MoU with Volga-Dnepr Group to provide logistics services, air cargo solutions for UAE satellite program

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed a MoU with Volga-Dnepr Group, a Russian airline holding company, to provide logistics services and air cargo solutions for the UAE satellite programme during the five-day Dubai Airshow.

Headquartered in Moscow, Volga-Dnepr is a world leader in the global market for the movement of oversize, unique and heavy air cargo. Its core business activities are charter cargo operations using Antonov An-124 and IL-76TD-90VD heavy transporters and scheduled cargo operations using Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 freighters.

The deal was signed by Salem AlMarri, Deputy Director General, MBRSC and Artemiy Ivanovskiy, General Manager, Volga-Dnepr Group, Dubai Office in the presence of Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director General, MBRSC at the Dubai Airshow 2021.

Founded in 2006, MBRSC is home to the UAE National Space Program. The Centre builds and operates earth observation satellites, offering imaging and data analysis services.

Dubai Airshow and the UAE Space Agency signed a MoU on the second day of the event. The two parties will collaborate to further position Dubai Airshow as a key platform for companies and investors in the space sector.

The partnership will support organizations looking to establish a presence at future editions of the event and will enable space companies to benefit from the participation, engagements, networking and agreements created at Dubai Airshow. The agreement will deliver an increased focus on the space industry for future editions of the event highlighting the continued growth and development of the international space sector.

A gathering of force

Timothy Hawes, Managing Director at Tarsus Middle East, organisers of Dubai Airshow 2021 said: “It has been a truly incredible Dubai Airshow. The event has been a real testament to the resilience, robustness and adaptability of the aviation and aerospace industries to come back with such strength after the pandemic. We have seen an industry transition with significant levels of innovation, technological advancement and digital transformation right across the show with many exhibitors displaying brand new solutions.

“There have also been greater commitments towards sustainability and decarbonisation, which is of critical importance across the globe. The attendance levels of global senior executives from across the industries has also never been higher than this year.

“We thank the UAE leadership for their continuous support, trust and guidance in helping make this the biggest ever event of its kind. USD 78 billion worth of deals truly shows that the industry has an exciting and prosperous future with partnerships and collaboration at its heart. Dubai Airshow is today recognized as a world-class platform that shapes the future of the aerospace sector and we thank everyone involved for helping to make the 2021 edition a truly pivotal moment and a resounding success.”

The Dubai Airshow is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The next edition will take place in 2023 at Dubai World Central (DWC), Al Maktoum airport.

DAS 2021 AT A GLANCE IN NUMBERS

FedEx bullish over air cargo’s future

FedEx Express is expanding further its global presence through the UAE and KSA taking advantage of their ideal geographic location connecting continents easily. The world’s largest express transportation company moved nearly 110 kilotons of PPE and other healthcare supplies, including more than 2.5 billion masks, between January 2020 and September 2021.

FedEx is a global name synonymous to speed delivery across the world. With a fleet of more than 680 planes, 350 of which are jet aircraft dedicated to cargo, FedEx is the world’s largest all-cargo airline.

In the face of the pandemic, the company and the 560,000 people behind its operations worldwide committed themselves to ensuring that lifesaving medical and healthcare supplies, as well as other basic essentials, are safely transported even to the farthest shores on the planet to help fight humanity’s biggest health crisis.

Jack Muhs, Regional President of FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa, told Air Cargo Update that FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, moved nearly 110 kilotons of PPE and other healthcare supplies, including more than 2.5 billion masks, between January 2020 and September 2021.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, FedEx immediately mobilized Project Airbridge, a public-private partnership managed by the US federal government to ensure the expedited shipping of personal protective equipment and other supplies critical to COVID-19 relief efforts across America to protect people against the virus. Across the 50 states in America, FedEx employs more than 375,000, representing a 9.4 percent increase in employment in 2020 while many sectors cut jobs.

And in the Middle East, FedEx is also busy keeping essential medical supplies and other goods moving from one point to another, regionally and internationally.

When India was struggling to fight its worst bout with the COVID-19 pandemic early this year, FedEx supported the transportation of more than 25,000 oxygen concentrators and converters through an initiative with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and other multinational companies, apart from hundreds of tons of medical supplies and aid.

The airline even donated a FedEx Boeing 777F charter flight to move more than 3,400 oxygen concentrators, converters and nearly 265,000 KN95 masks for Direct Relief from Newark, New Jersey to Mumbai, India.

In great appreciation of FedEx’s essential employees’ resolve to work despite the threat of the pandemic, Muhs shared the company gave them a bonus in January 2021.

“Every one of our workers that helped deliver packages, when everything’s on lockdown, still go to work. So, in appreciation of their efforts each one of them got a bonus. As they say, not all heroes wear a cape,” said Muhs on the sidelines of Dubai Airshow 2021.

Positive Market Outlook

FedEx Express has its hub in the Middle East in Dubai, established since 1989. Last month, the company signed an agreement with Dubai South to build its new regional hub for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (MEISA) region at the Logistics District to meet a growing surge on air cargo services demand.

Located in proximity to Dubai World Central Airport (DWC), the new FedEx Express regional hub at Dubai South will incorporate state-of-the-art technologies to support the company’s regional and global networks and increase operational efficiencies to meet growing trade demands within the MEISA region.

“Dubai is like the air silk of the world that connects Asia and Europe and Europe to Asia. We have flights from Europe. We have flights out of North America. We have nonstop flights from Memphis, Tennessee. We have flights from Asia. And now we have flights from Africa. And so, the need for a larger hub to support that growing network is obviously very important for us,” said Muhs noting that Dubai is a strategic location in converging FedEx flights from all over the world. “Dubai continues to be the heart of our regional operations.”

From Dubai, FedEx Express also serves India, a huge emerging global market for air cargo and logistics, as well as Africa, a continent where many countries have the world’s youngest population.

FedEx Express’ new regional hub in Dubai will be developed with sustainable operations and energy use in mind and will enhance the overall customer experience with an automated and advanced sorting system, hi-speed security screening equipment, cold-chain services, and capabilities to manage dangerous goods. It will also provide businesses and customers quick access to more countries around the world.

Expansion to KSA

FedEx Express is also expanding its presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to meet the country’s growing international shopping demands and its goal to diversify its oil-based economy.

Muhs said FedEx Express will invest more than SAR 1.5 billion (US $400 million) into the Saudi economy over the next 10 years through talent management and local operations and infrastructure. This investment will reaffirm the company’s commitment to the country’s non-oil economic growth, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals, and the ‘National Industrial Development and Logistics Program’ which seeks to increase non-oil exports to more than SAR 1 trillion (approximately US $266 billion).

FedEx Express has been facilitating trade in Saudi Arabia since 1994, offering international solutions and connectivity through local service providers, most recently through SAB Express. Its recent announcement and the company’s direct presence in the country are seen to further help local businesses trade with ease and expand their reach into the more than 220 countries and territories that FedEx serves.

“In addition to our commitment to the Saudi economy, we see FedEx Express playing an important role in developing the small and medium enterprise environment in Saudi Arabia, which forms the backbone of the economy, and represents 99% of Saudi Arabia’s private sector,” said Muhs.

Great tasks ahead

While continuing to deliver vital lifesaving medical and healthcare supplies, the air cargo industry is also in high demand distributing COVID-19 vaccines and facilitating global trade as businesses and economies work doubly hard to recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic.

And in today’s digital world where online purchases are becoming the new normal, air cargo’s fast and efficient delivery services have become a critical component of the global e-commerce industry.

“Let’s put the vaccines in perspective first. There’s no doubt that the movement of the vaccine ingredients, PPE and all those things, are some of the most important things that we have transported. I do not want to minimize that. We do a lot. We have 350 dedicated jet aircraft that do nothing but cargo and another 330 turboprop-engine aircraft that feeder into smaller cities. Those are obviously huge opportunities for us to continue to grow. We handle about 15.5 million packages per day, globally,” said Muhs.

The FedEx Express top executive said the pandemic essentially made us realize that air cargo is an essential partner in today’s more globalized world.

“I think what you saw during the pandemic is the importance of air cargo to keep economies going. Yes, we move a lot of vaccines, PPE (personal protective equipment), we were very excited about helping (the world) recover. We also do a lot of e-commerce. We also moved a lot of goods to help communities keep up. People started shopping from home. Businesses needed parts move. There are so many things going on,” said Muhs.

“Roughly 40-50 % of freight, pre-covid, moved in the bellies of passenger flights. And when those capacity were pulled down, it’s companies like FedEx that kept those stuff moving. So, I’m very bullish on air cargo. I think what the pandemic showed is the incredible value of  having a freight network in today’s economy to keep things moving,” he added.

Jack Muhs: From intern to Regional President of FedEx Express MEISA

James R. (Jack) Muhs is the regional president of the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (MEISA) region for FedEx Express based in Dubai.

The affable but results-driven Muhs who leads more than 9,000 FedEx Express and TNT team members, and responsible for providing the strategic direction for the region, shared he began his career at the world’s largest all-cargo airline as an intern while getting his college degree from the University of North Dakota.

From being an intern, Muhs became an employee working full-time loading planes and driving vans. With FedEx’s strong hire from within policy, which means current employees are given the chance to be promoted to key management positions, Muhs climbed up the corporate ladder.

“I started as an intern,” Muhs recalled. “I worked full-time loading airplanes. Driving vans and that’s a really big advantage to me because I learned a lot from the ground up.”

Prior to his appointment in MEISA, Muhs served as President and CEO of FedEx Trade Networks, which specializes in air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage and international trade facilitation solutions.

He also previously served as senior vice president of U.S. international, global planning, engineering, and trade services for FedEx Express, where he was responsible for the company’s U.S. export business, as well as the planning and engineering of the FedEx Express global network.

Since joining FedEx in 1984, Muhs has served as managing director of global operations control. Following that appointment, he became vice president of global network planning and operations control in 1998.

He is a four-time recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award, the company’s highest award for individual leadership and contribution.

Muhs holds a BBA from the University of North Dakota and an MBA from the University of Memphis. He currently serves as chairman of the North American Leaders Group of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is on the Global Board of Directors of U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Family, faith, community, marathons, football & golf for Delta’s CEO

Delta, the most profitable airline in the world which serves nearly 370 destinations in six continents, had just released its 2020 bonus checks when the COVID-19 outbreak hit. Within a month into the turbulent global aviation scene due to the virus, the airline lost about 95 percent of its revenues, according to media reports

But Delta’s strength of character prevailed thanks to the power of strong leadership that its CEO, Ed Bastian, showed to ensure that the airline survives the crisis.

Bastian, who leads a team of 75,000 globally, reminded their employees throughout the pandemic that “crises don’t build character, they reveal character.”

Today, Delta is remarkably bouncing back announcing its operating revenue, adjusted $8.3 billion for the September quarter 2021 improved 30 percent, or $1.9 billion more from June quarter 2021.

“Our September quarter marked an important milestone in our recovery, with our first quarterly profit since the start of the pandemic. Our revenues reached two-thirds of 2019 levels thanks to the industry-leading operational performance our people delivered through a busy summer, once again showing why they are the best in the business,” said Bastian.

The airline’s total passenger revenue was 63 percent recovered in the September quarter 2021 compared to September quarter 2019 on system capacity that was 71 percent restored compared to 2019 levels.

“While demand continues to improve, the recent rise in fuel prices will pressure our ability to remain profitable for the December quarter. As the recovery progresses, I am confident in our path to sustained profitability as we continue to provide best-in-class service to our customers, strengthen preference for our brand, while creating a simpler, more efficient airline,” the Delta CEO said.

Bastian, a business major graduate from New York’s St. Bonaventure University, began his career as auditor at Price Waterhouse now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). In 1981, he uncovered a $50 million fraud scheme involving ad powerhouse J. Walter Thompson, prompting a US Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, according to media reports. He was named the firm’s partner at age 31.

After PWC, Bastian moved to PepsiCo as vice president. He joined Delta in 1998 as Vice President – Finance and Controller and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2000. He left Delta in 2005 and became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Acuity Brands. He returned to Delta six months later to become Chief Financial Officer, and in 2007 was appointed to serve as Delta’s President.

Since being named Delta’s CEO in May 2016, Ed has expanded Delta’s leading position as the world’s most reliable airline while growing its global footprint and enhancing the customer experience in the air and on the ground.

During his tenure as CEO, Delta has become the world’s most awarded airline, having been named the No. 1 airline by J.D. Power; Wall Street Journal’s top U.S. airline; Fortune’s most admired airline worldwide; the most on-time global airline by FlightGlobal; among TIME100’s Most Influential Companies, a Glassdoor Best Place to Work and more.

In 2018, Fortune magazine named Bastian among “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and in 2019, he was elected to the membership of the Council on Foreign Relations. Most recently, Bastian was named among the Top 10 CEOs of 2021 in Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards as a leader who excelled at supporting their people throughout a global pandemic.

Bastian’s values-based leadership propelled the airline to become the industry leader and a trusted global brand, guided by empathy, humanity and devotion to service, which has served Delta well in good times and bad. He has served as a Delta leader and steered the company through the most challenging periods of the company’s history, including 9/11, bankruptcy and COVID-19.

As the world emerges from the pandemic, Delta is leading the industry in the recovery, harnessing the power of innovation and Delta’s people-focused culture to set the course for the future of travel.

Bastian who lives in Atlanta is deeply involved in his faith, family and community. He’s also into marathons, football and golf. And delights in the company of his dog, Oliver.

Sharing a photo of his young self in an Instagram post, the now 64-year-old Bastian wrote,  “Wow—I would have never imagined in this moment all the possibilities life could bring. Keep dreaming. Keep working. Keep climbing. Good things are always on the horizon.”

DSV launches new environmental solution for greener supply chains

DSV has launched a new environmental solution that it hopes will help reduce the emissions created in the global supply chains and meet rising demand from shippers for greener supply chains.

The top three freight forwarder recently launched its Green Logistics program, which is built around four solutions: green supply chain design and optimization; CO2 reporting; sustainable fuel offerings; and carbon offsetting.

The new solution will meet customer demand for environmental initiatives and also help the company meet its own targets, the forwarder said.

Last year, the company committed to reducing scope one and two (its own) greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 from a 2019 base year and scope three emissions (those from subcontracted transport) by 30% over the same time line.

DSV senior director, sustainability, Lindsay Zingg, said that the last few years had seen an increase in customer demand for environmental solutions.

“I think it will only intensify,” said Zingg. “Customers want companies like us to help them de-carbonize their supply chain.

“We are dealing with customers on a daily basis, especially in the oil and gas, retail, fashion and automotive sectors, that are asking us for advice, what technology is on the market, where is the industry going.”

She added: “Customers have set their own targets and to achieve these targets they go to their suppliers and ask us to help.”

Zingg said that forwarders that are unable to offer emissions reduction programs could potentially lose out on business.

“This increases collaboration with the customer so there is more chance to keep them if you can support them.

“It is going to be the case that we could potentially lose customers should we not have green logistics products”.

Zingg added that DSV management is also driving the initiative and has supported the development of the program.

On helping reduce scope three emissions, Zingg said that DSV now has a full overview of total CO2 emissions, including sub contracted transport.

DSV is hoping its Green Logistics solutions will allow it to take a consultative approach with customers looking to reduce their emissions.

By using the new Co2-reporting tool and the green supply chain and optimization solution DSV can help calculate the amount customers can reduce their emissions with and redesign their supply chains to contribute their share to limiting global warming.

On its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) strategy, Zingg says DSV has partnered with United Airlines, which has an advanced SAF program.

United recently became the first airline to utilize SAF for 100% of fuel requirements on a passenger flight.

“We have a demand forecast that we work with for SAF and we have the visibility that allows us to track whether we have enough fuel for our customers,” Zingg said.

“However, we do know that in the airfreight industry there is not enough SAF if everyone comes on board. But the more we buy into this, the more SAF that is sold, the more money there is, then more can be developed.”

CEVA Logistics to integrate Ingram Micro CLS to complete its ecommerce & omni-channel fulfilment offering

CMA CGM Group, and Ingram Micro have signed a Share and Asset Purchase Agreement for the CMA CGM Group to acquire most of Ingram Micro’s Commerce & Lifecycle Services activities (CLS), including Shipwire and the company’s technology forward logistics businesses in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. The remaining portions of the existing CLS business will be retained by Ingram Micro. The enterprise value of the transaction is $3.0 billion.

The Ingram Micro CLS business being acquired specializes in ecommerce contract logistics and omni-channel fulfillment. The transaction includes Shipwire, a cloud-based logistics technology platform. The acquired business represents estimated annual revenues of $1.7 billion in 2021 and employs 11,500 staff members worldwide across 59 warehouses, with a strong presence in the US and in Europe.

This acquisition illustrates the CMA CGM Group’s commitment to strengthening its position as a global leader in shipping and logistics. Between CEVA Logistics and the CLS business, the combined logistics workforce will constitute approximately 90,000 people across nearly 1,100 sites in 160 countries. The combination of CEVA Logistics and Ingram Micro CLS activities will create the fourth-largest global provider of contract logistics services. Michiel Alting von Geusau, currently Executive Vice President, and President of Global Commerce & Life Cycle Services for Ingram Micro, will continue to lead the business within CEVA Logistics.

This acquisition will further complement CEVA Logistics offering in the contract logistics industry and support its objective to become a Top 5 global third-party logistics player. CEVA is already ranked in the Leaders quadrant by Gartner in its 2021 Magic Quadrant Third-Party Logistics Worldwide report.

Ingram Micro’s CLS business will complement CEVA Logistics’ existing ecommerce business and accelerate its growth in key market segments, such as technology, retail and fashion. The CLS business has a strong base in contract logistics with excellent ecommerce capabilities including reverse logistics management, parcel visibility, and same-day delivery.

The Shipwire order fulfilment platform provides flexible ecommerce logistics solutions for small and medium-sized companies. Shipwire will be able to access CMA CGM’s client base of more than 100,000 customers and CEVA’s warehouses to accelerate its development and extend its global footprint.

Together, CEVA Logistics and the CLS business will be one of the world’s leading end-to-end ecommerce services.

This acquisition is part of the CMA CGM Group strategy to build and develop extensive transportation and logistics solutions in support of its customers’ supply chains. The Group is accelerating investments to strengthen its shipping and logistics network, targeting solutions designed to increase supply chain resiliency and fluidity.

The CMA CGM Group intends to fund this acquisition from its own resources. The closing of this transaction is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals by relevant authorities. The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2022.

Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, said, “The acquisition of Ingram Micro CLS is strategic for the CMA CGM Group. After completing its turnaround this year, our subsidiary CEVA Logistics will accelerate its development and join the world’s Top 4 in contract logistics. Its position will be significantly strengthened in the U.S. and European markets, enhancing its ability to seize the opportunities offered by the boom of ecommerce. Committed to providing leading end-to-end supply chain solutions, the CMA CGM Group will continue its development, relying on two solid pillars, shipping and logistics, with a world leadership position in both sectors.”

 

SmartLOG signs agreement to automate vaccine distribution Center

The Spain-headquartered warehouse automation solutions provider, SmartLOG Group signed an agreement with the official logistics service provider of the Catalonian Department of Health to supply its vaccine distribution center with robotics and temperature control technologies.

As per the five years agreement, SmartLOG will supply five robots and 2137 bins as part of the group’s strategy to step into the healthcare and pharmaceutical market. SmartLOG provides scalable warehouse management solutions to 48 healthcare customers worldwide.

The group announced in October that it will expand operations to the UAE to meet the rising demand in the Middle East market, describing the latest agreement as an ‘ideal case study’ to showcase its expertise in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics logistics sectors.

Moreover, the group announced its plans to access new sectors in the Middle East including e-commerce, e-grocery shopping, food and beverage, aviation, and spare parts.

SmartLOG stated it sees great potential in the dark store operation model, with retail facilities resembling conventional stores but not open to the public, instead the products are used to fulfill online orders, adding that the concept is not only suitable for e-sellers but also for pharmaceutical companies currently investing in similar establishments.

Nevertheless, these establishments will be subject to legislation challenges calling for immense collaboration between governments and pharmaceutical companies to ensure safe operations.

The group affirmed it is well equipped with customized solutions to serve the businesses shifting to dark store operations.

On a related note, the group signed an agreement with a leading company in the cosmetics sector to provide solutions for cart picking and order consolidation.

Largest Italian freight-forwarding company enhances cargo tracking capabilities with StarTracking

Savino del Bene SpA, the largest Italian freight-forwarding company, has invested in upgrading its air cargo tracking capabilities by adopting StarTracking, the Airport-to-Airport tracking solution developed by the leading digital service provider Cargo Start Srl.

Star Tracking is the first system providing real-time, unfiltered shipment status updates from multiple carriers in one single platform, which easily integrates in any Transportation Management System (TMS) with an API interfacing.

Commenting on the collaboration, Simone Ghelardini, Corporate Air Director at Savino del Bene says: “Savino del Bene is continuously seeking innovative and effective ways to improve data quality and transparency. In this context, we have chosen this state-of the-art tracking solution as a complement to our newly launched TMS.”

“Choosing a ‘Made in Italy’ solution like StarTracking, further highlights Savino del Bene’s commitment in supporting innovative start-up companies from Italy like Cargo Start, and in driving a more rapid adoption of digitalization in the air cargo industry,” he says.

Emanuele Vurchio, General Manager at Cargo Start says: “All our solutions are developed and optimized in close collaboration with our customers. Through the collaboration with Savino del Bene, we are sure that StarTracking can have a significant impact in improving industry efficiencies overall.”

Caribbean Airlines Cargo to streamline booking via CHAMP Portal solution

Caribbean Airlines Cargo has signed for CHAMP’s suite of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which include services for booking and pricing to be used in tandem with CHAMP’s flagship SaaS-based Cargospot solution. APIs empower digital collaboration by allowing businesses to process data seamlessly and in real-time.

Caribbean Airlines Cargo will also implement the newly developed e-booking engine, Cargospot Portal that will streamline its booking workflows and increase sales efficiencies.  The portal will offer customers a range of functions such as availability with price, booking, master/house airwaybills, status updates, tracking, and more.  This value-added service, will give customers total control over their bookings, thereby accelerating the process and response times, while increasing administrative and operational efficiency.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with CHAMP, which will enhance our customers’ experience,” says Marklan Moseley, General Manager – Cargo and New Business at Caribbean Airlines. “By using CHAMP’s newest technologies, we are able to offer our customers the most up-to-date services available, which will save them time, through an improved sales and booking process and much more”.

“CHAMP is pleased to further its relationship with Caribbean Airlines,” says Nicholas Xenocostas, Vice President Commercial and Customer Engagement at CHAMP Cargosystems. “By becoming an integral part of Caribbean Airlines Cargo’s sales process, our technologies can further bring efficiencies once only seen in operations. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

CHAMP’s Cargospot eco-system continues to evolve through the introduction of new interoperable technologies, such as APIs, portals and IoT-based applications.