Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has completed the latest implementation stage of its digital roadmap by transitioning 15 of its air cargo handling stations in France to CHAMP’s Cargospot Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) solution.
WFS signed a contract with CHAMP at the end of 2021 to implement Cargospot as the core cargo management system for its Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia operations. This latest migration in France, the country with most WFS stations in the region, covers cargo terminal operations in Paris CDG, Paris Orly, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Mulhouse, Montpellier, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg
and Toulouse.
France joins WFS cargo stations in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden which have already successfully deployed the new system.
The migration includes the Cargospot Mobile application using modern iOS or Android smartphone or tablet devices, giving WFS transformational benefits in terms of removing manual processes and paperwork from the cargo handling process. WFS cargo handling teams and customers using the new system now enjoy faster access to real-time data and greater visibility of cargoes within their responsibility, such as up-to-date status information on export and import freight shipments, measured against key milestones agreed in respective customer Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
“The rollout of Cargospot SAAS across our EMEAA stations is on track thanks to the response of our teams across the region to embrace this new technology. By investing to replace paper-based processes, we are enabling our teams of cargo handling professionals to focus on our main priorities of safety, security, and operational excellence. More of our stations in EMEAA will switch over to Cargospot in the coming weeks as we continue to deliver our digital roadmap and gain the benefits this provides for both WFS and our customers,” said Pedro Garcia, Group Chief Information Officer at WFS.
“CHAMP is thrilled to be an integral part of WFS’ digital transformation journey. We continue to enhance our services with a key focus on operational efficiency in the warehouse, enabling increased collaboration between key stakeholders at airports – further increasing WFS’ relations with its customers,” said Nicholas Xenocostas, VP Commercial & Customer Engagement at CHAMP Cargosystems.
Using Cargospot Mobile, WFS’ warehouse teams benefit from:
WFS teams across EMEAA are using the CHAMP Academy’s highly intuitive online learning platform to familiarize themselves with the new technology. The rollout of Cargospot SaaS continues the longstanding partnership between CHAMP and WFS in support of WFS’ cargo handling organization covering 30,000 employees serving more than 300 customers at 160 major airports in 17 countries on five continents.
Rhenus Air & Ocean UK has opened a life sciences and healthcare hub in Ashford, Middlesex near Heathrow Airport.
The freight forwarder – the UK arm of the German-owned Rhenus Group – said the warehouse is the first facility of its kind in Europe for Rhenus Group and will offer import and export logistics and a “white glove” service for temperature-controlled storage and distribution.
The new department will be led by head of life sciences and healthcare for North-West Europe, Marie-Louise Watkins, and UK life sciences and healthcare manager, Jayne Fox.
Watkins said: “This is a brand-new venture for Rhenus in the UK. With the patient at the forefront of our minds, our focus is on quality and compliance, providing our customers with industry expertise and solutions to ensure the safe and secure handling of pharmaceutical and medical products.”
She added: “As we are a global company with more than 920 offices worldwide, including our wholly owned charter service company, we can assist our customers to de-risk their supply chains and unlock the potential of new markets globally.”
North-West Europe chief executive, Frank Roderkerk, added: “Rhenus has a well-established track record in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, and the opening of this new department marks the next stage. Led by a stellar team, with the appointments of Marie-Louise and Jayne, we can say with confidence we have fast-tracked a world-leading offer for our customers in this complex, rapidly evolving sector.”
Geodis has completed the acquisition of e-commerce specialist Keppel Logistics as the forwarder expands its presence in Asia.
The deal was first announced at the start of the year but Geodis has now obtained all regulatory approvals allowing completion.
Geodis said the acquisition would bolster the two firms’ respective e-commerce offerings by combining Keppel Logistics’ delivery service with its own controlled airfreight network as well as its seafreight and road transport connections across the region.
Based in Singapore, Keppel Logistics is a contract logistics specialist with close to 500 employees and is active throughout Asia Pacific, operating around 200,000 sq m of warehouse space across Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.
“We are pleased to welcome Keppel Logistics’ customers, employees and management to the Geodis Group,” said Marie-Christine Lombard, chief executive of Geodis.
“The acquisition of Keppel Logistics marks a key milestone in Geodis’ Asia Pacific ambition, increasing our Contract Logistics footprint and e-commerce fulfillment services in Singapore and Asia-Pacific.”
“This is truly a significant step in our continued expansion in Asia-Pacific and will certainly take our digital omnichannel capabilities to the next level, ensuring that we can go above and beyond to support our customers in responding to the growing e-Commerce opportunity, even in today’s complex supply chain ecosystem,” said Onno Boots, president and chief executive of Geodis in Asia- Pacific.
DHL eCommerce Solutions will invest in a new e-commerce hub near Coventry Airport in the UK.
The company has announced plans to invest €560m across its UK ecommerce operation, DHL Parcel UK.
Nearly half of the investment will be in a new 25,000 m2 hub in SEGRO Park Coventry Gateway, located south of Coventry Airport.
The new facility will have the capacity to handle over 500,000 items per day. It will feature secure bonded storage and customs capabilities to support international e-commerce, a 48-door cross dock facility and state of the art mechanization, allowing automatic sortation of mixed sized and weight items through high-speed sortation equipment.
The building has been designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ status to minimize its environmental impact through design features such as 7,000m2 of solar panels, LED lighting and landscaping to protect the natural biodiversity of the area. As well as incorporating EV charging points for cars, the site will also be equipped with LGV electric charging points throughout and sustainable fuel capabilities to pre-empt technology developments in larger vehicles over the coming years.
Pablo Ciano, executive vice president corporate development at Deutsche Post DHL Group and designated chief executive DHL eCommerce Solutions, said: “The Covid pandemic has not only driven digitalization, but also significantly changed consumer behavior, rapidly accelerating the growth of e-commerce and shifting shopping habits. At Deutsche Post DHL Group we believe this shift to online shopping will remain intact and, as e-commerce is one of the important pillars in our Group Strategy 2025, we’ll continue to invest in the sector. This investment in the UK is a key part of that, supporting the expansion and modernization of our European network. I’m really looking forward to supporting the business on its growth path in my new role as CEO DHL eCommerce Solutions starting August 1.”
Peter Fuller, chief executive of DHL Parcel UK, said: “This investment is a real demonstration of the excellent work our people and partners have delivered over the past two years to get us to the level of growth where major expansion is required to meet customer demand. E-commerce is going to continue to shape the world around us, this investment, along with the strength of the DHL brand
and our leading approach to digitalization and sustainability will put us in a strong position to take advantage of market growth.”
As the logistics industry looks to operate more sustainably amid increasing demand from e- commerce, UPS is electrifying its ground fleet, using cleaner fuels and powering facilities with renewable energy. A new development is the use of duo-trailers in Spain that operate between Madrid and Barcelona five days a week.
These duo-trailers, operated and owned by Grupo Carrasco, feature two full-sized trailers pulled by a single truck. This combination emits less carbon per kilometer than if two vehicles were travelling individually, lowering the carbon intensity per package. Current records show it can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 30% per road journey.
“We are committed to delivering more while reducing the carbon intensity of our operations,” said Daniel Carrera, UPS Europe president. “These duo trailers demonstrate how we are relentlessly innovating and collaborating to create efficiencies in our network and build a sustainable future for our customers and the communities where we live and work.”
UPS has already deployed EcoCombi of a similar design in six countries within its European network. “EcoCombis” are currently permitted in 18 countries worldwide, yet they are a vital part of UPS’s goal to shrink its carbon footprint while increasing efficiency. Eco-trucks carry larger loads and reduce CO2 emissions by consuming less fuel. The new duo trailer design represents the next step in this evolution by connecting two full-sized trailers.
With a global footprint and customers in more than 220 countries and territories, UPS sees how climate change, air quality and other socioeconomic challenges intersect, and has set a clear roadmap to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. This includes:
40% alternative fuel in ground operations by 2025
25% renewable electricity in facilities by 2025
As part of its rolling laboratory approach UPS has deployed more than 13,000 low-emission and alternative-fuel vehicles around the world and is always exploring ways to reduce carbon in its ground fleet.
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is set to expand its all-cargo network with the addition of a new service to Billund Airport.
The service will operate three times per week between the Danish Airport and Heathrow using an Airbus A321F operated by Titan Airways, offering 28 tons of capacity per flight.
The new flights are due to launch on August 3 in response to strong cargo demand and will connect with Virgin Atlantic flights to the US and other destinations.
The airline said that the flights would cater for cargo currently being trucked from the Scandinavian region.
“The partnership will see the Danish airfreight export industry receive more direct connections to the US, as Virgin Atlantic Cargo support’s the airport’s ambition to grow its air freight business and establish the cargo industry at Billund Airport,” the airline said.
Steve Buckerfield, head of cargo sales at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, added: “We are very excited to bring this new dedicated all-cargo service, connecting our customers in Billund and the wider Scandinavian region with Virgin Atlantic’s extensive route network via London Heathrow.
“We will be targeting urgent pharmaceutical, automotive and perishable cargoes destined for the USA, Africa, Israel and the Indian Subcontinent.”
Jan Hessellund, chief executive of Billund Airport, commented: “As a result of some good route development and great performance in our cargo center, Billund Airport is once again chosen by an airfreight operator. Virgin Atlantic Cargo is a large, recognized airline that will support the Danish e-commerce exports to the American market. We look forward to welcoming them.”
The airline only recently added freighter operations when it began flying to Brussels, also in partnership with Titan Airways, as a replacement for a passenger-freighter flight it had been operating during the pandemic as the carrier ramped up its passenger network.
In a recent interview with Air Cargo News, Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s managing director Phil Wardlaw said that the current plan sees the freighter being operated through until the end of October.
“We don’t know yet if we will operate it beyond then,” he said. “There are some options to do so, but we would need to go into contractual conversations if we were to do that.
“The reality is we are operating it through that period driven by market forces that may not be prevalent later on in the year for intra-Europe flying.
“The other factor is around slot availability. The summer season allows cargo-only flying to be counted against our slot portfolio and that isn’t normally the case and that gave us the chance to bring that aircraft in against a couple of our current slots. Come October may well not be the case.”
The move also comes as the carrier reported record cargo revenues last year, as takings increased by 40% year on year to £448m, while it was up by 200% compared with pre-Covid 2019 levels.
Emirates SkyCargo, recently took delivery of its latest Boeing 777-F to boost its fleet capacity and cater to the phenomenal growth in the industry.
Emirates’ freight division has seen significant increase in cargo loads across its products, including pharma and fresh produce. In 2021-22, annual tonnage carried crossed 2.1 million, an increase of 15 percent, with transport of perishables crossing 260,000 tons, and both pharma and valuable goods each growing by 17 percent.
Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates SkyCargo said: “The new freighter will help increase our capacity and boost our ability to deliver vital goods, and facilitate trade globally. Despite the challenging headwinds this year, the air cargo industry is booming and we’ve been flat out since the pandemic began. Emirates SkyCargo will continue its journey as one of the world’s largest and best air cargo airlines by investing in our fleet, our global network, technology, and world-class logistics infrastructure at our Dubai hub and beyond.”
Most global markets are experiencing an increase in demand, including China. Emirates SkyCargo will now serve China with an additional four freighter flights every week. From this week, Shanghai will be served with six direct flights, Beijing with two and Guangzhou with four, adding more than 400 tons of cargo to and from China.
Plans are also afoot to increase frequencies to Hanoi and Sydney with direct services. Additional frequencies to Nairobi are also earmarked to be part of a freighter multi-stop route from DWC to Eldoret International Airport in Kenya. The flight then hops to Nairobi before heading north to Maastricht, Netherlands and then to Zaragoza, Spain before the 777F returns home to DWC. At each stop, the freighter unloads and reloads with various types of cargo including, flowers, textiles and pharma.
The brand new freighter, A6-EFU, will maintain the fleet total at 11 Boeing 777Fs because A6-EFG went back to its lessor last week.
Emirates SkyCargo’s Boeing 777-F and 777 Mini-Freighter aircraft have flown nearly 950 charter flights in the last 12 months, while continuing to serve the airline’s over 130 passenger and 11 dedicated freighter destinations. Emirates SkyCargo also offers shippers cargo belly-hold space in the airline’s passenger fleet of close to 210 wide-body Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.
Plans are also already underway to convert 10 passenger 777s into freighters, boosting the cargo fleet to 21 by the end of 2026.
Emirates SkyCargo offers a portfolio of solutions designed for the unique requirements of its varied customers. Whether it is perishable cargo such as food items and flowers; certified cool-chain handling for pharma products; valuables and technology items; cars and industrial items; champion horses and domestic pets; mail and courier items; or general cargo, the freight division has the experience and capabilities with specialized solutions to meet the needs of shippers.
Emirates SkyCargo was the launch customer for the Boeing 777-F and the aircraft has been at the heart of the carrier’s operations since 2009. The aircraft’s range and payload capabilities allow time and temperature sensitive shipments to be transported rapidly and efficiently from origin to destination.
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