DUBAI: The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has reached out to Dell Technologies in a bid to find future digital solutions that will further enhance its services across the emirate.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, presided over a recently held teleconference with Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, a global leader in telecommunications and information technology.
Moro Hub, the Emirates news agency WAM reported, is working with Dell Technologies to develop and deliver highly-reliable enterprise cloud computing solutions, integrated infrastructure administration services and servers, secure data storage solutions, and innovative information technology applications.
“DEWA and its subsidiary Moro Hub work in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who has mandated the Dubai Government organizations to implement services 10 years ahead of other cities around the world through government innovation through Dubai 10X initiative,” said Al Tayer.
“Our collaboration with Dell Technologies will enable MORO to introduce innovative applications and accelerate the delivery of digital services out of Dubai, which supports the UAE’s vision to become a vibrant regional hub that can serve the region and the world through its advanced facilities and infrastructure,” he added.
Dell thanked Al Tayer for the fruitful discussions and noted that Dell Technologies will work closely with Moro Hub to strengthen cooperation and partnership supporting the digital transformation plans of Dubai and the UAE, especially in key sectors such as healthcare, education, and IT security to leverage strong capabilities and ecosystem.
The two organisation collaborate in many areas, such as the development of cloud computing, e-security, automated learning (Artificial Intelligence), big data and analytics, storage, backup and archiving services, as well as providing technical infrastructure for the public and private sectors and service providers.
The meeting was attended by Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman of Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions); Matar Al Mehairi, Board member of Moro Hub; Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Hub; Ahmed Al Ketbi Chief Information Security Officer of Moro Hub; Adrian McDonald, President of Dell Technologies EMEA; Fady Richmany General Manager- Dell Technologies, and Yahya Kassab Director of Sales at Dell Technologies.
RDI is developing an innovative irrigation system to transform water usage in UAE agriculture and conducting research trials to increase crop yields in sandy soils and non-arable land. While locally-based company RNZ will set up a state-of-the-art R&D centre to research, formulate and commercialize ‘agri-input’ solutions that will help to grow more with less.
Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG brings together all of the Group’s fuel cell activities for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and other applications such as stationary use and plans to partner with Volvo Group for series production project
The world’s largest truck manufacturer, Daimler Truck AG, which brings seven top brands under one roof: Bharat Benz, Freightliner, Fuso, Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Thomas Built Buses and Western Star, which delivered more than 500,000 trucks and buses to customers in 2018, recently formed a new company focusing on developing and harnessing the potential of fuel cells in today’s modern global transport industry.
Daimler Truck AG said Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG will bring together all of the Group’s fuel cell activities for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and other applications such as stationary use.
Founded more than 120 years ago, Daimler is one of the largest global commercial vehicle manufacturers with more than 35 primary facilities and about 100,000 employees worldwide. Analysts view its investment on fuel cells as a major game changer in the industry.
New milestone
With the establishment of Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, the organizational and legal framework has now been created for bringing together all of the Group’s fuel cell activities, including the series production of fuel cell systems.
Daimler Truck AG appointed Dr. Andreas Gorbach (45) and Prof. Dr. Christian Mohrdieck (60) as managing directors of the new company. Both have extensive experience with conventional and alternative drive systems, especially fuel cell systems.
Gorbach has already held a senior management position with overall responsibility for all fuel cell matters at Daimler Truck AG since the beginning of May this year. This will continue in his new additional position as CEO of Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG. Prof.
Dr. Christian Mohrdieck has been in charge of fuel cell development at the Daimler Group since 2003 and is the managing director of the current fuel cell development unit Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell GmbH, which will be allocated to the newly founded subsidiary.
Partnership with Volvo Group
In April, Daimler Truck AG concluded a preliminary, non-binding agreement with Volvo Group to establish a new joint venture for the development, production and commercialization of fuel cell systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and other applications such as stationary use.
Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG is later to transition into this planned joint venture. Volvo Group will acquire 50 percent of the company for this purpose. All potential transactions are subject to examination and approval by the responsible competition authorities.
Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group plan to start series production of heavy-duty fuel cell commercial vehicles for demanding and heavy long-distance haulage in the second half of the decade.
“The fuel cell is a crucial CO2-neutral solution for trucks in heavy long-distance transport. We and our future joint venture partner, Volvo Group, are convinced of this. We are determined to jointly tackle the development and series production of fuel cells and are now taking major steps with all the necessary preparations for the planned joint venture,” said Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG.
“The establishment of Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG is a very special milestone for our company, because our new subsidiary is to be the immediate predecessor organization of the joint venture. In it, we will now bring together the great expertise and enormous wealth of experience from several decades of development work on fuel cells at Daimler – and combine it with the right know-how in connection with trucks,” he added.
Planned cooperation with Rolls-Royce plc
The cooperation planned between Daimler Truck AG and the British technology group Rolls-Royce plc in the field of stationary fuel cell systems demonstrates very specific opportunities for the commercialization of fuel cell technology through the planned joint venture with Volvo Group.
Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division plans to use the fuel cell systems from the planned joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group and Daimler’s many years of expertise in this field for the emergency power generators of the MTU product and solution brand that it develops and sells for data centers. A comprehensive cooperation agreement is to be prepared and signed by the end of the year.
Daimler Truck AG and Rolls-Royce plc plan to cooperate on stationary fuel-cell generators as CO2-neutral emergency power generators for safety-critical facilities such as data centers. They are to offer emission-free alternatives to diesel engines, which are currently used as emergency power generators or to cover peak loads.
The Rolls-Royce Power Systems business unit plans to rely on these fuel-cell systems from the planned joint venture – as well as Daimler’s many years of experience – in the emergency power generators it develops and distributes for data centers under the MTU product and solution brand.
Daimler and Rolls-Royce are linked not only by longstanding cooperation on conventional drive systems for other applications.
At the end of last year, Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Lab1886, Daimler’s innovation unit for new business models, had already agreed on a pilot project to develop a demonstrator for the use of this technology for stationary power supply on the basis of fuel-cell modules from the automotive sector. It will go into operation in Friedrichshafen by the end of this year.
“For Daimler Truck AG, fuel-cell systems play a decisive role in achieving CO2-neutral transport – as a supplement to battery-electric drive. Just at the end of April, we announced our intention to establish a joint venture with the Volvo Group. With the agreement for stationary fuel-cell systems concluded, we are already demonstrating very concrete opportunities for the commercialization of this technology through the joint venture,” stated Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG.
“We are delighted that Rolls-Royce is as convinced as we are of the future of fuel cells in the stationary sector and would like to enter into this long-term cooperation with us. On the one hand, this represents further impetus for the development of a hydrogen infrastructure across all sectors and applications; on the other hand, it will enable us to work together to further increase the economy of fuel cells, as well as society’s acceptance of and confidence in them,” continued Martin Daum.
Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said fuel cells will play a key role in the decarbonization of drive systems which is important in protecting the environment.
“Data centers are the nodes of the global information and communication network, whose vital importance has become particularly clear in these difficult times and whose operation must therefore be reliably safeguarded. The same applies to other safety-critical systems. Under our MTU brand, we develop customized solutions, thousands of which we have already installed, for data centers’ individual, complex and growing energy needs,” said Schell.
“The decarbonization of drive systems and power supply is one of our central strategic goals and fuel cells will play a key role in this. No other technology offers such high reliability, modular scalability and all the advantages of renewable energies without dependence on the conventional energy market. Through the cooperation with Daimler Trucks, we will gain access to fuel-cell systems that meet our demanding requirements and will thus further strengthen our outstanding position in this growth market,” he added.
Over the past two decades, Daimler has already built up considerable expertise in the field of fuel cells at its site in Nabern, Germany (currently the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell GmbH) and at other production and development facilities in Germany and Canada.
DHL’s financed start-up company, Greenplan, says its data-driven approach based on historic traffic patterns and travel times will save logistics firms up to 20% on costs and will help lower CO2 emissions
Smart motorists always calculate the best route to reach their destination at the shortest distance to save on energy, time and fuel.
Now with the help of scientific data and algorithm, Logistics Company can maximize the full potential of this traditional smart routing concept, using all information and data available to optimize transport routes in an entire delivery area, while existing solutions are dealing with smaller sub-areas to cope with complexity.
Greenplan, a DHL financed start-up company, announced it is launching a powerful algorithm for optimizing delivery routes and stop sequences in logistics, setting a new benchmark in the industry.
The project will boost the industry’s efficiency and sustainability efforts without making compromises on the quality of planning.
The power of algorithm
Greenplan said the algorithm was developed by scientists from the University of Bonn in cooperation with DHL logistics experts. It supports customers with their road freight business and last-mile deliveries as well as field service providers with their service schedules.
“We at Greenplan want to help make the industry more efficient and sustainable. With our smart and powerful algorithm, we are tackling the complex task of efficient route planning by offering a precise and reliable solution that can be integrated into existing systems,” explains Dr. Clemens Beckmann, CEO at Greenplan.
“In contrast to nearly all tools on the market, Greenplan – for the first time – calculates routes according to historic traffic information available on street-level. This, in turn, enables our customers to save up to 20 per cent costs compared to standard route optimization solutions and to lower their carbon footprint accordingly, simply by reducing kilometers driven,” he added.
Changing needs
Customer needs are constantly changing: The growing e-commerce market fuels demand for same-day deliveries while the contract logistics market increasingly looks at just-in-time processing.
Greenplan said its algorithm is equipped for such cases and capable to digest not only the targeted addresses but also individual delivery time windows on shipment level. By considering time-of-day-dependent, street-specific travel times, it also finds the optimal starting time of delivery tours.
These improved tours increase the predictability for customers and appear natural to drivers. The solution also supports contingency planning in case of incomplete data availability and considers system-relevant variables such as different loading types or adherence to regulations. These features offer a robust solution that is adaptable to a variety of issues or customized changes.
Greenplan says it will empower customers to drive their own green strategies by enabling CO2 emission reductions through shorter distances and fewer tours. It not only provides visibility on the estimated carbon footprint based on planned delivery routes, it also considers emissions per vehicle type to plan the most CO2-efficient routes.
Moreover, the algorithm is capable of considering specific parameters for electric vehicle fleets, like range limits per vehicle. Altogether, the smart algorithm leads to decreased costs and lower CO2 emissions for the same delivery work. This helps not only logistics companies, but also supports field service providers who need to plan schedules of their workforce.
Logistics is a highly fragmented industry that delivers a multitude of solutions for individual processes. To realize the full potential of capacities and optimize resource management, Greenplan teamed up with the Research Institute for Discrete Mathematics at the University of Bonn to engineer a new smart algorithm capable of meeting customers’ unique business needs, while still ensuring short computing times. Photos & text source: www.dhl.com
It was one of those shining moments for Eng. Majid Saidgul Babasheikh Barzanji, the Chairman & Executive Director of MATEEN Express & Logistics Iraq, who also serves as the Executive Board Member of the National Association of Freight and Logistics-UAE (NAFL) and chairman of the Courier & e-Commerce Subcommittee, as he recalled how the logistics industry pulled through during the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic in China.
Heading a great team that is passionate about air transport and logistics, Majid was among the movers and shakers who led the industry out of the woods and on stable ground, particularly in Iraq, his home turf.
“Through our good communications with different governmental departments across multiple regions, we quickly obtained the necessary permits for 3 main activities: clearing the inbound traffic of shipments already in the pipeline; transferring these cargoes to our national hub for sorting and storing; and lastly the one we are most proud of, delivering the necessary shipments to their final addresses,” he said in this exclusive interview with Air Cargo Update.
Majid has not blinked an eye on what lies ahead for the industry in light of the current situation.
“I think the pandemic has proven that the air cargo industry is, in general, robust and agile, adapting to situations quickly and creatively. The same goes for the supply chain and logistics generally.
“Every element and every aspect of our industry has room for improvements and optimization. Collaboration within same company or group, reaching out to rivals, going untapped path, involving more technology, changing or modernizing the rules and regulations, we will see all these and many more as time unfolds,” he said.
Read on the rest of his insights in this Q&A.
The Covid-19 pandemic required quick and extraordinary commitment from the air cargo and logistics sectors to deliver valuable cargo like medical supplies to sustain lives and livelihood. How did MATEEN Express handle the situation?
We handled it quite well, fortunately, I would say in two stages, and here is how.
As we have two main branches in China since 2007, especially in Guangzhou, we came to know what to expect early on. So, even before March 2020, we got all our branches preparing for complete or partial lockdown, lack of mobility and working from home. So, by the time the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) announced the first lockdown starting 14 March 2020, we were not taken by surprise. In fact, we were quite well prepared.
Through our good communications with different governmental departments across multiple regions, we quickly obtained the necessary permits for 3 main activities, clearing the inbound traffic of shipments already in the pipeline, transfer those cargo to our national hub for sorting and storing, and lastly, the one we are most proud of, delivering the necessary shipments to their final delivery addresses all over Kurdistan and Iraq, despite the complete lockdown in Kurdistan and travel ban between the cities. We refer to this as Stage One.
Those volumes were already on the go, medical and personal protective equipment, seasonal commercial cargo, few projects, some oil and gas and telecom related.
Stage two is the critical times where almost all new cargo volumes where medical and life support related, and every hour counts. All this while, life in the rest of Iraq, UAE and the region goes as normal, for another 10 days.
Learning from our Kurdistan region experience, we got fully ready for the UAE lockdown (National Disinfection Program). Bear in mind, as the UAE is quite advance in all aspects, our industry was exempt from the lockdown.
Please share with us some of the challenges MATEEN Express experienced in delivering vital medical supplies to Iraq and other parts of the world. How did you manage?
Just like any other operator, we have faced many challenges, the toughest being how to get the medical support mainly from China to Iraq, via UAE and other transit routes.
Towards the end of March 2020, almost every cargo aircraft available on the market was dedicated to export pandemic related traffic out of China which made the availability and cost of the aircraft way too difficult to predict, let alone to secure.
This led to multiple hikes in the cost of air cargo, not expected by the customers and sometimes too difficult to fathom, on one hand, and very less flexibility left to match the supply of the cargo with aircraft availability and/or capacity availability.
Yet we managed through good and trusting relationship with our long-standing partners, and in some areas, through collaboration with operators that we were not engaged in business prior to those days.
Another challenge was trucks crossing the international boarders during the pandemic and quarantine requirements. This has put so many operations to a hold. However, one solution we came up very quickly was changing the trailer head at the border, and so minimized the impact of this new challenge, and moved on.
How busy was MATEEN Express during this pandemic crisis? What types of medical supplies you delivered and in which places?
Our Kurdistan, Iraq and China branches were very busy and under enormous pressure, but the UAE and Turkey were kind of quiet.
We have made major contributions in the shipping lots of medical, ventilators, testing kits & PPE from multiple locations in China, with direct exports from the mainland and also via Hong Kong to Iraq direct and via transit routes.
Shipments just arrived from China, being prepared to move forward to Baghdad & other cities.
Here in the UAE, we were mostly engaged in flight operation connecting China to Iraq for the medical supplies. Also, with whatever Iraq-bound exports of Oil & Gas and ITC volumes, with less medical related cargo due to export rules and restrictions.
How do you see the future of air cargo and logistics in light of what’s happening?
I think the pandemic has proven that air cargo industry is in general robust and agile, adapting to situations quickly and creatively. The same goes for the supply chain and logistics generally. However, due its own nature, the air cargo industry is always grabbing more attention due to the immediate results people are looking for in both success cases and otherwise.
We have seen many nations deploying all government resources including air force and air mobility divisions responding to the national supply needs due to the pandemic. Civil aviation approved passenger freight operations, removal of seats in certain cases.
Sure, on the commercial side, logistics industry in general and air cargo, correspond to the global economic trends.
Nevertheless, the air cargo industry remains on top of the supply chain with high demand for the foreseeable future.
Having said so, I do believe we all have learned valuable lessons from the situation. Every element and every aspect of our industry has room for improvements and optimization. Collaboration within same company or group, reaching out to rivals, going untapped path, involving more technology, changing or modernizing the rules and regulations, we will see all these and many more as time unfolds.
What challenges are you seeing as far as the Middle East logistics is concerned?
There are quite many challenges around here: instability in the region, leading to some kind of demographical changes, drop in oil prices and its impact on the regional economies forcing some governments to hold or postpone projects. Also, new routes from China to final destinations like Africa & Europe, partly impact the volumes used to move via the Middle East, and probably we see more volumes leaving as the road and belt initiative get more into shape.
Please update us with the different multimodal services/ specializations that MATEEN Express currently offer to customers and other potential clients. Please elaborate and specify each one.
Historically, air transportation to Iraq and express delivery have been the backbone of our success. However, driven by the growing demand in quality logistics and transport services in oil & gas and projects sector in Iraq, we diversified our portfolio and secured some great contracts for many years.
Yet, as Iraq being very unstable for many years, MATEEN Express eventually expanded its geographical coverage to GCC and MENA region in general since 2016 onwards, focusing mostly on challenging and specialized logistics solutions, like oversized, heavy and bulky, dangerous and multimodal.
One of Our Repair & Return Logistics Solutions for Energy Sector in Iraq.
Last year, we were awarded a contract to move precast concrete in the GCC for more than 1,300 trips of specially equipped fleet. And the last phase of this contract coincided with the Covid-19 outbreak.
Also, during January 2020, we were awarded another contract to move raw materials from multiple origins to the GCC and the final products to half a dozen destinations in Europe. Again, highly specialized multimodal and multistage logistics and transportation were managed mainly by our team’s professional and creative approach.
Every company is now on survival mode following months of lockdown all over the world. How important is honesty and integrity in today’s business scene to make things work and help in the recovery efforts?
Well, we have proven to ourselves and our community, yet again that it is all in the Core Values.
As we could see from our China branches what is going to happen if the virus spreads in our regions, we have had very open and candid discussions with our entire workforce across all our stations.
As early as mid-March, we declared to our staff that this will be the last month we expect to have our full wages. And everyone was advised to strictly budget themselves for months to come. I am very humbled by the trust and loyalty of our people everywhere.
In March-2017, we increased the salaries by 6% across the group, with no real business improvement expectations. Our team appreciate these gestures and has gone the extra mile during these tough times to ensure the service remains functional and we keep the company safeguarded.
We have not laid-off a single staff due to the pandemic. Yes, we cut on many luxuries and reduced salaries for April and May, but kept our people on their jobs.
It is a harsh reality; no service provider can sustain by moving only medical and top urgent necessity shipments alone.
Our business has always been flourishing with stable and prosperous times where there is trade and development. However, during this difficult time, we keep moving forward and holding up, while we focus on training, optimization, cost reductions and many other initiatives.
I am equally thankful to our customers and partners who kept trusting us during this unprecedented time.
We started publishing regular updates on what is happening in Iraq through our website and social media, even before the mainstream media get them through.
This extra level of integrity and transparency was very important for our customers, contractors, service providers and staff. We kept everyone in the know of what is going on and what to expect next. And we certainly had moments of hesitation whether to share the info to the public or withhold to avoid any possible panic and let the public find out later on mainstream media. Yet, we decided early on, that we will keep our message brief, clear and concise.
MATEEN Express is known for its cost-effective solutions and honesty, which are now more relevant, given today’s unprecedented global crisis. Please share your thoughts on this subject as far as companies seeking your services are concerned.
Well, thank you for thinking nicely about us. I would say, the traits we are mostly known for are, trustworthy & reliable. When we started back in 2003 & 2004, all the concepts and services we introduced in Iraq were all new, and never tested prior to us.
So, a major reason for customers to get on board was our honest approach. Then we gradually proved our worth to be Trustworthy & Reliable not only to individual customers, but to SMBs, Corporates, MNCs and Interline Partners, Integrators and Freight Forwarding partners as well as Governments.
Time and time again, customers are telling us on different levels, why they stick with us. The core values we live by are not brochure and presentation materials, in fact it has been our guiding principles in every aspect and since the inception of the company; in our recruiting, selecting business partners & associates, proposing solutions to critical situations where things can get blurry, and so on. Most of the time, you will have to sacrifice an immediate or short-term gain in return to stick by these values and principles, but in the long run you will harvest what you planted.
And the beauty of living by sound principles is, for as long as you stand by such high principles and practice them in your daily business, you gain the trust of your surroundings and you get loads of ideas and insights, feedback and advices. And word of mouth proved to be one of the best ways to connect with new potential customers.
Having said so, one has to keep his tools sharp and his people prepared and motivated, and adapt to the new realities and market evolution and new technologies breaking ground every day.
I can humbly say, when it is about Iraq, you don’t need to think further, we always have you covered.
Change is the only thing constant in this world. The faster we embrace it, the better we adapt and flow seamlessly.
Lionel van der Walt knows this fully well as he constantly travels and live in different continents throughout his more than 20 years of international executive leadership career mainly in the air cargo industry.
The President and CEO of the Americas for PayCargo, a leading global fintech firm in the industry, was born in South Africa and spent the early part of his career in the South African Air Force. Following this, he spent more than a decade with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he held various leadership roles based out of South Africa, Spain and the United States, including as President of Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS), IATA’s US cargo subsidiary.
Post CNS, he served as CEO at the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC) and also served as a member of PayCargo’s Board of Directors.
The Coronavirus pandemic has pushed digitalization to become more relevant, particularly in the digital freight payment platform like PayCargo, and van der Walt believes change is coming to the entire industry soon.
“Digital solutions are vital as the global cargo and shipping supply chain has had to rethink the way it does business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of employees now working remotely and demand soaring for a reliable online freight payment platform solution such as PayCargo’s,” said van der Walt, who holds an MBA in Strategy and General Management from Milpark Business School in South Africa.
“This pandemic has proven to be a catalyst for the faster adoption of online payment solutions that are safer, more secure, fast and transparent,” added van der Walt. “As social distancing has become the global policy to halt the spread of COVID-19, it is clear how unsuitable using cash, checks, vouchers and traditional POS terminals are and shows the value of digital payments.”
With so little time left for himself and his family due to work, van der Walt makes it a point to do simple but meaningful things with his loved ones.
“I don’t have much spare time,” says van der Walt, “but when I do, I prefer spending quality time with my family, a movie with my daughters, a walk with my wife, or a fun family outing. I also enjoy reading non-fiction books, anything that I can learn from, such as biographies and history, as well as watching documentaries. As an international family, we love to travel and value meaningful shared experiences.”
This CEO is also into rugby and serves as a Clayton Youth Rugby Board member, a cause-oriented group in the US which PayCargo sponsors.
“My favorite sport is rugby. That should not be a surprise considering that I grew up in South Africa where rugby is a national past time and the majority of South Africans are ardent Springbok supporters,” he shared. “It is a wonderful opportunity and privilege to combine my passion for the sport with a great cause such as youth development.”
Van der Walt says staying connected all the time with family, friends and colleagues and to the rest of the world is something he can’t live without. Personally, this means keeping up with them through Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp, among other apps, having access to information and the ability to purchase any item or service online from the comfort of his home.
This CEO who never takes anything for granted says, “I constantly remind myself that today’s success and good fortune are not guaranteed tomorrow, and firmly believe that complacency and arrogance are two of the most dangerous traits both in business and in our personal lives.”
“This drives me to always try and be as humble as possible irrespective of the situation and to always look for opportunities that stretch me beyond my comfort zone to achieve personal growth and success.”
Koen Gouweloose has been appointed head of Swissport Cargo Belgium from July 2020. Houssein Ouchen will manage Swissport’s cargo operations at Liège airport.
In his new position as the head of Swissport Cargo Belgium, effective 1st July 2020, Gouweloose will oversee the strategic and operational management of Swissport’s cargo activities in both Brussels and Liège, with a strong focus on navigating the company through the post COVID-19 recovery phase. Starting on 1 July 2020, Houssein Ouchen also joined the Belgian cargo organization. He is managing the growing business activities in Liège.
Gouweloose started his career with Swissport in March 2020 as COO of the Belgian cargo organization, at the time reporting to country manager Thierry Miremont, who has taken on another assignment within Swissport. He will head up all Swissport’s activities in Belgium and report to Willy Ruf, senior vice president central and eastern Europe. Swissport underlines its commitment to the thriving Belgian air cargo market in general and Liège in particular by assigning Ouchen to head up its cargo operation at Liège airport.
“Koen Gouweloose can build on many years of relevant professional experience in international air freight management and is very familiar with the different stakeholders in Belgium,” says Willy Ruf, senior vice president central and Eastern Europe of Swissport International. “Together with Houssein Ouchen and Brussels station manager Ile de Nutte, Koen is tasked with further developing and growing our thriving cargo business in Brussels and Liège.”
Gouweloose has extensive experience in the logistics sector and held several senior management positions throughout his career.
American Airlines has named Jessica Tyler as president of cargo and vice president of airport excellence, taking over from Rick Elieson who has moved on to a new role within the company.
The airline said that Tyler would lead the teams responsible for “the success of the cargo business and delivering operational and customer service excellence for both airports and cargo”.
The new appointment and role are part of American’s recent right-sizing of its management and support staff as the company rebounds from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“As the company navigates the next several years, this new organization will retain separate airport and cargo functions but also benefit from the blending of the talent and expertise of the two teams in multiple areas, including strategy, policy and procedures, training, automation and innovation,” the airline said.
Tyler will report directly to Jim Butler, senior vice president of airport operations and cargo.
Meanwhile, Elieson has moved within the company to serve as vice president of loyalty, overseeing the Advantage loyalty program.
“Elieson did a wonderful job leading the cargo division for the last few years. He’s earned us the best revenue and performance year in cargo history, and I’m thankful for the way he has navigated cargo through this pandemic thus far,” said Butler.
“Under Elieson’s leadership, Tyler led the largest investment in cargo to-date – a business transformation effort that is just one of several large-scale modernization and change initiatives she has overseen. Her experience and leadership in developing teams that achieve customer-focused success make her the right leader for the airports and cargo team in this challenging climate.”
In the new organization, Roger Samways will take on an expanded role as vice president of commercial cargo — reporting to Tyler — and will be responsible for global cargo sales, revenue management and customer care. Lisa Oxentine will report to Samways as managing director of cargo global sales.
David Vance will continue to lead the cargo operation, but in an expanded role that oversees all policies and procedures for the airline and aligns airport and cargo operations. He will serve as vice president of cargo operations and airport support, also reporting to Tyler.
“Our role as leaders right now is to define a path through this incredible global crisis – for our customers and our team members. Thinking creatively, partnering in new ways, and caring for people along the way will help achieve this goal. With challenge comes opportunity, and I’m honored to be part of a team that will keep customers front and center and the world moving forward,” said Tyler.
As American restructures, the promise of industry recovery is already beginning to show. The airline recently announced its schedule for 347 widebody flights per week beginning in July, seeing a steady rise in domestic demand and passenger load factors.
Delta Cargo has appointed Gonzalo Hernandez into the role of general manager cargo sales, Asia Pacific, effective immediately.
Hernandez succeeds Eric Anderson, who has returned to Atlanta, US, to become director of cargo strategy, alliances and technology.
Hernandez will be based in Seoul, South Korea, and will oversee Delta’s cargo sales functions for Japan and throughout Southeast Asia, including the company’s joint venture partnership with Korean Air.
Hernandez joined Delta Cargo in 2009, following Delta’s merger with Northwest Airlines, and he has steadily climbed the ranks since.
Jonathan Corbi, who is based in Atlanta, US, will temporarily take up Hernandez’s previous role of general manager for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI), effective immediately.
Eric Wilson, managing director of global sales, Delta Cargo, commented: “Hernandez, Anderson and Corbi bring a wealth of experience to their new roles, having all worked in the business for a number of years.
“I’d like to thank them for their commitment to Delta Cargo and look forward to the business growing further under their leadership.”
GROUND handling giant Swissport has appointed a new chief executive of its western European division, which is currently considering cutting more than 4,000 jobs to inject some liquidity into the business.
Liam McElroy, former interim chief operating officer (COO) of the company’s airport ground services unit in the UK and Ireland, takes over from Jason Holt, who has decided to step down after successfully initiating the streamlining of the business to match the reduced demand in the post-COVID-19 market, reveals a company statement.
McElroy has held a number of senior executive positions, including regional distribution director at the Tesco supermarket chain and operations director at DHL, where he was responsible for four distribution centers.
Prior to joining Swissport, he spent 13 years at Wincanton, the UK’s largest logistics company, assuming the roles of managing director of retail and the consumer division and a member of the executive board.
McElroy will report to Luzius Wirth, executive vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and member of the group executive management of Swissport International AG.
Wirth declares: “We are pleased to welcome Liam as new head of Swissport in western Europe. He can build on many years of relevant professional experience and has been successfully leading our Western Europe Ground Services unit as its COO on an ad hoc interim basis.
“We are grateful to Jason for his valuable contributions to Swissport over the years. He has been fully committed to the western Europe area, where most recently he has done much to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and on our people, both economically and in terms of protecting the reputation of Swissport and its staff.”
Last month, subsidiary Swissport Belgium, a ground handler at Brussels Airport, filed for bankruptcy alongside its sister company Swissport Belgium Cleaning, after the failure of all attempts to rescue the loss-making business.
The two enterprises had depended on repeated cash injections from Swissport International, a situation which was further exacerbated by the pandemic and the expiry of its largest airline customer contract, bringing great revenue uncertainty, a company statement explained.
The group’s overall global revenue, which collapsed by 80 per cent as result of the pandemic, is now gradually recovering
APOC Aviation has promoted Karim Grinate to the position of VP Component Sales as the organization evolves its airline support programs. Grinate has been with the Company for just over a year and has steered the solid performance of the component sales division as it has sustained triple digit annual growth across the business.
“As our airline customers seek to re-start their operations across the world we are pleased to announce the induction of a broad inventory of A320 family compatible components. We’re ready to provide a range of highly flexible support options, including exchange/lease/loan programs. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis we have built on our reputation for innovation and developed some exclusive packages, including free unit opportunities which have been very successful as operators seek to minimize their costs” explains Grinate.
Formerly operated by Air Macau, APOC acquired two A319-132 airframes (MSN 1758 and 1790) earlier in the year for part-out. After assessment the majority of the harvested A319 parts are being returned to serviceable status by APOC’s audited group of sophisticated MROs and OEMs.
Stock from MSN 1790 has now been shipped back to the Rotterdam warehouse to form part of the Company’s rapidly expanding inventory of spares.
“In discussion with customers we are exploring various deployment strategies” divulges Grinate. “We’re open to new ideas, finding ways to make the impossible possible. It’s tough out there, but APOC is ready to push the boundaries so our customers can keep on flying.”
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