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Jan
Krems, President of United Cargo, is ready for take-off in 2020.
Jan Krems at United Cargo is compelling
and simply irresistible.
Right now, despite the challenges and the
gloom and doom predicted, United Cargo, while not immune by any means
to these economic trends, continues to outperform everyone else in the
U.S. air cargo business.
It is almost as if the stars lined up above
Willis Tower at the Chicago headquarters for United Cargo.
As 2020 begins with the glimmer of a rebound
in business, this native of Oss, Netherlands, is on top of the world.
“We have really great people, we continue
to add more, and we’ve made a few simple, yet vital changes in the
way we work together,” Jan says, barely concealing his passion and
enthusiasm.
“Once United Cargo had people in what
I call separate silos. Everyone did their jobs, but their tasks were made
more difficult by the way different groups interpreted overall strategies
and a tendency to focus on local objectives.
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“So as a team,
we worked together and broke down these walls. Now everyone realizes our
goals are the same and we all support and appreciate each other.
“Last year’s team reorganization,
which decentralized our decision making, has also reaped great benefits.
Our customers have noticed that were quicker to respond to their requests
and opportunities, and we’re faster at reacting to the endless shifts
in global business conditions.
“Today United Cargo has the best informed,
most energetic, and proactive global team in the air cargo business.
“Our cargo team is doing amazing things
every day. While we continue to deepen and refine our approach, I couldn’t
be prouder of the effort and can-do attitude.
“Every team member’s efforts
contribute to the rise in our customers’ satisfaction.
“That’s the most significant
thing for our future, as it portends not only developing richer relationships
with our partners, but also provides an incentive for us to continue our
efforts toward improving our offering.”
The Year That Was
“The year 2019,” Jan told FlyingTypers,
“certainly presented challenges for our industry, but the good news
is United Cargo continued to outperform our U.S. counterparts.
“Also,” Jan revealed, “the
trend toward the end of the year was positive.
“Our December results were better
than December 2018, a meaningful stat because there were only a few months
in 2019 when we achieved month-over-month gains.”
 Business
Concern 2020
“My expectations for the new year,
for the industry and United Cargo specifically, are guardedly optimistic.
“I anticipate an improving business
climate for most global air cargo sectors in 2020, but two market segments
concern me: ex-Japan and ex-Germany.
“These economies have issues that
go deeper than the impact of global trade tensions—though of course
these effects never help!”
Number One U.S. Flag to China
“We’re definitely excited by
the recent news indicating a de-escalation of the trade tensions between
the U.S. and China.
“As we stated last year, when some
manufacturing shifted from China to other countries in Asia, we realigned
and focused on expanding our agreements with interline partners.
“We’re pleased with how quickly
we were able to shift our routing structure, but it would be a big benefit
to return toward ‘business as usual’ and again be able to
reap the full benefits of being the #1 carrier between the U.S. and China.
New & Noteworthy
“Many of the noteworthy innovations
we plan for 2020 are in the health care vertical.
“Pharma continues in a steady and
stable growth mode.
“Some pharma is shifting to ocean
mode, and the landscape becomes more competitive each year, but United
Cargo is still expanding our market share.
Expanded Hi Tech Shipping Choices
“The fastest growing segment of the
health vertical remains in the cell and gene therapy space.
“The new packaging technologies we’ve
introduced—Savsu Technologies and evo Cold Chain systems, for example—give
us the ability to ship this material via our LifeGuard service on United
Express flights.
“In 2020, we’ll continue to
refine, develop and expand the new logistics approach demanded by these
commodities to provide more markets and patients greater access to advanced
health care.
United Cargo Digital Transformation
“The rollout of our digital transformation
strategy is another of our key priorities this year.
“With a new Online Booking Portal
and Content Management System, fully redesigned website and enhanced eAWB
and customer messaging, the strategy represents a giant forward leap in
our technology.
“Our team is pumped and ready for
a dynamic 2020!,” Jan Krems declared.
Geoffrey
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