Sometimes you can uncover exceptional air cargo work just walking up and down the cargo area.
     In the go-go, high-tech, and very beautiful city of Tallinn, Estonia, resides Ospentos Oy, a company founded in Helsinki in 1986.
     Ospentos handles air cargo related business throughout Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, and Ukraine.
     The company principals and great old friends Erik Byman and Haiti Arendi, both members of the board, share some thoughts of how they are coping as they guide their very high-tech but always human company through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Value Proposition in 2020

     “We believe,” the duo proclaimed, “that what our service partners value most is being able to rely on our services during difficult times.
     “For sure we have adjusted the frequencies and schedule, but we have not gone along with the ‘pandemic surcharges.’
     “As most of the airlines have stopped altogether to operate, or drastically reduced their service, there are really some challenges to find a routing combined with a sensible rate.”
     Making no excuses, these guys share how leveraging experience with technology delivers results.
     “Right now, our business model day to day necessarily tends to go outside the ‘Excel World!’
     “Some good old-fashioned freight forwarding is really required. We are constantly thinking outside the box or even more likely, expanding solutions with no box at all!”

Technologies & Human Handhelds

     “What Ospentos benefits from today is that technology has jumped to a much higher level than during previous crises.
     “When we were active in freight forwarding there was telex, fax, landlines, copying machines, and tons of paper.
     “Now for example we can operate remotely, from anywhere, which includes sitting with a laptop at a weekend house close to nature.
     “Business is as usual . . . almost.
     “We also realize that working remotely is possible only when you can perform all operations at home as you do in the office.
     “Ospentos software enables even cargo terminal back-office to work remotely at home. Only physical handlers are needed on site, and they just feed the data to back-office from handhelds and back.
     “Looking at tomorrow as the pandemic crisis eventually recedes, we probably will revert in some manner and go back to the older business model, but there are surely going to be some changes.”

Hub From Skype Cargo

     Here in Tallinn, where Skype is located, Erik and Haiti tip their hats to the Ospentos team.
     “There are no office hours… they are online not 24/7, but close to 20/7, chatting in a Skype group to exchange information.
     “Shout out as well to our frontline people in the warehouse who are all out working when needed to handle PPE flights.”

Need To Advance Further

     “Crisis and demand usually spurs a need for invention and innovation.
     “Of course, we have digitalized all our activities in the past, so there is not so much to innovate internally.
     “But it’s time we think to take a broader view and participate in industry innovation initiatives, like IATA One Record or eCMR, to name a few.”

Cargo Lanes Open Everywhere

     “Fortunately,” Erik and Haiti said, “borders throughout our service area are open for cargo movements without restriction.
     “Closures of countries did spread some false rumors to the world, that borders were closed for cargo as well.
     “This is something we have had to deal with during this time when business as usual is at times quite unusual.”
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Geoffrey