They say the battle for air cargo is won or lost in the last quarter mile between the cargo facility and the aircraft hold.
     Nobody has to tell that to Vice President, United Cargo Global Operations Angel Ramirez.
     Although these days it is fashionable to keep information in a Cloud, this Angel of air cargo certainly did not drop out of one.
     Today he shoulders responsibility that includes everything operational at all United Cargo locations worldwide, including (deep breath) overall quality assurance, policies and procedures, claims prevention and processing, print services, ULD management, and road feeder services reporting directly to him. Angel became a major team leader at the carrier, working himself all the way from the ground up as director of Cargo Operations for United’s crucial Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy International Airport operations.

The Road To Quality

     “My recipe for quality has three main ingredients.
     “Firstly, develop clearly-defined, standardized metrics to serve as the radar by which your organization zeroes in on opportunities and assesses results.
     “This keeps the team aligned with the industry and also with generally-accepted practices.
     “Next, add a personal touch to the recipe by providing clear guidance to the process of interpreting and using the data created by those KPIs.
     “The aim is to drive change and influence behaviors to create an environment that promotes the delivery of reliable and predictable results—results that add value to our customers and simplify execution for our employees.
     “Finally, I believe that, much like beauty, quality is in the eye of the beholder.
     “So the key is to provide a variety of options that enable customers to choose what’s best for them.
     “Most people say they want a ‘quality’ meal, but price is always a factor in their decisions.
     “The options must give the customer choices that strike the right balance between quality and cost.”

“We Own The Journey”

     “United Cargo quality is not limited by the confines of a freight facility or the boundaries of an airport.
     “We own the entire journey: the initial consultation, the reservation, acceptance and handling at the freight facility, ramp side loading, unloading, and delivery at destination, right through to the invoicing process.
     “All our team members and partners consider quality the personal responsibility of everyone whose efforts impact the customer directly or indirectly at any point.
     “Our Sales and Operations teams work side-by-side constantly to develop solutions for our customers through our concierge program and joint customer meetings.”

Relationships Are Shared Victories

      “Our strong and effective relationship with our service providers is everything to us.
     “We fight for every kilo of available cargo, and when we win, we win together.
     “At United Cargo, we embrace the challenge of keeping the drive for excellence top-of-mind from the very first moment our customers interact with our systems and people.
     “We recognize that we need to continuously evaluate ourselves against our goals to improve and grow.
     “We know we’re successful when our customers can’t tell the difference between a sales or service partner and United Sales or Operations because we are fully aligned on our commitment to quality.”

Tripping Through The Past Darkly

     “Thinking about what United Cargo went through a few years back brings to mind something Vince Lombardi said:
     “‘It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.’”
     Vince was a football coach who was so admired they named a rest- stop located on the New Jersey Turnpike near EWR’s United Cargo facility after him.
     “We’ve certainly come off the deck at United Cargo.
     “We did it with the help of many customers who believed in us and supported us through the tough times.
     “We did it by investing in the most devoted and professional group of co-workers I’ve ever had the honor to be a part of.
     “We’re continuing this comeback by remaining humble and learning from every mistake while keeping conscious of our capabilities and the exciting possibilities ahead.”

Lessons Learned

     “We’ve taken all those ‘lessons learned’ and applied them to establish the foundation of the organization we are today.
     “Right now, speaking to a customer who stayed with United through the difficult stretch, I say:
“‘Thank you once again for your loyalty and support.
     “‘I’m certain you can vouch for the growth and improvement in our quality over the past two years based on the feedback you’ve given us.’
     “To customers who made the difficult decision to shift away from us:
     “‘Give us a chance to earn your trust again. Not with words, but with consistent delivery of the quality levels of support our organization is capable of providing for your business.””

How To Make Air Cargo Work Better

      “From a company perspective:
     “Be more responsible to your customers, your employees, and the community.
     “Realize that what you do and how you do it has consequences beyond the immediate and the obvious.
     “From the industry perspective, the answer is much more pointed: “Get rid of the paper! Embrace the change that ‘paperless’ cargo represents because the benefits of faster processes and reduced costs will be well worth the effort.”

Quality Not Lost In Translation

      “There are two best sources for answers to questions about quality: our customers, and our staff and service partners on the front line.
     “Our customers help us understand their real needs—what we can deliver that will make a real difference in their success.
     “The genuine answers are usually filtered by the process and likely lost in translation if we’re not working directly with the source.
     “So a constant dialog with customers is key to understanding their needs and knowing the issues we are trying to solve.
     “Then we work with our front line leaders and staff to understand their challenges: the support they need to produce the desired outcome.
     “More often than not, these folks have the answer and are quick to determine how to make success happen once they understand the true need.
     “Offer a view of looking for answers both internally and externally to deliver a better product experience all around.
     “Our industry has a wealth of talented individuals—many, but by no means all, at United Cargo.
     “We remain vigilant for innovative ideas and opportunities internally, but we also keep a close eye on progress outside of our organization.
     “This helps us bridge some of the challenges we are trying to solve within our business and our operations.”

Be Up Front When Things Go Wrong

      “It’s extremely important to own the level of success or failure in everything you do—as an individual and as an organization. It’s also crucial to acknowledge the state of progress on any project, as well as where the roadblocks are if you’re not moving ahead.
     “Because challenges are a constant, ‘owning’ good or bad results determines whether your team will improve or stay stagnant.
     “I believe standing up to every situation is a basic strength of our team.
     “We always acknowledge where we are and recognize we can do better.
     “We trust the capabilities of our co-workers and believe they can and will do what’s necessary to improve.

Simplification & Safety

     “Simplification and safety are two words we use again and again.
     “United Cargo is introducing new tools and improved processes to simplify the execution of our front-end operations and reduce the amount of variation in the output.
     “We are focused on anything and everything that can help us produce a more consistent outcome.
     “Technology is our friend in this, and we have a variety of different tools in the works to help us streamline processes and improve visibility at every point where a hand-off occurs.
     “We also have a constant focus on safety and organization.
     “The health of our co-workers and the security of customers’ cargo is paramount, and the behaviors required to maintain a clean, well-organized, and safe operation also drive better quality and overall output for our customers.”

Just Ask

     “United Cargo has said ‘yes’ more often, and with more success, to customers inside and outside the airline during the past year.
     “We’ve made quantifiable improvements in key metrics that impact customer satisfaction.
     “Both our internal measurements and IATA’s C2K statistics reflect major gains in our percentage of success.”

The Road To Quality

     “Quality has always been a target in my career, but in my current role it has been the primary focus for the past five years.
     “Following the United-Continental merger, our integration strategy was to start from zero, capture and implement best practices, and build the foundation from the ground up.
     “While 2013 was an extremely challenging year, 2014 was all about recovery and stabilization. In the second half of last year, we aligned the organization around a new vision: the behaviors necessary to be a ‘Responsible Business Partner.’
     “Now in 2015 we’re focused on building on this foundation.
     “We introduced new tools and resources early this year that generated significant performance improvements beginning in mid-Q1 and continuing through to today.
     “We have several new tools and technology solutions in the pipeline that will allow us to close existing gaps—leading to better planning on the front end and improved visibility through all the stages of handling.
     “I think we’re about 75 percent of the way there, which still leaves plenty of room for improvement!
     “But I’m sure we’ll get there, because we have a team of extremely talented people who love what they do, and they won’t stop until we reach our goal.
     “We want to create a single, consistent mindset in cargo customers all over the world: when they think about their need for top quality, they immediately associate it with the United Cargo brand.”

Angel Paths Of Glory

     Angel Ramirez attended college at Kean University in New Jersey, where he received both a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.
     He joined Continental Airlines in 1993 and held a number of different management roles in training and operations.
     At the time of the merger, Angel was CO’s director of Cargo Operations in Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy International Airports.
     He moved into his current role as Vice President, United Cargo Global Operations in early 2011.

Friends & Family

     “I try to strike the right balance in life between my family of co-workers at United and my loved ones at home.
     “My incredible wife Felicita and amazing son Angel Jr. have faithfully supported every adventure we’ve taken together despite the sacrifices it has required of them.
     “They have never failed to provide me energy, encouragement, and motivation.
     “Four brothers, plus a whole slew of nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles, bring equilibrium and joy to my life.
     “They’ve all helped maintain my sanity in this crazy industry we love and that I’ve been a part of for the last 22 years.
     “My mother is my anchor and without a doubt the most amazing lady who has ever lived.
     “Her life is the very definition of hard work and sacrifice for the betterment of her family.

Angel and three of his 13 Godchildren and with wife, Felicita and son Angel, Jr.

     “My father remains an ever-present voice that guides my thinking and decisions—as if he literally stands behind me providing guidance and support.
     “I am extremely proud to be a Godfather of 13 amazing kids—most of whom are also my nieces and nephews.
     “This role is definitely near the top of the things I treasure most in my life.
     “I also appreciate that I was the first in my family to be able to obtain a college-level education.
     “During my younger years I played a lot of basketball and baseball—though I have to admit basketball is the sport I love most.
     “Of course, whenever I say that I feel like I’m offending the ‘Dominican baseball Gods.’
     “On that subject, I want to clear up a common misconception: not every Dominican is born with a baseball bat in their hands or the talent to become a professional player.
     “I am living proof of that! But without the skills to play sports at a high level, I nonetheless inherited a highly competitive spirit and a relentless commitment to excellence, and my elders taught me an uncompromised sense of ethics.
     “Those are the qualities I strive to use every day to make tough decisions in the most fair and respectful way possible,” The Angel of United Cargo said.
Geoffrey