In airports and airfreight, harmony in procedures and collaboration are essential to establish a reasonable level of quality in service and ensure the respect for the environment our day and age require.
     Bob Rogers VP & Treasurer says, “here at ULD CARE we get elated when we have a glimpse of such harmony.
     “The recent coverage of ULD matters in FlyingTypers was certainly music to our ears!
     “And a very big vote of thanks to Marco Sorgetti for this extensive coverage of ULD, a subject that all too often remains firmly in the closet.
     “ULD Care fully concurs with Andre Majeres statement that ULD are aircraft parts, and require the same degree of care and attention as any other part, this is a drum that ULD CARE and IATA have been banging for many years with, sad to say, limited results.
     “But on top of the overriding issue of flight safety – and never forget that there have been two major fatal accidents directly resulting from substandard use of ULD in aircraft loading – ULD CARE has also identified a number of other very significant issues, and I would like to list these in the space we were granted by FlyingTypers,” Rogers added.

Sustainablility

     “This is a topic on everyone’s lips these days. Now actually the ULD OEM’s have done a remarkable job reducing the tare weight of containers, pallets and net by 40-50% in the past 15-20 years, delivering significant fuel burn reductions to the airlines and consequent benefit to the environment and air quality. But when it comes to the “on the ground side” it is not such a pretty sight, as the waste around ULD operations is extraordinary. We can start with annual repair costs estimated to exceed USD$300 million, and let us be clear, this is almost entirely the result of improper handling of what are lightweight aircraft parts. And then there are cargo nets, so often treated as “throw away” items in the general humdrum of cargo ops and all too often ending up dumped in a corner or cut with knives or driven over by a forklift, eventually ending a shortened lifecycle in landfill (at the owners’ expense) . . . And please don’t even get me started on cargo straps, again certified aircraft parts (TSO C172), yet likely to make just a couple of trips before ending up in a heap somewhere, an estimated 2.5 million such straps are made every year, consuming around 22 Km of webbing and over 2,000 tons of steel, year after year after year! Many sustainability improvements require investment to yield savings, but around ULD it is actually just a matter of reducing waste, with a bit of effort from all parties.”

Digitalization

     “Over the past 4-5 years there has been much talk about “Smart ULD” and indeed there have been some significant innovations. But unfortunately we see very little change to the way the movement of ULD into an “off airport” situation is managed and monitored. ULD CARE’s analysis leads us to believe that some 200,000 PMC make an off-airport move every month of the year, a practice that is of huge benefit to all stakeholders in the air cargo industry. Yet, when it comes to the ULD this practice leaves a great deal to be desired, with a very large number of these off-airport moves not being reported in an accurate and timely manner to their airline owners, which are often half way around the world. ULD CARE estimates that around 8-10% of the global PMC fleet is “off the radar” and overdue for return to their owner at any point in time. There is actually an IATA standard document to record such transfers, RP 1654, the ULD Control Receipt, which is the aviation equivalent of the maritime industry’s Equipment Interchange Receipt. However, as a result of legacy IT and messaging protocols, the UCR process frequently fails to deliver the required efficiency and is long overdue for digitalization. ULD CARE is now well advanced on a project to utilize modern IT such as App’s, hand held POS units and API’s to move this five-decades old process into the 21st century.”

Efficiency

     “One party’s efficiency should not be at the expense of the other party and this is certainly true when it comes to ULD’s. Unfortunately, it may seem efficient to conduct cargo operations using inappropriate facilities and practices ignoring the inevitable collateral damage to the ULD. With a few notable exceptions, ULD operations are often carried out in very “unfriendly” environments and almost always against the clock, with a very extensive use of forklifts. The key to improving matters here lies in establishing an industrywide awareness of the importance of knowing the difference between the right and the wrong way when it comes to working with ULD’s, and in this regard ULD CARE puts significant efforts and resources into delivering a portfolio of solutions through its website (www.uldcare.com). More often than it is actually perceived, the method in compliance is also more efficient in the end.
     “To wrap up, ULD are the oil that lubricates the gears of air cargo: no ULD = no cargo!
     “Just as an engine will seize up if its oil is allowed to deteriorate or be contaminated, so the air cargo industry will seize up without the proper degree of attention to the wellbeing of the ULD upon which it depends. If you wish to fly and do not wish to use care for your ULD’s you must make sure that you are a bird, in all other circumstances ULD CARE is a must!”
Bob Rogers

     If Al Kalmbach, the air cargo guy for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were any happier with what he discovered at LogiPharma, the world's biggest Life Sciences show last week in Lyon, France, he might qualify in air cargo as the most happy fella!
     “Sensational Show,” Al declared!
     “Great meetings with freight forwarders, airlines and pharmaceutical companies, getting the word out that DFW Cargo increases flow of time and temperature sensitive Pharma Cargo," Al declared.
     “I can report good attendance at the LogiPharma Master Works Sessions.
     “Appreciate opportunity for DFW Cargo being heard as part of a most important panel getting down to business of progress and future Digitization of Cargo.
     “The DFW Cargo Cloud and other initiatives we are delivering today at DFW were also recognized.”
     Al Kalmbach was situate all last week at LogiPharma Centre de Congrès de Lyon, France.
     “Call me Al, we have some great ideas and are ready to do business.”

     LogiPharma in Lyon France at Palais des congrès de Lyon on April 25-27 was slick well-organized and interesting, full of heavy duty business, and lots of people and action at a great venue.
     If you want to know where many of the airlines that are out looking for business and new horizons post COVID were, many were discovering that it was good to be there, Pierre!
     LogiPharma in Lyon for Pharma was a "Quinella," a word that race track aficionado's use to describe gaining better odds of winning.
     This was the world's largest life sciences event with leaders in supply chain, operations, logistics, distribution and digital transformation, in attendance.
     With a jam-packed, three-day program that blasted off on April 25th with DHL serving breakfast, the action after the opening ceremony was an immediate “Keynote Discussion” with five Pharma luminaries, including morning host DHL.
“Driving Agility and Resilience: How can you derive actionable insights from your end-to-end suppliers to maximize adaptability and secure your global supply chain networks?”
     Some smart thoughts got the once over in short order as the panel’s five top executives shared getting down to business during an enthusiastic 40 minute opening session.
     Day One at LogiPharma continued with wall-to-wall sessions.
     The lead off digital transformation presentation feature Shabbir Dahod, President & CEO of Tracelink,
     The program at LogiPharma on Tuesday and Wednesday was sessions heavy and quite diverse with glimpses of the future, with one presentation previewing what pharma packaging is likely to look like in the future.
     You might imagine after a fabulous day at the event on Monday April 25, a hamburger and a movie in your room while sorting out a ton of input and contact cards might have been just the ticket.
     Well, the organizers thought about that one as well and declared that night a Movie Night in the Exhibition Hall serving up a reception of mini-hamburgers while screening the movie "Grease" and adult beverages, shaken not stirred while the film Casino Royale with James Bond set a mood too cool for school.
     FedEx sponsored a wine tasting and others served cheese and crackers (this is France after all) and this first day, a Gellato stand licked the afternoon energy lull before the "Movies Drinks Reception” kicked off at 6:15.
     Looking ahead and waiting in the wings . . . LogiPharma USA October 04-06, 2023 opens at Westin Copley Place, in Boston MA.
     Your move . . .
GDA