ATC is celebrating 35 years in the business. At FT we believe it is an important achievement that has been made possible by the indefatigable work of Ingo Zimmer, who has led this GSSA for decades. In order to appropriately celebrate the milestone, we have assembled a number of recent quotes that Ingo released to us, as well as some questions we had prepared for his interview.
     Ingo’s personality and intuition comes to light in the exchange of statements in a way that could not be more direct. Ingo is a good friend of the FlyingTypers and he will forgive us for this unconventional approach, which we hope will give you an interesting picture of his activity and interests. Will there be a secret sauce to reveal? Keep calm and read on, it is all in the game.
     Some background: Ingo is married, has two boys and two girls and lives in his home in Frankfurt with time spent relaxing in Spain with family and a number of dogs and good weather, shall we say . . . most of the time. Ingo loves to take clients out for dinner and travels extensively, as is natural for his position.
     “As leading Cargo GSSA in the world, led by the experience and expertise of our carefully selected team of top air cargo management specialists since 1971, ATC has expanded our organization and grown our business across the globe.”       This is the first quote of his we wish to include in this article and gives you the two dimensions of Ingo’s and ATC’s success: it is a growing business since 1971 and it is now as global as business can be.
     “The unusual part of the ATC approach includes an outreach effort to contact and engage ATC service partners, even during the difficult years, with personal contact into management offices around the world at an unprecedented rate in an up-close and personal effort seldom seen at any executive level in air cargo.” This quote gives you the impression that this job is made to measure as much as it can possibly be, with a distinctive human and personal touch. “More and more leading airlines around the world continue to choose ATC Aviation Services as their preferred GSA/GSSA partner. We know that the satisfaction of our partners, our customers, our employees, and our investors is the cornerstone to successful, sustainable, and profitable business growth. But the human touch has been difficult during COVID, so we have slowly welcomed the opportunity to get out on the hustings not only at trade shows, but also in the office where we can get down to specifics to discuss meeting and exceeding our partners’ expectations. We are very proud of our customer’s faith in ATC.”
     Not difficult to predict Ingo’s answer to our question: “TIACA Miami November . . . What are one or two (or more) most important points that you would like attendees of this event in your stand to take away from your interactions at the show?”
      “Being the leading Cargo GSSA in the United States and with our extensive network in Latin America, the ACF in Miami is a must for us. We are here with an experienced team, ready to meet our existing and future customers. Please visit us at booth 1019,” Ingo replied, suggesting he would care to meet you in person, to “meet and exceed” your expectations. “We know that constant contact is the answer to a successful partnership and that means bending every effort to be face-to-face whenever possible,” Ingo Zimmer concluded.
     We were thinking about Ingo and the impact Team ATC has had on the global market. It may seem a small thing when you talk global international trade, but Ingo Zimmer has always believed that the human contact between people in cargo is a key driver in what he never stops referring to as “our people to people business”.
     There was another, more technical question on how can stakeholders utilize advanced, improved "warehouse optimization" mechanisms and reduce delivery/build-up timelines? In this regard you should take note that, to Ingo, being “up close” means visiting gateway operations to say ‘thank you’ and to also ask not only: ‘how are we doing?’ but to also celebrate the human condition by reminding partners of the fact that their partners at ATC “never forget how important you are.” So the human touch prevails 360°. “It’s not always milk and cookies,” Ingo admitted, “but on the other hand getting straight answers and immediately actioning solutions to issues keeps us all on the same page.”
     “There is no secret sauce at ATC,” Ingo declared one time “and no empty promises either. It’s all about people and service delivery with no excuse.” So no secret ingredients, just meticulous fulfillment of promises with a large spoonful of human touch!
     Under the guidance of Ingo, “ATC has implemented a compelling menu of solutions and delivering no excuses excellence via a staff of professionally trained and seasoned account executives, many having served in both the airline and freight forwarder roles. ATC does not employ any smoke and mirrors in its no-nonsense approach to GSSA.” When it is bow-tie party award time, ATC takes a slight step backward preferring to allow results to show the way, whilst others rush to the podium. Ingo explains this philosophy calmly: “We prefer to let results speak for what ATC quality means with results-driven encounters in real time and continuing as time goes by. Our main priority is making sure all of our service partners know what to expect, with complete transparency during every part of the shipping process and the spirited involvement of everyone on our team. The reward to us is the respect from a growing list of carriers from all over the world that recognize our commitment to their success and satisfaction.” Shall we say this is another ingredient that is not so common today: transparency. In a world where you often have the impression that hidden forces try to pull your leg . . . a bit of transparency is like a breath of fresh air after you have been working in a coalmine.
     These are the two citations that the ghost writer of this story prefers: “At the end of the day, keeping your word and taking your partners needs to heart is the best way to win friends and influence people. You have to think about where you want to be and how you like to be treated when approaching this industry if you expect to be around for any length of time.” There is suddenly something that sounds Swiss to my ear in this statement and I think this elementary down to earth approach is precisely what makes Switzerland a great example for many.
Time for getting into the thick of the Q&A, here we go . . .

Greetings from the ATC Aviation Services AG JNB (Johannesburg South Africa) logistics professionals all dressed up and looking smart and ready in their “ATC Chemise Please” shirtings festooned with the famous company logo. Top Photo: Pictured with ATC Country Manager Ryno Slabbert (r) are from left Marlize Edwards - Finance & Administration Supervisor, Nicole Pearson - Customer Service Agent, Paige Thomas - Customer Service Agent Bottom Photo: Marlize, Nicole and Paige again in the JNB office with Tianny Mabona – Office Assistant. Team does not mind being pictured twice whilst excited about wearing their pride, shouldering a fresh glimpse to match their smiling outlook. Feeling connected and unified is always a worthwhile emotion, in air cargo, where motion is always the thing. “Not only do these shirts look great, but they also represent our energy, teamwork, and dedication to doing our best,” ATC CEO Ingo Zimmer declared adding, “Here's to even bigger and brighter happy days ahead!” At Miami for The International Air Cargo Association TIACA Air Cargo Forum November 12-14 stalwart members from Team ATC, the Americas and elsewhere including Ingo, Timothy Pfeil, Dagmar Hanau, Philip Thiermann, Monica Di Palo and others will be situate in Booth 1019 at the Miami Convention Center.

FT:  Trend in global economics is raising costs of everyday life. What new services, verticals, or markets to diversify revenue sources exist or are planned? Are new geographical areas in the pipeline?
IZ:   We offer a product mix including verticals like pharma, courier, PER, charter in addition to our GSSA services on all the markets where we are present. Experts especially for pharma and charter are coordinating on HQ level. The network of offices has not changed during 2023. With offices in 30 countries we are already a global player. Our strengths are Central Europe and the Americas. New offices to be opened in Asia, and South America in 2025. Asia is where we got to grow. Recently this region is covered by ATC with offices in Hongkong, Korea, Thailand and India only.

FT:  How would you evaluate performance and attaining goals in 2024. What were the high points? Can you describe one challenge and what you did about it?
IZ:   2024 was an interesting and challenging year. With the focus on Europe and the Americas we did not benefit too much from the high demand and rates from the Asia region. From Europe we experienced volume growth of 30% but at the same time a drop in air cargo yields. To China where we do manage monthly capacities of +3.000 tons due to the imbalance between imports and exports, driven by the high demand of e commerce and the increase of capacities, yields have been under pressure. Looking back, we are not unsatisfied because 2024 was one of the most successful years in terms of acquiring new business. We most recently got the CSP contract for Etihad in France, Spain and the Netherlands awarded. We won the Sichuan Airlines tender for the 3 weekly A 330-F rotations ex Frankfurt. Ethiopian Airlines awarded us the Cargo GSSA contract for Switzerland. With T Ways we signed a cargo GSSA contract covering the whole of Europe including online flights ex Frankfurt, Milan, Barcelona, Paris and Zagreb. Two weeks ago we signed the contract with Modern Logistics operating freighters in South America. In spring we won the Teleport / Air Asia contract for Korea covering 40 weekly frequencies to Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Beside all the new business the existing customers increased capacities in 2024. For example, ANA increased their Munich -Tokyo flights from 3 a week to daily. Luckily we were able to find and hire a large number of qualified customer service staff and management to handle all the new business.

FT:  Looking ahead what are the factors that will most drive your business in the new year of 2025?
IZ:    The new business and the extra capacities we expect for 2025 and also continuing our digital journey. The expansion will continue in Asia and hopefully elsewhere.

FT:  Dockworkers on East Coast USA have set January for a possible second work stoppage. What did you learn during the prior stoppage and what will you do (i.e. what can everyone do to cooperate) with the goal to mitigate a possible disruption in less than 90 days?
IZ:   With a clear and sudden change in the American policy, it is not easy to predict what lies ahead in January. There could be a sudden change in priorities, depending on what President Trump sets out to do, but it is also possible that the confrontation becomes more acute. If that happens we shall try to give advice to our customers to use the least disrupted routes.

FT:  ATC – we note – has added new partners, created new services and destinations in 2025. Please describe what services were added to the offering in 2024 and can be expected next year.
IZ:   China is and will continue to be a reference market for everybody. Growth in that market is expected to last at least until early 2025. There are opportunities also in other markets: Vietnam, Hong Kong and Korea, we have seen growth and we expect more to come. Demand is pushing India to break new records and we may expect even bigger numbers, considering India and China seem to start speaking in a more constructive manner as of recent. More can be done in South America and Africa, in particular if we look at our operation with Airlink in South Africa.

FT:  Here is a multilayered question that I ask looking for a single smart broad sweep answer (humorous with spirit suggested). How do you deal with Capacity shortages, Infrastructure constraints, Regulatory hurdles, Fuel prices, Technology disruptions, Environmental sustainability?
IZ:   There are plenty of disruptions in our industry all the time. We have experienced so many of them over 35 years in this industry. You got to continue to be creative and react fast.
     In the conversation Geoffrey wanted to suggest: “In the airline business it’s good not to confuse attitude with altitude.” Instead, he closed this interview/ report / chronicle (or whatever else seems appropriate to our readers) by paying respect to his professional interlocutor: “Ingo no doubt you are celebrating an unprecedented period of time serving the air cargo resource for many airlines. Your leadership and kindness at the job you do is respected in the global air cargo industry. Asking for some introspection here. How did you do it? Who may we ask inspired you in this business? What keeps air cargo fresh and fun and interesting for you?”
IZ:   Not one day is like the other. Every day brings new challenges. An existing industry. I wouldn’t do anything else.

FT:  What lies ahead for Ingo Zimmer?
IZ:   What lies behind me are already 35 years as a GSSA. I founded ATC Germany on 1.10.1989. So this year we had our 35 years’ anniversary. I look to the future when I can complete the 50th anniversary in 2039.

FT:  What drives you most . . . the joy of winning or the fear of losing? What surprised you in 2024?
IZ:   Of course the joy of winning. Our biggest asset is our superior team. And with the team we are constantly winning and increasing our presence and market share. Nevertheless, the goal is not to become the biggest GSSA in the world but to continue being the best.
     You could argue that there was no secret sauce for ATC’s success in the end. But, in the end . . . this is the not-so-secret ingredient: Ingo has put together a strong team of professionals with a human, hand-on approach that never forgets to put customers and partners in the right light with transparent and appropriate communication. There is no quest for the philosopher’s stone here, just a solid building of mutual trust and confidence, and the acceptance to remain in the leading position “for any length of time”.
      This is what Ingo himself declared to be the not-so-secret sauce that our title seems to reveal: “In my opinion, hard work, solid experience, knowledge and expertise and knowing what the customer needs. Essential is to be faster than the competition and adapt on challenges and development. Hiring the right management and motivated team members, having good friends in the industry helps, but staying away from people not sharing the same ethics and visions is very important: always focus on details, they could be a game changer. A functioning moral compass. And, like everywhere, a pinch of luck.”
That’s all, folks!
Geoffrey Arend