Air Cargo News

An Esteemed Mr. Yamamoto Guides
Japan Airlines Cargo, The Americas

     Sometimes as it is said, you can't always see the forest for the trees.
     Although it has been there since 1994, Japan Airlines Building 151, which blazed a trail as the first major modern air cargo construction at JFK International Airport New York on the passenger side of the airport ten years ago, remains a wonderworld of high-tech activity.
     Inside Building 151, Kazuto Yamamoto, JAL Cargo Vice President and General Manager, The Americas unlocks a vision for the 21st Century.
     In this first in-depth report from Building 151, the place emerges from a reputation of a world-class operation, to its rightful place among the finest air cargo transfer facilities on the planet.

JAL Cargo JFK Is Among The Best In The World

Kazuo Yamamoto

     There may be places that are landscaped better, where the containers are all lined up by size and color, and they come to attention in a proper salute when you pass by; where the customer reception areas are a bit more opulent with piped in music and leather chairs.
     But grass cannot grow on a busy street, containers are too busy to be showcased and who needs chairs for usually short waiting time?, is a rationale that you are likely to get from the operators of Building 151 at JFK.
     But when it comes to getting what you really need from a cargo operation including an enviable on time delivery reputation for companies, with global reach from all parts of the world, Japan Airlines Building 151 at JFK International Airport in New York ranks at the top of greatest air cargo operations on the planet.
     After just a few minutes of watching things develop in the place you come to the realization that what is going on is like a life within a life.
     At the center of the cavernous air cargo facility lays the heart and soul of the place that JAL Cargo people and others call, "The System".
     The System is an incredibly complex computer driven materials handling (MHS) set up that pumps traffic through a 260,000 square foot warehouse with more than 400 airline pallet positions 2600 roller boxes and a giant fully automated storage rack system enveloped inside an eleven story tower that is one of the tallest buildings (other than the control tower), at any airport anywhere in the world.
     But it is "The System" that people talk about, in almost reverential tones, as if the computer and its reach by automation to the smallest nook and cranny of the place were a live breathing person.
     Maybe it's not HAL from 2001-A Space Odyssey movie fame, but click your heels together and believe that at JAL Cargo JFK is one of the most important and ef. cient air cargo handling facilities anywhere.
     It is hard to imagine that it has been ten years (July 1994) since JAL Cargo launched the first fully automated MHS to serve its main gateway for the Eastern & Mid-Atlantic USA region.
     Today, despite a recent building boom of new air cargo handling facilities up and down both sides of the Van Wyck Expressway main entrance to the passenger complex at JFK International Airport, Building 151 remains the most intriguing technologically advanced operations at the airport.
     It should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the cargo activities of JAL for the past decades that in 2004, the carrier and several companies that use Building 151 would be served by a dedicated super terminal.
     Long ago when JAL introduced freighters across the Pacific route into New York, the carrier set up operations from the get-go using advanced state-of-the art technologies at old Cargo Building 263 at JFK.
     Today this Building 151 opus is a carry forward of a tradition of high-tech excellence that has been a hallmark of JAL Cargo growth in the USA for more than 25 years.
     Kazuto Yamamoto, Japan Airlines Vice-President and General Manager Cargo, The Americas puts high emphasis on the importance of service delivery.
     "The freight forwarders comprise 99 percent of our business. Everything we do is directed toward providing the best quality for our service partners.

First Were The Wright Brothers At Kitty Hawk, Now It's The JAL Cargo Team At JFK. Pictured are some of the people that have teamed up to keep JAL Cargo out front during the 21st Century.

     "JAL Cargo knows that we must always hold up our end of the shipping process, by delivering a predictable and thoroughly transparent supply chain for our service partners.
     "Our goal to achieve long-term business partnerships, based on trust and mutual respect.
     "That's why we have put so much of our resources into creating the best cargo system.
     "But our business in 2004 must be considerate of each other.s particular demands.
     "For example, security is paramount in today's business environment. Screening of air cargo will only become more intense in the months and years ahead.
     "As new technologies race to meet even tougher government criteria, every part of the cargo business must pitch in and do their part to share both the expense and responsibility for this "new normal" in the air cargo experience."
     We are speaking in a bright window walled of. ce upstairs inside Building 151.
     As Mr. Yamamoto speaks, just off in the distance about 15 miles away outlined against a gray winter morning is the skyline of lower Manhattan with its jumble of buildings and strange void that was left when the Twin Towers disappeared on 9/11/01. We imagine that the esteemed chief of JAL Cargo USA has also surveyed that vista more than once during the past years.
     "Everyone knows that security is a big headache for the customer, the forwarder and the airline as well.
     "Opening up pallets and providing X-Ray technologies for government regulators was never part of anyone's business plan.
     "But Japan Airlines is determined to meet and exceed all security standards; to make our air cargo product not only the best handled and delivered, but also the safest in the skies."
     But technologies and safety concerns addressed, when it comes to air cargo it.s the product that takes center stage and at JAL Cargo the latest to come into vogue is "JSpeed".
     Actually J Speed is only one of an extended menu of cargo-specific service offerings, each one part of a dedicated program of total service of "J" cargo speciic products that the carrier offers including JArt, JCare and JFresh, JCool, JFreight to name a few. All are detailed at length on Japan Airlines Cargo website www.jalcargo.com.
     The point is that from wherever Japan Airlines flies, the cargo division has a dedicated, highly developed, time-specific cargo delivery system to move and support any commodity.
     But at the core of it all, in addition to a cadre of service professionals in sales and customer service who on average have spent most of their adult life serving a growing list of air shippers, Japan Airlines has created advanced super cargo transfer facilities in Tokyo and Los Angeles and elsewhere, including the aforementioned one at JFK International in New York.
     That MHS, we mentioned earlier, at JFK is fully automated and makes efficient use of space, reduces labor costs, provides enhanced security for storage and speeds up operations.
     Shipments are loaded into unit loading devices (ULDs) of various sizes.
     The ULDs are identified by their serial numbers and are tracked through the system from origin to destination. When the freighter lands, it is connected by nose dock lifts to the ULD receiving system. Concurrent with manual loading and unloading of the aircraft, a computerized control system accepts the ULD into the automated conveyor system and moves it to a pre-designated position in the storage system.
     A network of distribution conveyors, transfer vehicles (TVs) and elevated transfer vehicles (ETVs) move the ULDs to various locations throughout the building depending on their final destination.
     ULDs for immediate breakdown can be routed directly to work stations.
     ULDs to be picked up intact for delivery to various container freight stations can be routed directly to automated Pre-Pak docks.
     Up to five ULDs can be pre-staged at each Pre-Pack dock.
     Shipments awaiting subsequent pick-up or breakdown can be directed to the ULD storage area located above the ULD conveyor system.
     The rack-supported structure can store up to 600 ULDs of various sizes. Roll boxes are used for loose shipments and travel on overhead roller conveyors (about 20 feet above the . oor throughout the building.
     Roll boxes arrive at floor level by means of a vertical lift. As with the ULDs, roll boxes are stored in the roll box rack structure, which is part of the integrated building storage structure. Shipments are sorted and stored in individual roll boxes for retrieval at later time. The storage racks can accommodate up to 3,000 roll boxes.
     Currently at JFK, JAL Cargo utilizes 1,700 roll boxes.
     Building 151 has greatly reduced the time it takes to offload and load a 747-F, in fact the place can handle the operations of up to three jumbos at a time.
     The system was designed to completely turn-around a fully loaded 747-F in one hour and forty-five minutes.

City Within The Airport City. Building 151 Is The Only Full Service Cargo Facility At Any USA Airport. Located on the main entrance road to JFK International Airport in New York, the Building 151 complex is a city within the airport city, offering a full range of services including the New York City home of the Air Couriers Association and several freight forwarders. Building 151 features the full range of cargo-related services, including U.S. Customs, plus fulltime medical facilities, a dentist, expanded service restaurant, and a roster of leading world air cargo resources, including Finnair, EVA, Japan Airlines, Malev, and others.

     In addition to being one of the most advance material handling systems, the facility has integrated computers systems that control the inventory or cargo shipments. These systems are linked to the U.S. Customs Automated Manifest System (AMS).
     This provides for Custom House Brokers to pre-clear shipments prior to the arrival of the flights at JFK.
     Building 151 has an integrated security system using the latest technology of CCTV systems supported with 24/7 security guard services.
     Storage for high value shipments, refrigeration, handling of perishables and livestock is supported within the facility.
     JAL Cargo/The Americas is part of the Freight and Mail Division of Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
     JAL is a member of IATA and was originally established as the National Flag Carrier of Japan on October 1, 1953.
     Today, utilizing a fleet of 138 aircraft (including 81 Boeing 747s making JAL the largest operator of 747 types in the world). JAL serves some 72 cities in 31 countries and territories.
     Of the 81 747 aircraft, 10 are 747 freighter types, each with a lift capacity of approximately 100,000 kgs.
     These freighters operate out of JAL's New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Anchorage gateways to Tokyo and beyond.
     Using its worldwide transport network, and aiming to provide a high level of quality service with safety, reliability, and speed to anywhere in the world for express and priority cargo, JAL Cargo joined a global cargo industry alliance named WOW on July 4, 2002.
     In order to achieve its goal, JALCARGO and three other companies, Lufthansa Cargo, Singapore Airlines Cargo, and SAS Cargo Group, are creating a worldwide network of 523 locations in 103 countries, and to build an advanced air cargo logistics system.
     Work continues to link up the various services of each company, standardizing the transport quality, and integrating computer systems.
     Mr. Yamamoto sees potential in the eventual widening of the WOW alliance.
     "An immediate benefit has been the streamlining of the process for shippers to move expedited cargo with each other."
     "We now have expanded ability to move certain cargo eliminating costly and time consuming paperwork and off loading procedures at various points along the supply chain."
     "With WOW, a customer makes a reservation with the nearest JAL alliance partner office, the priority loading reservation, reservation confirmation, and cargo handling status confirmation can all be made accurately in real time."
     Kazuto Yamamoto has spent 30 years of his life in service at Japan Airlines, with the past 19 in air cargo.
     He has a big job and a large territory to cover from pole to pole, the entire Western Hemisphere.
     But he views the cargo end of the air transportation business as most exciting.
     "Air cargo is never the same.
     "Every day is different and at times an adventure. “
     "This a totally hands on business that requires new approaches all the time."
     When asked what is the most important driving force for a successful 2004, Mr. Yamamoto wraps that question up in one simple word.
     "Peace. Peace around the world that will allow all of us to normalize and re-energize our business efforts to get back to what we do best, improving air cargo service around the world."
     Mr. Yamamoto thinks for a moment and adds: "Make that peace and quiet."
     At that moment somewhere else deep down inside Building 151 "The System" springs to life.
     Mr. Yamamoto smiles.
     At once we understand the kind of peace and quiet the esteemed Mr. Yamamoto is talking about.

GREAT DAY IN NEW YORK FOR THE IRISH

May the road rise up to meet you
And may the wind always be at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the raindrops fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the small of his hand.

A GREAT DAY FOR THE IRISH

     There may be always an Ireland, and beyond that lovely prospect, always 100 parades around the world to celebrate March 17th.
     But from 11:00 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m. on an island called Manhattan, where a green stripe runs down the middle of Fifth Avenue from 44th to 86th Street, The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of New York City’s greatest traditions.
     On St. Patrick’s Day, a kind of wonderful delirium takes over in Gotham.
     Everyone is Irish!
     The annual procession marches up Fifth Avenue, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street, all the way up past the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 83rd Street.
     The St. Patrick’s Day parade in NYC began even before there was a United States of America in 1766, when Irishmen from Ireland’s Revolutionary War brought the tradition here.
     Military units continued to march each year until after the War of 1812, when local Irish fraternal and beneficial societies began sponsoring the event.
     In those days, the parade was quite small, marching from local Irish meeting halls to Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Lower Manhattan on Mott & Prince Streets.
     By 1851, the groups had banded together, nominating a Grand Marshall and increasing the size of the parade.
     This was when the Irish 69th Regiment (now the 165th Infantry) became the lead marchers, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians became the official sponsor.
     We love St. Patrick’s Day.
     It’s when the “Irishrey” of New York come out in full celebration. Look into the faces of the uniformed services, especially the NYC Firefighters and you will get it right away.
     We also like that St. Patrick’s Day Parade remains true to its roots by not allowing floats, automobiles and other commercial overkill.
     Marching great bands, bagpipes fill the air as more than 150,000 people from all over the country and the world celebrate the "wearing' of the green" here in New York.
     Speaking of Up The Irish! . . . Aer Lingus in a spectacular turnaround posted a 30 percent rise in full-year operating profit for 2003, after realigning itself as a low-fare player.
     Close to bankruptcy in 2001, Aer Lingus delivered an operating profit of 83 million euros ($103 million) in 2003.
     Willie Walsh told reporters that competition within the European market was "brutal" (in 2003) and said he expected more of the same in 2004.
     "I think we've very successfully positioned ourselves as a successful, profitable low-fare airline, but the pressure remains on us -- fares will continue to fall and that means we have to be aggressive and relentless around management of our cost base," he told Reuters after a news conference in Dublin.
     The airline's transatlantic business, posted a record year.
     A cost-saving move to a single aircraft, the super efficient A320, on its European network, is expected to be completed by the end of 2005.
     Aer Lingus said it plans to add 13 new routes in 2004.

P.S. Just in case you are thinking of slipping off to your favorite pub later today for a pint and some good cheer to celebrate, take a real break. Here is some conversation that is not about the air cargo business.

We have been thinking as Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of Christ" continues to set box office records, that aviation is also a heavenly pursuit. So here in no particular order are some references to God . . . and flight.

If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.
— Mel Brooks

If God had meant Icarus to fly, she would have given him a cloudy day.
— Leon M. Wise

If God had really intended men to fly, He'd make it easier to get to the airport.
— George Winters

God would surely never allow such a machine to be successful, since it would cause much disturbance among the civil and political governments of mankind . . . no city would be proof against surprise . . . or ships that sail the sea. . . . Houses, fortresses, and cities could thus be destroyed, with the certainty that the airship would come to no harm, as the missiles could be thrown from a great height.
— Francesco de Lana de Terzi of Brescia, Italian Jesuit who was the first Westerner to write on the military uses of aerial attack, 1670

Some late news . . .

     Finnair said it will return with its winter run from Helsinki to Miami December 5th until March 31, 2005.
     The recently concluded offering was a big success plus the addition of AY's sixth MD-11 will allow the great airline to ramp up service just in time for the sun 'n fun crowd from Scandinavia and Northern Europe.
     AY serves New York year round and recently has added Osaka and Shanghai to Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo and Beijing in its long-haul network.
     United Arab Emirates and Thailand signed an open skies agreement, allowing full traffic rights to operate any type of aircraft or flight frequency between the two countries and beyond . . . KLM returns to daily service between Amsterdam and Atlanta Oct. 31 which was halted after 9/11.
     Emirates' thrice-weekly A340-300 flights Dubai/Shanghai in April goes daily, May 15. Air Arabia, the “People's Express” of Sharjah, UAE adds Khartoum April 3.
     East Side/West Side . . . DLH Cargo heads east (along with everybody else) MD-11F service April 3 from Frankfurt, but doesn't stop there on an around the world all-cargo service to seven airports.
     From Frankfurt, the freighter drops in at Kuala Lumpur, then wings its way via Melbourne to Auckland.
     After a tech stop in Hawaii, the MD-11 swings into Los Angeles and beefs up payload in the city of broad shoulders, Chicago, flying newly discovered low dollar exchange-generated outbound cargo from USA, nonstop back to FRA.
     For the record, Lufthansa has been flying its freighter the other way into the wind in a globe girdling opus for the past couple years.
     Kitty Hawk Air Cargo, a division of Kitty Hawk, Inc., received its third consecutive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Diamond Award.
     The Diamond Award is the highest honor given by the FAA.
     It recognizes airlines and other maintenance facilities where at least 25 percent of aircraft maintenance technicians complete certified training requirements beyond their initial certification.
     To qualify for the award, Kitty Hawk maintenance and engineering team members completed numerous hours of additional classroom and hands-on technical training.
     "Kitty Hawk is committed to safety. So, we're honored to receive our third Diamond Award Certificate of Excellence from the DFW Flight Standards District Office," said Daniel Stone, Kitty Hawk's vice president of maintenance and engineering.