Promoting Connectivity
9th and 10th June 2008 – Steigenberger Airport Hotel, Frankfurt, Germany
Review – On the conference.
Training, simplification and benchmarking were emphatically the three key themes of EVA International's Air Cargo Handling Conference 2008. Held in Frankfurt on 9-10 June 2008, the forum was chaired by Pierre Wesner, Vice President, Cargolux, and Werner Schuessler, Managing Director, Lufthansa Consulting.
When asked what an airline seeks from a cargo handler, Des Vertannes - Executive Vice President Cargo, Etihad Crystal Cargo, responded that trained, motivated staff is a key. Further, he insisted that measuring performance is imperative, saying: "What you don't measure, you don't manage."
Also speaking from the airline fraternity was P Balasubramanian, Manager Cargo Operations Services at Emirates SkyCargo. His message to the cargo handling community was: "If we cannot make changes to this industry, who will?" He was emphatic that the initiatives that should be pursued to achieve excellence for all parties should not be left to the next generation to be implemented.
Batting for the handler, amongst others, was Winfried Hartmann, Managing Director, Fraport Cargo Services. He tackled the worldwide phenomenon that airlines have invested billions of dollars in the last five years or so in new aircraft and yet, when it comes to investment in cargo handling expertise there remains a question mark. Christian Oelschläger, Executive Vice President European Airfreight of Schenker, representing the forwarding community, commented that there has been a change in mindset between cargo handlers and forwarders. He said handlers now see forwarders as customers, especially on the importer side of the equation. Francois Wolmarans, Managing Director of Express Air Services and Director of Bidair Services in South Africa, pointed out that cargo handlers are ideally positioned to provide value added services to forwarders resulting in: additional revenue streams for cargo handlers; and greater efficiencies and cost reductions across the whole supply chain.
Speaking with a long history of cargo handling experience was Chris Notter. Picking up the training theme he asked the audience if the cargo handling industry really wanted to change. He called for simplification by standardising service level agreements, splitting out costs for extras and having real "in partnership with" contracts.
With 26 speakers urging cargo industry participants to turn the negatives into positives, the delegates to the Air Cargo Handling Conference 2008 were left with plenty to chew on.
2009 conference programme to be announced shortly, if you are interested in sponsorship or exhibiting at the 2009 event please email: conferences@evaint.com
We would like to thank all our sponsors: Air Cargo Week, Fraport, Fraport Cargo Services, Göteborg Landvetter Airport, Vaculex, Colson, Owen Holland, VACAD & Jettainer.
