Vol. 11 No. 15                                 #INTHEAIREVERYWHERE                                           Tuesday February 12, 2013




     We love air cargo clubs, so if your club has news send it along and we will post it here with pleasure and deliver it to the world.
     Offer the global audience an invitation to join your luncheon.
     You know you’ve got what it takes. Why not share it?

NTERNATIONAL AIR CARGO ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGO meets Tuesday, February 12 at Holiday Inn, 1000 Busse Rd., Elk Grove Village Check-In: 11:15am. Luncheon served at noon. Tariff - $25 Non-Members Welcome..
     Lots of great people are members, including Bill Fors (pictured), named IACAC Member of the Year 2012. Bill is also Executive Director of the fabled Traffic Club of Chicago, one of the oldest and finest organizations of its type in the universe.
     Upcoming at IACAC is a “Members Only” Three-Day DG Seminar March 14-16. Cost: $650.00 Contact: Dennis Speck at 708-861-9477 or DenJSpeck@aol.com. All checks payable to IACAC, PO Box 66573 AMF O’Hare, Chicago, IL 60666.

February 14 is Cargo Appreciation Day in Atlanta, sponsored by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the ATLANTA AIR CARGO ASSOCIATION. Event is from 11-2 and held at 3400 Inner Loop Road, Suite A (North Cargo Building) Atlanta, Georgia.
So go double down and take someone you love for a great day. Stay for lunch and the awards, including Freight Forwarder, Trucking Company of the Year, and more. Contact: Warren Jones Aviation Development Manager, warren.jones@atlanta-airport.com.

THE JFK AIR CARGO ASSOCIATION. Here comes annual JFK Air Cargo Expo, Thursday March 21. A great one-day event, and a good place to meet the unexpected—Air Cargo News FlyingTypers first video with Robbie Anderson, President United Cargo was created at the JFK Expo 2011. View it by clicking on Robbie's image. Lots of people expected (350 in 2012 and 40 booths) plus a luncheon and mix-master of the best in New York/New Jersey air cargo. http://www.jfkaircargo.org.


THE HOUSTON AIR CARGO ASSOCIATION meets regularly with President Breanna Morgan. Breanna also serves as Logistics & Compliance Manager at Bring Logistics US, Inc.
     HAC holds Annual Spring & Fall Golf Classics (May & November) as well as monthly meetings. The golf events fund a great innovative HAC Scholarship Fund that creates opportunities for college students to explore the transportation industry. Contact Breanna: breanna.morgan@aircargohouston.org
Golf Tourney Info: Contact HAC VicePresident Frank Files frank@clarkfreight.com.

Tom Toms on The Hudson . . . THE WINGS CLUB, that venerable monthly in Manhattan that was started up 70 years ago in 1942 by people like Fiorello LaGaurdia, meets for Lunch at The Yale Club, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, in the shadow of Grand Central Station, on February 21, 2013, 11:45 AM.
     The speaker is Thomas Enders, CEO EADS. On March 28 the speaker is Thomas Horton, Chairman, President & CEO, AMR Corporation and American Airlines.

THE AIR CARGO CLUB OF BOMBAY is looking for a few good members! This 32-year-old social club incudes many leaders of the air cargo fraternity—airlines, freight forwarders, and IATA agents.
It’s a great agenda as well with many social events all year long, including Annual Air Cargo Carnival Night. More: president@airccb.com.

THE BRITISH INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT ASSOCIATION has sold out its 2013 BIFA Regional Annual Dinner scheduled for The Liner at Liverpool Hotel, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. Time: 19:30 hrs., for seating at 20:15, but alas BIFA is no longer taking bookings.
     BIFA provides its 1400-plus UK members in all the transportation arts with healthy doses of first-rate meetings, which are windows on the transportation world.
     Next BIFA at Heathrow, March 21, 2013, goes off at BIFA Redfern House 14:00 hrs. Info plus face time between members and the Association to raise issues of concern or interest.
Prior notification to attend is needed.
     If you are interested contact:  Colin Young, (pictured) Heathrow BIFA Regional Representative young_colin.t21@btinternet.com.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCAIATION OF FREIGHT AND LOGISTICS (NAFL) was founded in Dubai in February 1992 by legendary air-sea pioneer and Dubai transportation visionary Professor Issa Baluch.
NAFL at one time was called National Committee of Freight Forwarders (NCFF), as the first national association of freight forwarders to be established in the Arabian Gulf.
     From NCFFs total of 24 members, NAFL now numbers 260.
     “We work to provide our members and the local freight forwarding and logistics industries value-added services and training programs that were designed not only to answer the escalating requirements of customers worldwide, but also to set the benchmark for best practices within industry,” says NAFL President, David Phillips (Freight Systems Co. Ltd.)
     “Our NAFL website provides members the ability to book training schedules, renew or order membership license, network with clients, link up with international associations, speak out on global issues, and more!”
     Need another reason to check out NAFL?
     The Vice President of NAFL is the great Kevin Ennis (pictured) from Dnata.
     Enough Said!
Geoffrey





here we come from in Toledo, Ohio, the definition of a waterway as a “creek” usually describes a mere slip of water. Sometimes populated with minnows, it is a stream so tiny, you would have to be local to even know its name. Anyone under eight years old could jump over it in a single bound.
     There’s a great song called “Up On Cripple Creek” by The Band but that’s about the effect of being in love.
     So imagine our reaction when we were in Dubai, UAE for the first time, and my friend Nalin Rodrigo suggested we “have lunch on Dubai Creek.”
     I discovered that Dubai Creek was precisely the opposite of all those Toledo memories; in fact, it is an expansive waterway not dissimilar to the mighty Hudson River that runs past New York City.
     But nothing in Dubai is or remains small, does it.
     It seems like a very long time ago now that we viewed Dubai as a quaint and remote small village.
     So much for fantasy and reality changing perceptions.

     The same can be said for Dubai IT company CALOGI. Under the watchful eye and master plan of Patrick Murray, Head of CALOGI Worldwide Cargo Distribution, CALOGI has been changing the landscape for a growing number of air cargo stakeholders, who can thank the IT company for their entrée into the 21st century tech revolution.
     “Our mission is to provide the air cargo supply chain with a comprehensive, highly integrated, cost-effective business environment for the airfreight community, said Patrick.
     “Built for the small-to-medium enterprises, CALOGI allows the cargo community to seamlessly interact in a paper-free environment,” he explains.
     “Our international expansion is well underway for 2013 and we have agreements signed in nine locations: Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Canada, China, and Vietnam.      “Meanwhile, we are actively targeting other markets.
     “By the end of the financial year, we predict we will have 15 communities up and running.
     “CALOGI developed and implemented our simplified version of the e-AWB in November 2012.
     “This is one of my favorites because it is so simple.
     “A paper air waybill comprises two parts: the front shows shipment details (defined by IATA in resolution 600A) and the agents/shippers signature.
     “The reverse contains the limitation of liability plus conditions of contract (defined by IATA in resolution 600B).
     “To move to an e-AWB, the shipment details need to be transmitted electronically by the forwarder to the airline, via a Freight Waybill (FWB) message.
     “The document reverse has been replaced by an EDI agreement.”


     “The greatest of challenges in the current environment are the number of EDI agreements that need to be signed.
     “It is estimated that to move to a 100 percent e-air waybill environment in Dubai, 100+ airlines would need to sign bilateral agreements with some 470 forwarders, resulting in a colossal 47,000 EDI agreements.
     “However, CALOGI's new product has the solution to this problem.
     “The front of the air waybill can be replaced with the FWB and there is no change to this process.
     “However, to reduce the need for the smaller forwarder to sign EDI agreements with multiple airlines, CALOGI allows the forwarder to agree the limits of liability and conditions of contract on-line.
     “Once agreed by the forwarder, a digitally signed copy of the reverse side of the air waybill (IATA Resolution 600B) is made available to both the airline and the forwarder. Calogi also takes care of the archiving, the production of the cargo receipt, the message versions and the handling of positive/negative acknowledgement messages.
     “What is particularly impressive is that we implemented this feature in under a month.
     “That included specification, design, coding, testing and load to production.
     “Our flexibility in approach allows us to move quickly.”


     “CALOGI still continues to see growth, but we have reached a level of maturity in Dubai, where further increases are likely to be pegged to growth in the region.
     “Elsewhere, I understand that there has been a recent decline in air freight demand which has contributed to the fall in load factors.
     “Also understand that air freight rates have been declining since early 2011 and still remain weak.
     “I believe that if the decline in demand continues we will probably see airlines start to cut back on capacity in an effort to increase yield.
     “If that happens, we could see the forwarder moving to other modes of transport as the cutback on capacity will drive rates upwards.
     “Meanwhile, we have tended to ‘buck-the-trend.’
     “Because of our c-Trade credit engine, the 100+ airlines represented on our portal are able to do risk-free business with over 570 forwarders.
     “Since the buying power is spread evenly, the airlines are able to get a decent yield.
     “I still feel that wise business leaders will continue to invest in solutions that will help them to drive down their costs, improve productivity, and support the ability to reach out to a larger market.”


     “This year it will be about ‘doing more with less.’
     “It will no doubt be a tough year, but air cargo tends to be cyclical and our industry is good at digging deep and weathering the storms.
     “The air cargo supply chain still needs to focus on improving productivity and reducing costs. The key to this is making the correct investments that will simplify the way business is done, preferably by removing the paper.”


     “In our last CALOGI Newsletter I put forward several arguments as to why small companies should look at offering their services via the web.
     “I believe that in 2013 many of these companies could find themselves in difficulty if they do not give their customers the ability to do business with them via an online portal.
     “This small investment allows them to move their staff to more productive activities rather than answering the phone to rate/booking/tracking enquiries. Investments in cost-effective web portals will also better prepare smaller companies for the next upswing, and they will no doubt find that they do not need to grow their staff when the business increases.
     “Our focus this year is on integrating our system with those of our partners and stakeholders.
     “I personally believe it is ok to use a number of different systems providing you do not have to re-enter the data.
     “For instance, during my day I will use Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Visio.
     “My method of transferring data between the applications is good old ‘cut and paste’ and it works.
     “While I believe we have a great product for small GSAs, airlines, and forwarders, we can easily integrate with larger companies’ systems, allowing them access to all the innovative features of CALOGI without having to rekey the data.
     “We can take care of the latest industry initiatives, such as e-AWB and e-CSD (electronic security declaration) by developing the solution once and making it available to all.
     “We will also take care of the different standards, message versions, and enhancements to the same, thus reducing the costs for the industry.
     “Imagine the expense if our 570+ forwarders were tasked with developing the e-AWB functionality.
     “CALOGI offers this feature free to the forwarder as part of our solution.
     “I also believe that suppliers of services will look to increase customer retention by running loyalty programs.
     “It’s fair to say that loyalty programs are not really common in the air cargo supply chain, but I think that times are changing and we need to look at the success that has been enjoyed by the retail, credit card, and air passenger businesses and ensure that we are not left behind.
     “So we will continue to focus on our international expansion and doing what we do best, which is offering cost-effective solutions to small-to-medium customers and help raise the automation bar for the industry.
     “Meantime, we will continue to look out for other business opportunities.
     “CALOGI will also be running a number of Global Campaigns to make the industry more aware of the specifics relating to the products that we offer and helping air cargo supply chain stakeholders to move to an automated environment.”


     “I would dearly love to see the end of the paper air waybill.
     “Even today airlines continue to distribute boxes of pre-printed air waybill stock which can only be executed on a typewriter.
     “I would really like GACAG to take a strong position on this, even if it means moving to an online version of the A4 air waybill while we wait for the e-AWB to move forward.
     “I would also like to see a greater adoption of e-business. As an industry, we still have far too much reliance on the telephone and fax and we need to have easier ways to do business.
     “No doubt there is a lack of trust in automation and the provider is only as good as responses to online business, such as booking or rate requests.
     “If the recipient fails to respond, then the customer will revert to the phone and will be reluctant to try again.
     “Personally I cannot imagine picking up a telephone or visiting a travel agent to buy an airline ticket and this is where our industry needs to be.
     “The norm should be e-business with manual processes being the exception. The airlines and GSAs can really help to move in this direction.”
     Patrick Murray joined British Caledonian Import Cargo (BCal) at the age of 20 because he “wanted to get into the airline business.”
     “I have always had a good head for figures and really enjoyed preparing Customs declarations.
     “When British Airways took over BCal I joined the IT department, learned assembler, and developed code for the BA cargo system.”
     Later Patrick joined Galileo, where his team developed the first e-ticket for United Airlines; from there he joined Emirates Group IT as a cargo project manager, supporting Dnata and EK SkyCargo during his tenure.
     “I then spent two years in IATA working as the IATA e-freight systems manager and since then I have been heading up the Calogi team.”


     Patrick admits although he loves what he does, he also has “ two passions”: singing and football.
     “My friends and colleagues will tell you that my Karaoke singing is legendary, but it is a little known fact that between the ages of 11 and 13 I spent two years singing professionally at the exclusive Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex.
     “If I weren’t in air cargo, I would probably be in the music industry,” Patrick says.
     “My football (soccer) team is a local Sussex club, Brighton and Hove Albion.
     “I do like to watch the big clubs whenever I can and during a recent trip to Spain to see my daughter I managed to get two tickets to see Barcelona play Real Zaragosa.
     “Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-1 win. The guy is awesome.”
     Patrick also loves travel, not uncommon for those in our industry.
     “I’m fortunate enough to travel with this job and always make it a point to pick up a local handicraft wherever I can.
     “My display cabinets at home are like Aladdin’s Caves.
     “During a recent trip to Delhi I picked up an 18 kilo bronze statue of Krishna, which is now taking center stage in my living room.”
     So from a love of data entry, to the leading edge of cargo IT and a general love of life, we look forward to 2013 and catching up with Krishna and The IT Sage Of Dubai along the way!
Geoffrey


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     You lift 1,000 tons and what do you get?
     Another day older and millions of flowers for Valentine’s Day!
     In Germany, Lufthansa Cargo says in 2013 roses are moving from Kenya, Colombia, and Ecuador via the carrier's Fresh/td product, which expedites the stems onto waiting freighters right after they are picked. From there they head straight for Frankfurt.

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