At a critical time in their history, United Cargo has decided to bring in a top air cargo executive from outside the company to replace Robbie Anderson, who stepped down from the post on June 9. The new United Cargo President is well equipped, with hands-on experience and measurable success as a key member of the group that combined the cargo resources of Air France KLM and Martinair.
     FlyingTypers has learned exclusively that Jan Krems accepted the position of President of United Cargo and Vice President of the airline.
     Jan served with KLM’s cargo division for 27 years.
     His most recent role was VP Americas for Air France/KLM Cargo, where he managed the cargo sales and operations for the company.

Hart To Heart

     "We are excited to have someone of Jan's talent and vast industry experience join United," said Greg Hart, United's executive vice president and chief operating officer.
     "Jan's record of business success and leadership excellence makes him uniquely qualified to lead United Cargo, as we work to continue our recent improvements and regain our position as an industry leader."
     Krems will be based in United's Chicago headquarters and will report to Hart.     

Open To Challenges

      Jan Krems is a key global cargo player and an air cargo executive who we have interviewed several times over the years, and we know this to be true: he loves a challenge, is good at managing complex situations, and is exuberant about the fortunes and future of air cargo.
     Jan Krems clearly enjoys his work and welcomes with open arms any challenges thrown his way.
     He is also a clutch player, having aligned AF/KL/MP’s processes after the consolidation, before taking on the responsibilities of the top U.S. executive within that group in Atlanta.
     The AF/KL/MP business model was a complex one, built on the respective networks and market expertise of the three carriers.
     The historical strength gained, respectively, by AF in Africa, Martinair in South America, and KLM in Asia were honed to best serve a global customer mix.

Cross Training Critical

     While that may seem complicated from the outside, Jan would often point to how the cross-trained sales force could expertly identify the best customer solutions and aircraft availability on a case-by-case basis.
     “Smooth interaction with staff, service partners, customers, and other stakeholders is always the goal.
     “Operations and processes are constantly coordinated and improved,” Jan told FlyingTypers.

Global Family Approach

     Jan and his family started their global journey some years ago in Singapore, where his boys, now 15 and 12, were born. They later moved back to the Netherlands, then Paris, eventually hitting American shores by way of Chicago, where they spent four years before landing in Atlanta in 2011.
     Jan told us in 2011:
     “I am a positive person and remain cautiously optimistic after the recent economic upheaval.
     “I also try to maintain a balance in my life. I am into sports, golf and paddle, or platform tennis, which I enjoy very much.”
Geoffrey/Flossie

As someone who has attended a lot of “Cargo Shows” here are some observations regarding their proliferation (which is something of an issue), and value (which I think is the primary concern).
The value will depend on which industry segment is the focal point.

Depends On Your Point Of View

     Carriers have very different perspectives on issues than forwarders, and airports are even further removed from those perspectives. The wide range of vendors that are in the industry all have slightly different agendas as well.
     I have frequently heard “it will be great to get a perspective from the other segments of the industry” as individuals plan which conferences to attend.
     The problem is that if it’s not his or her business segment, then a lot of what is said is lost on the participant.
     If someone is planning to attend a conference, they should have a purpose, and if it’s more than networking (which is obviously important) then they should screen the agenda to make sure that the value is there.

Words Worth The Effort

      Putting a large show together requires a tremendous amount of time and effort and we should never fail to recognize this. Where the difficulties start is in evolving a meaningful theme for the event and subsequently following it in a structured fashion with solid speakers.
     I think we have all experienced disappointment when speakers fail to deliver.
     This happens for several reasons.
     The first is that the presentation becomes a commercial.
     This is often a huge irritant because they convey publically available information. Attendees are looking for perspective and insight not an annual report.
     The second is that a presentation becomes a history lesson rather than a peek into a crystal ball.
     Retrospective is not nearly as helpful as foresight.
     The third is that the presentation that was given to forwarders in March may not be a good fit for airports in April.
     The core topic may stay the same but adjustments probably need to be made.
     The fourth is that some speakers may be brilliant but not good presenters.
     Unless the committee has first-hand information, this is not an easy fix.
     Speakers need to know the audience – and moderators need to know and manage the speakers.
     A panel needs to be coordinated: whether it is a discussion group or formal presentations, the narrative needs to be synergistic and relatable to the audience
     Regardless of what is motivating the conference, the organizations that pull these shows together usually have financial targets that they need to achieve.
     The macro perspective usually gets them to where they need to be in that regard.
     But the devil will remain in the details - finding qualified speakers who are good presenters, coordinating their efforts to bring added-value and eliminate duplication, and structuring individual sessions with the audience in mind.
     All that being said, the increasing number of conferences in an era of economic restraint is not a very good idea.
     The vast wealth of knowledge that we have in the industry gets spread too thin over a hundred trade shows, and potential attendees are playing pot luck on participation.
     One may exist somewhere, but if not, an annual guide to air cargo shows might be a helpful tool.
(Daniel B. Muscatello)

Editor's Note: Dan is Managing Director, Cargo & Logistics, Landrum & Brown based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
We have known Dan from his days as manager of air cargo for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
Today he has gone way beyond just New York, in a stellar 30-year career that has included projects all over the world.
Dan has been a development strategist for both the business and physical facility planning of air cargo complexes, and the integration of ancillary and supporting logistics services that make them operationally and financially feasible.
We look forward to hearing from Dan often with special commentaries and welcome our readers comments as well.

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