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Vol. 17 No. 29	Tuesday May 8, 2018

     “I believe in partnership and quality,” says Ingo Zimmer, CEO of fast-rising GSSA ATC Aviation as the 28th CNS Partnership gets underway in Palm Springs, California, this week.
     “Airlines are comfortable with our hands-on personal style of service as we grow our offering everywhere in the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, India, and the Americas.”

CNS Grand Opportunity

     “This week (May 6-9) our U.S. team and others will greet our service partners and potentials for our offering at Cargo Network Services Partnership in Palm Springs, California.

On The Road To Morocco

     “Right now ATC is involved in two new important projects.
     “Our customer Royal Air Maroc is moving online with a B-767 freighter service twice a week in Frankfurt and for the third quarter of 2018.
     “Equally important, at the same time our service partnership with Avianca is advancing as the carrier adds five weekly flights in and out of Munich, Germany.
     “Also ATC recently signed a contract with Avianca for Switzerland.”

New IT On The Agenda

     “This year ATC is adding a new state-of-the-art IT system worldwide.
     “Also, the process of continuing ATC’s organic growth connected with the purchasing of new companies will continue in the coming years and will widen our global footprint.”

ATC Growing Worldwide

     In the first quarter of 2018, ATC opened new offices in Guatemala, Panama, and Canada.
     “We are proud to announce two new contracts for South Africa including Alitalia and Saudi Arabian Airways.
     “We are honored to have recently been awarded the Air Namibia contract for the whole of Africa and Asia.”

The Pricing Challenge

“On the pricing side, the yields continue to be much stronger than in the same period in 2017, but not at the robust end of 2017 levels.
“Demand ex Europe is still strong, in fact most of our capacities are full.”

It’s About The Customer

     “The customer and the product are our total focus.
     “ATC is heavily invested in vertical sales; Customer segmentation is a topic as well.
     “SMEs are an important target.
     “For example, due to the growth of the pharma sector, ATC now features a pharma manager who served as Pharma Sales Manager Europe for a leading European airline before he joined us.

People Our Most Valued Asset

     “ATC owns and operates all our offices; there are no subcontracted operations,” says Ingo.
     “What that means is consistency—same centralized state-of-the-art IT, clear group procedure manual, and hand-selected top managers.
     “All customer service staff at ATC has forwarder/airline backgrounds.
     “We hire the best by offering top notch career opportunities to our employees.
     “In an era of constant downward pressure, ATC does not embrace the cut-rate approach of filling our staff positions with cheap labor.
     “So far, our strategy has paid off as more than 75 airline partners have chosen ATC, realizing that in the long run our offering keeps customers and delivers not only cost savings, but also innovation to the industry.
     “So little doubt about it,” Ingo insists, “our greatest assets are the team at ATC.
     “ATC continually invests in training, education, and coaching.
     “We participate with company teams in sport activities (ATC boot camps), hold informal get-togethers, and stay face-to-face up and down the line with the ATC Team worldwide.
     “The result is a vastly superior product offering in every aspect of our business.
     “Input from the whole team drives the decision making at ATC.
     “We are truly a bottom-up business rather than dictating from the top down.
     “For me personally, the best ideas come when I am walking the dogs or doing my morning run,” Ingo Zimmer assures.

The ATC Advantage

     “The big advantage of having ATC as a partner for an airline is the dedication and superior service delivery of separate teams, sales-manages, etc. for each airline.
     “For example, in Germany 6+ of our team members are dedicated at work for ANA, while elsewhere 25+ work for Etihad.
     “No one-size-fits-all approach from ATC, either,” Ingo says.
     “In South Africa we recently were awarded the Saudia Cargo contract awarded and right away placed a separate team to build and develop SV business.”

Up Close & Personal

“My business goal was to make ATC a strong company and one of the top gssas in the world. I am happy to say that I have achieved that growing the business over a period of 30 years. When I am not working I enjoy time with my wife, three children (pictured here with Ingo at a sporting event) and 2 dogs. I think, if I were not in air cargo I would most probably be in the mercantile marine. My family is from the north and that is my background.

A Word To The Wise

     “My industry view is don’t ever say no or say it’s impossible.
     “There are always solutions if you work hard enough on the problem.
     “For our industry I wish that the hurdles we have to overcome between the various stakeholders of the transportation chain could be minimized or eliminated,” Ingo Zimmer said.
Geoffrey

     “Digitalization is coming whether you like it or not,” declared new CNS President Mike White, as CNS Partnership opened for business on Monday, May 7.
     “However, change will need complete, clear two-way understanding between all parties involved in the process of moving air cargo.
     “Help us by sharing information on the things that are important to you in your daily business.
     “Together we will make this business and our industry great.”
     Mike White’s debut as CNS President was a triumphant overture to CNS, inarguably one of the most important global industry gatherings.
     Mike brought the conference to order with a wide-ranging, inclusive presentation that also recognized the newly appointed CNS Board.
     Bringing CNS Board Member Brandon Fried, who has fast become the face and voice of freight forwarding in the U.S. to the stage for a fifteen-minute discussion (not a speech) at 08:30 in the morning, was a bravura turn in leveling the “partnership” playing field right out of the gate.
     To his credit, Brandon deftly fielded a battery of questions from Mike that covered much in the long-held association between airlines and forwarders. Brandon always returned to his oft-repeated point to a fairly packed room of people who had not even had their second cup of coffee at this first CNS Partnership session:
     “I think,” Brandon declared, “that the airlines and forwarders have to make a serious effort to maintain the partnership because we are indeed partners in air cargo.
     “We, (the freight forwarders) are the boots on the ground.
     “The airlines should stick to what they do best and that is transporting air cargo from airport to airport.
     “The airlines should allow forwarders to do their job and that means handling relationships with shippers.
     “Forwarders are the part of this industry out front with the shippers, at their weddings, bar mitzvahs, and so on.
     “Most important,” reiterated Fried, who also serves as President of AirForwarders Association, “is to let us do our job.”
     Talk about setting a tone and bringing life to the discussion.
     Kudos to Mike and Brandon.
     Both propelled the walk and talk sessions to a high point at CNS on Monday.
Geoffrey

     “We are very excited about the start up of a second direct destination to Europe from North America.
     “LOT Polish adds Budapest from New York and Chicago in addition to our regular offering from the U.S. (JFK & ORD) and Toronto, Canada, to Warsaw,” said Marek Kasiak, LOT Polish Cargo Manager North America.
     “CNS is a great place to get the word out that our three new B787-900s delivery this year add up to seven positions (one additional versus B787-8).”
     Marek Kasiak has spent 30-plus years at LOT and professes a love for the business that makes air cargo “a new challenge and adventure everyday.”
     Marek makes his U.S. LOT office at Building 86, JFK International Airport, although he says the carrier might locate elsewhere in the airport, maybe in “the same building as DHL Express sometime in the future.”
     Marek also said that the Polish government has decided to build a new international airport some 80 kilometers west of Warsaw.
     In the planning stages and at work currently securing approvals, the new facility could be more than a decade away, according to sources.
     “We are growing as a cargo enterprise, so our time here in Palm Springs serves well to both thank our customers and make new friends.”
     LOT carries industrial equipment and vast amounts of Internet sales and spare parts in rich variety.
     “Our new Boeing fleet will allow LOT Cargo to spread its wings even further,” Marek Kasiak assures.
Geoffrey/Sabiha

     Just look at Jens, the beautiful women, and the mountains in Paradise (PSP), California, and the answer is apparent.
     “I was thinking about it,” said Jens Tubbesing, Chief Executive Officer of Airline Network Services (ANS), pictured here with Marie Epstein, Vice President Sales and Ana Gerber, Chief Operating Officer in Palm Springs with the beautiful Santa Rosa mountains as backdrop, “my tenure as President of CNS (2002-2004) was the third longest on record after Tony Calabrese, who was the founding President of CNS, and Michael Vorwerk, who was in place slightly longer than me.
     “It seems that since my time, the CNS Presidency has changed quite often, and become a bit of a swinging door, but I am unsure why,” Jens said.
     “But as CNS President, I actually hired Mike White and I know he is a rock solid individual.
     “In any case, the CNS Partnership remains unique and is a must-attend in all the world.
     “Just look at all the senior executives from the airline, forwarding, and other services side here, in constant dawn-to-dusk meetings.”
     “Our company, ANS, based in Long Island, New York, is building a solid reputation as a GSA.
     “ANS offers a fast growing network of fully owned offices, in major cargo centers of the U.S. & Canada.
     “All locations are linked and offer coast-to-coast customer service coverage across four time zones,” Jens Tubbesing said.
     “Quick response and best price selling is our mission. Making your business easier is our challenge. Making use of highly developed IT processes will fulfill all air cargo requirements in today’s business environment.”
Geoffrey

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Publisher-Geoffrey Arend • Managing Editor-Flossie Arend • Editor Emeritus-Richard Malkin
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