Fast
Start For Aircargo Club Germany
 The
newly elected board of the ACD Aircargo Club Germany gets ready
to tackle the job of bringing together various elements of the biggest
air cargo gateway in Europe at meetings held every month
Seated is new chairman Wolf-Dietrich von Helldorff flanked by his
deputy Mathias Jakobi (left) and treasurer Claus D. Mahler, right.
Back row from left to right are Heiner K. Sass, Bettina Hickler,
Erwin Maruhn, Dr. Heinrich Frye, Stephan D. Haltmayer and Winfried
Hartmann.
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“New look“ for the Aircargo
Club Germany as one of air cargo’s great organizations with 280
senior members representing the number one air cargo market in Europe
elects new officers.
Some 43 years after ACD was founded by a
handful of airfreight freaks in 1963, the club has followed cycles of
slightly varying approaches to the market—mostly because the men,
the personalities on the chair influenced club action.
For perspective ACD is not a drinking and
bow-tie-gala-association.
ACD in fact is the only working air cargo
club in the world with hand-selected speakers for at least eight of its
ten meetings throughout the year.
ACD was never intended by the founders and
the subsequent boards to be an official, powerful body in the industry–but
rather a window to understanding the mixture of interests of its diverse
membership.
The great Siegfried Koehler, a Lufthansa
cargo man who served several times as ACD president once explained the
club this way:
“We want to serve the entire air cargo
industry in Germany along the transportation chain. “Shippers and
consignees are here; freight forwarders and customs house brokers, airlines
of course, the airports, customs and other authorities, press, lawyers,
truckers, handling guys and bankers as well as a scientist and consultants–and
IATA too, all are part of the mix that makes this club great.”
But for your reporter who has been here
since ACD took off, the thing that makes ACD lives, is that it embraces
anybody involved and supporting air cargo.
 As
voting for the new officers continued, pictured is Wolfgang Korte
who stepped down as ACD chairman. To the right of Herr Korte is
Ralf Riksen of leisure cargo who joined the club as member during
the meeting.
ACD meets at Intercity Hotel located near the cargo area at Frankfurt
International Airport. The hotel dates back to a time when having
completed the first modern air cargo movement,the Berlin Airlift
in 1948, American Air Force and other military families and personnel
billeted here.
Today the completely refurbished and renovated facility is a first
rate airport address for meetings and overnights combining a touch
of the past including early airport artifacts, with streamlined
design and close to the customer service. Intercity Hotel Cargo
City South is just terrific.
Credit manager Anton Wüstefeld for balancing first class service
delivery with a comfortable “at home” feeling in a totally professional
atmosphere.
Mr. Anton (right) is pictured with FT publisher Geoffrey Arend this
past Tuesday inside the hotel's neat little memorabilia-packed vest
pocket saloon called JU52.
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Although presidents and board members change
from time to time, they all represent the diverse membership.
January 2006 is election time.
A new chairman for the term 2006-2007 with
an experienced deputy, and a new treasurer, plus six board member delegates
were put into place last week.
New ACD Chairman is Wolf-Dietrich von Helldorff
who also is also a member of the board of directors of Kuehne & Nagel.
Looking ahead at the ACD 2006 program, Kuehne
& Nagel who was awarded the 2005 German Logistics Prize for outstanding
service will be featured (coincidentally) for the upcoming Valentine’s
Day meeting on February 14th.
In March, one of the most successful but
also colorful personalities in Asian air cargo, Arthur Antonio “Archie”
da Silva will address ACD on China.
No doubt more than casual interest topics
to come, punctuated with even more record exports from mighty German industry.
Right now a new government featuring the
first ever lady German Chancellor, and a grand and important industry
trade group in Frankfurt, the ACD are joined in a spirit of renewal for
an interesting year ahead.
GFM
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