With growth rife throughout the region, cargo handlers are turning towards the Asia-Pacific region to capitalise on the market expansion and booming cargo segments. Among those, Jettainer is hoping to solidify its place within China and the surrounding nations through a series of strategic partnerships, establishing a base in Shanghai and maintaining local sales representation in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Embarking on any significant journey begins with taking that initial small step. In Jettainer’s case, the challenge was determining the right strategy and location to make its debut. The optimal strategy identified is rooted in offering its decentralised service, recognising the complexities of convincing state-owned airlines to adopt their ULD management service.
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Understanding this challenge, Jettainer concluded that the expansion of the ULD leasing business with their ‘lease&fly’ product is an effective way to establish and expand local connections. Shanghai emerged as the ideal location for expanding their ULD leasing and management business, surpassing Beijing and Shenzhen in its strategic significance. With PACTL West (Shanghai Pudong International Airport Public Cargo Terminal Co. Ltd’ West), the ground handler for Shanghai Pudong International Airport Public and the presence of Jettainer’s former CEO Carsten Hernig in the city, Jettainer found a conducive environment that makes its foray into mainland China smoother.
“As we announced last year, we want to explore how to grow in Asia and, of course, mainland China,” Edward Neo, Jettainer’s General Manager of Sales for the Asia Pacific region, said.
“The importance of Pudong provides us with their handling capabilities and warehousing, making it a key airport for our lease&fly product,” Neo continued. “With the recent appointment of Elfi Chick as General Manager Sales in North Asia in Hong Kong, we are also expanding our sales presence for ‘ULD Select’, our ULD management solution. I think we are very well positioned.”
Over the peak
Particularly in the Asia Pacific region, the challenges faced by customers have been magnified, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID situation. During the pandemic, there was a noticeable surge in demand, and companies realised that their existing in-house management systems for ULD requirements were insufficient to meet these heightened needs.
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“While China faces current challenges, especially with the impact of global events, we anticipate a swift recovery and a resurgence in the markets,” Thorsten Riekert, Jettainer’s Chief Commercial Officer, said.
Now, as we move beyond the peak of the pandemic, the timing is opportune for ULD providers to showcase what they can offer to Asia Pacific customers. The key lies in the combination of both, regional competence and cutting-edge IT solutions, developed in-house, designed to seamlessly integrate and collaborate with the customer’s IT system.
Currently, many companies, even with their own IT systems or third-party software, struggle to maintain the desired transparency. This underscores the significance of having a robust system in place, one that seamlessly integrates with existing setups. The approach here is not to replace their current systems but to complement and enhance them.
“We have customers now over in Asia Pacific who are really enjoying the benefit that they can get from technology in combination with our dedicated service, Riekert explained. “This is always my preach to the customers that I’m meeting right now, showing that we have a live case where companies are really reaping the rewards.”
