2019 was a watershed year for digitisation in freight. The acceleration in adoption was clear to see, with all the major players ramping up efforts as well as starting to see returns on their digital programs. As we follow into 2020 amplified by the Covid Pandemic ,freight digitisation has never been so important. World class digital tools are no longer a nice to have but a customer requirement, as well as a driver of reducing the cost to serve.

Kontainers and PLS have become two globally respected FreightTech brands with a track record for delivery for many of the Top 20 global freight brands. Rate Management and Digital front ends are both critical tools in the current climate as well as being highly complimentary. Both companies have invested significantly in their API capabilities and intend to make it simple for Freight Forwarders to adopt both solutions in one engagement.

Freight forwarders are faced with a multitude of digital offerings however in 2020 none are as mission critical as customer facing and rate management solutions. Being able to access a joint Kontainers PLS solution in one will simplify purchasing decision’s and drastically speed up time to market.

CEO Graham Parker comments: “Kontainers has gained a global reputation for rapid deployment of digital front end e-commerce solutions for the  largest Freight brands all over the world. We have long admired PLS reputation in the Enterprise and believe a joint solution is a huge leap forward for what are by far the two most critical applications Freight Forwarders must now adopt in order to be continually successful this decade.”

PLS CEO Henning Voss comments “Having supported the digital journey of forwarders for years, we have seen first-hand the benefits with going digital as this seamless, efficient and high-quality customer service is exactly what is called for these days. Partnering with Kontainers enables our joint customers to benefit from a market-leading digital product and utilize their already complete and fully structured GPM rate database, without having to make any major changes to their already existing setup.”

Qatar Airways Cargo transported 56 SkyCell containers with vaccines from one of the largest vaccine manufacturers worldwide on its scheduled freighter and belly-hold cargo flights for its customer, CEVA Logistics. The 54 tonne shipment consisting of pneumococcal and varicella vaccines were flown from Brussels to Mumbai via the carrier’s hub in Doha on two separate flights.

The SkyCell containers were loaded on Qatar Airways aircraft in Brussels and arrived in Doha where they were stored at the carrier’s airside Climate Control Centre for pharmaceuticals, before connecting on the aircraft to Mumbai the following day. During the interim storage in the cold chamber, SkyCell’s hybrid
containers were able to recharge themselves, extending their long independent runtime for another 72 hours after arrival in Mumbai.

In the face of logistical challenges faced globally by the industry, the airline has been supporting global trade by operating its scheduled freighters, special charters and freight only passenger flights, offering businesses with much needed capacity and access to markets during these challenging times.

Mr. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo said, “We are glad to support our customer CEVA and offer the much-required capacity for these vaccine shipments. When transporting climate control products, we ensure the cool chain is unbroken to preserve the efficacy of all medicines and pharmaceutical shipments flown on Qatar Airways Cargo. The COVID-19 crisis has indeed created quite a number of challenges for global trade, however air cargo is a resilient industry and we continue to operate our cargo flights, supporting customers to transport their cargo around the world.”

Chiara Venuti, Business Development Director of SkyCell further added, “The COVID-19 crisis leaves no room for error and direct product release without temperature deviation is key. We are therefore proud to have contributed with our container solutions to the safe and timely delivery of these critical vaccines to patients in need.

Twan Reijers, Vice President Freight Management Benelux from CEVA Logistics said, “‘With the help of Qatar Airways Cargo, we were able to assist Global Biopharma company to move a large quantity of vaccines in the compliant and controlled environment of Skycell. Proud that our freight forwarding network arranged the set up for shipping these volumes during COVID-19 lockdown with zero tolerance towards temperature excursions into India, which is still very much impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

QR Pharma, the cargo airline’s specialist product developed for pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, offers active solutions to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the transportation chain, as well as
passive solutions, which keep the pharmaceuticals within a defined temperature band during all stages of the journey.

The innovative Climate Control Centre situated at the airside at Hamad International Airport is equipped with segregated temperature-controlled sections for storing pharmaceuticals transiting the hub. It has two zones operating for 2°C to 8°C or 15°C to 25°C, with a capacity to hold a total of 156 unit loading devices (ULDs) at a time, in addition to the 64 temperature-controlled cells at the cargo terminal’s cold room. The cargo carrier utilises refrigerated vehicles at its hub for all temperature-sensitive cargo, ensuring perfect temperature control.

Currently, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways Cargo continues to operate a significant cargo schedule with approximately 175 flights per day. During the past month the cargo operator has worked closely with governments and NGOs to transport over 100,000 tonnes of medical and aid supplies to impacted regions around the world on both scheduled and charter services, the equivalent of roughly 1,000 fully loaded Boeing 777 freighters. Freight charters are being operated to multiple countries including China,
India, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.

The Rhenus Group, a leading international logistics service provider, has announced the acquisition of Scandinavian business Swedlink towards the end of 2019.

The company joins the growing Rhenus network of more than 750 sites and 33,000 employees worldwide.

With offices located in Stockholm and Malmö, Swedlink will continue to support its loyal customer base. The acquisition opens up greater opportunity for Rhenus services in freight transport across Western Europe, specifically in the Scandinavian market.

David Williams, Road Freight Regional Managing Director North at Rhenus Group, commented: “The acquisition of Swedlink secures a long term relationship on the Swedish market and forms a base for further development.  We are very pleased to welcome the team to Rhenus.“

On the acquisition, Claes Ostrander, CEO of Swedlink added: “Rhenus has been our largest partner for a number of years and, as a result, we already have a well-established relationship. We look forward to joining the Rhenus family and sharing our expertise in the Scandinavian market over the coming months.”