champ cargosytems launch targets $1 billion uld market
There are an estimated one million Unit Load Devices in use with a value of $1 billion and airlines spend over $200 million maintaining and replacing them each year.
CHAMP Cargosystems today announced that 28 of the world’s leading cargo carriers are switching over to the new web-enabled and Java-based version of ULD Manager launched at Air Cargo Europe this week. Among them are Air China, Finnair, Icelandair and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
The new CHAMP ULD Manager is unique in being able to capture photographic images of units which have suffered damage, allowing carriers to control costs of repairs through third parties and, because it’s available via the Internet, it does not require any special equipment or data lines to access.
John Johnston, CEO CHAMP Cargosystems, said, “This is a huge investment area for airlines which spend an estimated $200 million each year maintaining, repairing and replacing ULDs. We have developed ULD Manager’s tracking and management capability with a user-friendly graphical interface and it can be deployed on a stand-alone basis or as a module of CHAMP’s Cargo management solutions. The bottom line is that it will optimize the use of expensive assets.”
There are an estimated one million ULDs in use around the world with a collective value of over $1 billion making them a very valuable asset. The 28 airlines switching over to the new CHAMP ULD manager control approximately 10% of the worldwide ULD market or 100,000 ULD’s.
“Managing global ULD inventories is a major challenge for airlines. Most ULDs are considered aircraft parts and subject to stringent regulations in terms of handling and maintenance. The aviation safety officials are taking an ever closer look at how carriers handle their ULD stock. For example, in the USA, the FAA makes regular unannounced spot checks on aircraft and on the tarmac. The FAA has the power to ground the carrier if the equipment being used is not up to standard,” said Johnston.
Enhanced features of the industry-compliant CHAMP ULD Manager being demonstrated today at Air Cargo Europe include pro-active monitoring and alerting of low stock levels and overdue units, full integration with industry standard messaging and compatibility with bar coding and RFID technologies.
