We have asked Mattias Isaksson, Head of Marketing and Communications at Envirotainer, why you should visit the exhibition and why you should visit Envirotainer’s booth, besides driving a Virtual Reality forklift and talk to AI-leen. He also shares his views on some of the major trends affecting the air cargo industry right now.
Why should you visit Air Cargo Europe?
Air Cargo Europe is the largest air cargo exhibition on the globe, so this is the place to be to catch up with news in the market. Key decision makers from all relevant industry players will be there, so you’ll have a great opportunity to build strategic partnerships, listen to other actors in the market, and get a good sense of the developments in the industry.
Why is Envirotainer exhibiting at Air Cargo Europe?
One key reason for being here is that air cargo is, in my view, the most important mode of transport for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. So, we’re here to meet our customers and partners and to talk about our joint business initiatives. We will have dialogues about how we together can ensure that safe delivery of temperature-sensitive products in the best possible way. As you know there are many stakeholders involved in pharma cold chain logistics and we all need to collaborate and have a common understanding of what it’s going to take to succeed.
Why should you visit Envirotainer’s booth?
There are many things going on right now in the industry and several underlying trends are impacting us. Pharmaceuticals that require cold chain transportation will grow by some 6% annually until 2024 while, at the same time, regulatory compliance demands are becoming stricter. As we all know, cold chain logistics is a complex process to manage, so to be successful you need to have the complete picture of the variety of challenges. With this in mind, the Air Cargo Europe event is the perfect place to be. We are happy to share our 30 years of experience of cold chain transportation, and just as eager to listen to the experience of others. That’s how we as an industry will continuously improve.
What can visitors do in the booth?
It is a great opportunity to interact with my great colleagues from all over the world – global partner managers, local and global sales representatives, and senior executives. They can of course also ask questions to our artificial intelligence host AI-leen. Another activity I really recommend is to try Virtual Reality in our booth: Take the opportunity to find out how well you can drive a forklift which is part of our Academy training program! I would also warmly recommend visitors to ask us all kinds of questions, for example about why we believe that education is a key requirement to maintain an unbroken cold-chain.
We will also help partners and customers to analyze Total Landed Cost and compare different transport options. If you want more detailed advice regarding Total Landed Cost, please contact us in advance so that we can prepare and supply you with a more thorough analysis as a basis for our discussion when we meet at the exhibition.
Apart from the strong growth of temperature-sensitive pharma and stricter regulatory demands – what other trends are important to keep track of?
In the last years, we have seen increasing competition from ocean freight, although problems at the seaports still prevail. However, the global sulphur cap in 2020 will likely increase freight rates when ocean vessels must change from cheap bunker fuel to more expensive alternatives.
Another thing about ocean freight is that it’s often seen as a more environmentally friendly choice. But the fact is that whatever the mode of transport, there will be pollution from fossil fuels. Each day, a conventional cruise ship can emit as much pollution as one million cars . As we see it, the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation is the one that’s reliable, as the environmental cost of producing the pharmaceutical is much higher than the transport itself. You don’t want to scrap products that have become unsellable due to unforeseen events during transport.
The strong growth of pharmaceuticals that need cold chain transportation also pinpoints the fact that education is key to success. The personnel turnover is usually high among ground handlers and forwarders, but everyone involved in cold chain transportation must understand the importance of handling sensitive pharmaceuticals correctly. We have trained more than 16,000 people over the last four years, and we do it for free. Presently, there are some 750 QEP accredited stations at 180 airports, all over the globe.
What we really want to emphasize here at Air Cargo Europe and in everything that we do is that being a stakeholder in cold chain transportation is more than just being one link in the chain. All of us – airlines, forwarders, ground handlers, service providers, pharmaceutical companies – have to cooperate to ensure the best possible delivery of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals.
I’ll be at our booth more or less during the whole exhibition and you’re all welcome to stop by and have a chat and a coffee with me or anyone of my colleagues!
What: Air Cargo Europe
When: June 4-7, 2019
Where: Messe München, Messegelände, Munich, Germany
Where to find Envirotainer: B1, booth 214. B1 is the exhibition hall closest to the western entrance of Messe München.
