These are exciting times for the ULD community, it is hard to know where to start but here goes:

Istanbul 2024 Conference

First up on our agenda is the upcoming ULD CARE conference in Istanbul at the end of October. We are expecting to see an even larger turnout this year than last year, so if you haven’t registered yet, please do so by clicking the link here. If you need any more information, please contact Paryse.

This year’s event will feature an exciting new format as we continue to innovate and improve our offerings.

First of all, we will spend approximately 30% of the time as part of the larger Air Cargo Handling Community event. We are extremely grateful to the current chairman of ACHL, Henrik Ambak, who has always expressed a strong interest in seeing improved ULD operations, for giving ULD CARE an increased platform to showcase our achievements. During the event, we will be both participating in discussions from the audience as well as taking part in panels.

The other 70% of the event will be exclusive to ULD CARE. But again, we want to see a different format with a great deal less of presentation material and a great deal more of community discussion as it is extremely important for a ULD CARE to be hearing the wishes and opinions of our community. Therefore, this year’s event will be structured with that in mind.

Now is the time for change and ULD CARE is determined to be a catalyst for change for this often under recognized but always essential component of the air cargo industry.

We are very much looking forward to seeing you in Istanbul!

Digital

The next generation IULDUG system went live on July 1st, and it’s now in continuous use. While it’s natural to encounter some initial learning curves, any minor glitches were quickly addressed, and users are rapidly becoming proficient with the new features. We’re excited to report that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! Currently, the system primarily facilitates traditional interlining transactions between airlines, which is a typical initial focus. However, we anticipate significant enhancements as we integrate off-airport activities into the system over the coming months. We look forward to seeing the substantial benefits this will bring to all users.

And as the need is so great, it’s hard to know where to start.

Certainly when we see that pallets are sitting in facilities off airport with virtually zero control and accountability. Or the complete lack of record-keeping and accountability for the tens of thousands of cargo nets and straps that are handed out day after day, week after week, month after month to the freight forwarding community.

So, doesn’t it make sense to provide the freight forwarding community with a tool that will enable them to manage those ULD assets under their control?

And surely in today’s world where we are never more than a tap on a smart phone app from a digital process it makes no sense to leave the control of ULD to paper and pencil systems.

The next generation IULDUG system can provide all these benefits and much more! And as it has been developed on the community basis utilizing ULD care financial and human resources and, of course, our extensive knowledge on the subject matter, the service will be available at extraordinary low cost bringing benefits to the entire industry.

Now more than ever this industry needs to move forward and digitalize or fade away and we are proud to say that ULD CARE has risen to the occasion.

Sustainability

Sustainability is front and center in all businesses today, and the ULD industry must also contribute. In fact, over the past few decades, the ULD industry has done an impressive job of reducing weight while retaining many of the important strength characteristics. However, the industry cannot rest on its laurels. Over the past 10 months, a team led by Ben and Louise at VRR has been working on developing a ULD Energy Label program. Louise reports that at the ULD CARE conference in Athens in 2023, we introduced a bold new concept for a sustainability label that ignited widespread excitement across the industry. Building on that momentum, we’ve since worked hand in hand with a diverse group of industry leaders, from airlines to OEMs and lessors, to refine and perfect this concept. Now, we’re thrilled to unveil our proposed label at the upcoming conference. But this isn’t just about showcasing our work—we’re eager to hear your thoughts and insights.

Training

The ULD 60 Seconds project that ULD CARE has been running in collaboration with Airport College for some years now and we are pleased to announce that we will add two new offerings. These have come about because of discussions during last year’s conference with Juergen Neuman who is responsible for the hold liners in Airbus aircraft and who raise the issue of extensive damage to these fire safety critical items due to the loading of substandard ULD. The outcome of this discussion is to create two new videos, one covering the subject of pre-loading inspection and the other the subject of safe in hold ULD operations.