Implementing three digital prongs
In conversation with Unilode CEO Ross Marino. Unilode is in the starting blocks to present its services and solutions at its stand at the forthcoming Iata World Cargo Symposium in Hong Kong from 12 – 14 March. The major provider of unit load device (ULD) and galley cart services will also officially open its new MRO station in the very same airfreight hub during the long-awaited event. ITJ editor Andreas Haug heard in advance what is planned digitally.
How was business in 2023, Mr Marino?
2023 was a robust year for us. Unilode has managed to respond well to the volatility of the airfreight market. We have 165,000 ULDs in our fleet. According to Iata, there are around 1 million ULDs in circulation worldwide, so our market share is very significant and makes us the largest global ULD services provider.
What customer developments can you tell our readers about?
We’ve been able to grow our customer base and at the same time we didn’t lose any of our valued customers. We’ve signed renewal contracts for twelve existing customers, and also secured seven new customers for the MRO business, as well as another five new customers for our ULD full-service leasing business. We expect to announce new customers in the near future.
How has Unilode’s approach evolved overall since our last conversation? [See page 13 of ITJ 49-52 / 2022.]
We’re continuing to grow, and our network now has 50 stations, with larger facilities opening in Hong Kong, Singapore and Brussels. New MROs are due to open in Delhi and São Paulo later this year.
In 2022 you reported on loading units equipped with sensors. How else is digitalisation progressing?
Digital progress is going well, with sensors now transmitting data from 90% of our units, a figure we’re proud of. We live in exciting times and are pushing digitalisation on three fronts.
First, we’ve introduced a mobile app (‘e-ULD’) that allows us and industry partners such as GHAs, airlines and freight forwarders to scan and pair ULD data in areas where there are no readers.
Our second initiative is our ‘enterprise data warehouse’ (EDW). It will host data from digital, movement messages and from the MRO network, which will enable us to store all operational data in one location.
The third point of our digital offensive is our new customer portal. It will enable us to offer standardised and customised reporting with access to operational and repair data.
The WCS will take place in Hong Kong just after Air Cargo India [see page 9], and in June Air Cargo China is scheduled for the first time since 2018. How important is the Asian market for Unilode?
Hong Kong and China are very important markets to us. With this in mind, we recently hired a business development manager and strengthened our team for the APAC region.
We also focus strongly on India. Vistara Airlines is already our client there, and our MRO station in Mumbai will soon be augmented by one in Delhi. After the WCS we’ll also inaugurate a new operations control centre in Bangkok.