Kuehne + Nagel and AIRDEX work towards creating greener airfreight solutions
Kuehne + Nagel is constantly looking at ways and means to improve the quality of logistics for its customers. In this, there is a responsibility to continually seek solutions which support both their financial and environmental objectives. One of the largest contributing factors to high logistics costs and CO2 emissions is the usage of airfreight as a means to serve customer timing and transportation demands.
According to Reinhard Lange, Chief Operating Officer Sea & Air Logistics and Deputy CEO, Kuehne + Nagel International AG, “this alliance supports our commitment to find innovative solutions for our customers, providing for ‘lean and green’ alternatives to their transportation activities. We see these types of seemingly small solutions to have a large supply chain cost benefit and environmental benefit.”
Part of the strategic alliance will be to form a Learning Network with selected customers led by Kuehne + Nagel’s Ken Nieze, Senior Vice President Eco Air-Solutions, and Dr. Rod Franklin, Vice President Product Development and Green Innovation, as well as Mark Berger, Vice President of Global Logistics for AIRDEX. This Learning Network, which will be formed in Luxembourg as a pilot leveraging on the collaborative work done with Hewlett Packard (HP), is to investigate the end-to-end value and environmental advantages across the supply chain using a low weight, high structured pallet for goods in the transport process.
The project foresees leveraging Kuehne + Nagel’s network as an integrated part of a customer’s supply chain and the (re-)usage of the 3 kg light-weight hybrid plastic pallet from AIRDEX, which by comparison to traditional wooden pallets offers considerable savings in terms of dead transportation weight, and thus reduces transport costs and energy requirements.
The pilot project will address the total inbound supply chain process for Hewlett Packard Co. from Asia to Luxembourg. Hewlett Packard Co. is a world leader in corporate citizenship and a key supporter of the initiative by recognizing the value creation in energy savings in transportation throughout the process, as well as the reduced risk in workplace safety in warehousing and distribution handled by Kuehne + Nagel.
“As a technology industry environmental leader for decades, HP is focused on limiting its environmental impact from the individual employee to global operations, including our entire supply chain,” said Pat Tiernan, Vice President, Social and Environmental Responsibility, HP. “Transitioning to this solution has resulted in transportation cost savings, reduced transit damage and reduction in the overall environmental impact of our business.”
Speaking of value, Mr. Vance Seagle, Founder and CEO of AIRDEX International, Inc. points out the importance of improved human welfare, not only from the direct environmental benefits of reduced CO2 emissions, fuel consumption and deforestation, but also that it is almost impossible for an AIRDEX pallet to cause harm to air cargo workers in any way. “The AIRpallet™ cargo safety record is a well proven cost saver combined with the elimination of aircraft cargo bay damage so common when using wood pallets. Everyone on the AIRDEX team is enormously proud of this new alliance with a globally recognized industry leader in Kuehne + Nagel and we are eager to add more affiliations through our combined leadership.”