Swiss WorldCargo, Cargologic and SATS signed Memorandum of Understanding

wiss WorldCargo, the airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., and its partner ground handling companies Cargologic AG and SATS have concluded a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at further enhancing their cargo handling and information services.

The MoU, which was signed in Zurich last month by Oliver Evans, SWISS’s Chief Cargo Officer, Marco Gredig, Managing Director of Cargologic, and Alex Hungate, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS, outlines the basis for the partners’ future collaborations and alignments in areas such as quality, e-initiatives, temperature-controlled transport management and specialized handling solutions.

The new agreement establishes a unique and innovative “quality alliance” among the three partners that will position itself as a knowledge, innovation and quality leader with a special focus on providing value-adding services and superior facilities. Within the new alliance, Swiss WorldCargo, SATS and Cargologic will share knowledge and best practices and will collaborate in the fields of information technology, facility development, joint training, staff/management attachments and joint innovation workshops. The concept of the agreement is not only to bring the three parties to the agreement much closer together, but to facilitate exchange and mutual learning between the respective air cargo communities of Singapore and Switzerland, including the administrations, as both states share a number of characteristics and values including a commitment to a liberal aviation market innovation and quality leadership.

In the temperature-controlled transport management field, the three parties have agreed to actively cultivate Good Distribution Practice (GDP) at both Cargologic’s certified cool chain facilities and SATS network stations across Asia (particularly Zurich and Singapore) to promote pharmaceutical and other temperature-controlled airfreight for Swiss WorldCargo. The same network stations will also see specialized handling solutions adopted to promote the carriage of premium and care-intensive airfreight such as valuables shipments for Swiss WorldCargo, as well as the provision of new value-adding services. Swiss WorldCargo, Cargologic and SATS also intend to develop joint e-initiatives that will simplify work processes and drive efficiency, explore preferred service partnership arrangements and collaborate on such other projects of common interest as may be identified from time to time.

“There’s no denying that efficiency and consistency are key elements in sustainable business operations,” says Cargologic Managing Director Marco Gredig. “And we are proud that, with this quality alliance, Cargologic will be driving innovation in airfreight handling together with these two strong partners.”

Alex Hungate, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS, comments: “We are excited about these specific collaborative opportunities with our customer Swiss WorldCargo and Cargologic. Both companies are leaders in transporting high-value and care-intensive consignments for industrial sectors like the pharmaceutical industry. This focus aligns very well with SATS’ own airfreight handling capabilities across Asia.”

Oliver Evans, SWISS’s Chief Cargo Officer and Head of Swiss WorldCargo, is equally enthusiastic. “Both SATS and Cargologic are trusted partners of ours,” he confirms, “and help us to achieve our goal of being a global leader in the transportation of care-intensive shipments. We are very excited to embark on a long-term collaboration with them as the reliability of ground processes is a key differentiating factor. We are confident that all three parties will be able to achieve an even higher level of operational excellence.”

About Cargologic
Cargologic is Switzerland's leading provider of airfreight handling services, handling up to 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year. With its workforce of some 750 employees, the company operates at airports in Switzerland (Zurich, Basel, Bern and Lugano) and is also present in Amsterdam and Brussels through its Skylink affiliate. Cargologic offers airlines and forwarders tailor-made solutions for all airfreight handling tasks. These include handling import, export, transit and special consignments and carrying out airfreight safety checks. Cargologic also runs a bonded warehouse at Zurich Airport with over 6,000 square metres of space. For more information, please visit www.cargologic.com.

About SATS
SATS is Asia’s leading provider of gateway services and food solutions. Its comprehensive gateway services encompass airfreight handling, passenger services, ramp handling, baggage handling, aviation security services, aircraft interior and exterior cleaning, and cruise centre management. Its food solutions include airline catering, institutional and remote catering, aviation laundry, as well as food distribution and logistics. SATS is present in 42 airports and 11 countries across Asia and the Middle East. The Company has been listed on the Singapore Exchange since May 2000. For more information, please visit www.sats.com.sg.

About Swiss WorldCargo
Swiss WorldCargo is the airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS). Headquartered at Zurich Airport, Swiss WorldCargo offers a comprehensive range of logistics solutions for transporting high-value and care-intensive consignments to some 120 destinations in over 80 countries. Its extensive network of air cargo services is supplemented by daily truck connections between key business centres. As a reliable and innovative service provider within the Lufthansa Group, Swiss WorldCargo is committed to delivering consistently superior quality to its airfreight customers, and makes a substantial contribution to SWISS’s overall profitability. For more information, please visit www.swissworldcargo.com.

Note to editors:
For further information, pictures and/or interview requests please contact:

Cargologic    
Claudia Bracher
Head of Communications
Claudia.Bracher@ch.rhenus.com
Phone +41 61 639 3402

SATS    
Sandy Leng Vice
President Corporate Relations    
sandy_leng@sats.com.sg
Phone +65 6541 8200

Swiss WorldCargo
Silvia Cappelli
Senior PR & Online Communications Executive
silvia.cappelli@swiss.com
Phone +41 44 564 5502