10,000 tons
According to Loic Gindre, DHL Aviation commercial manager for Sub-saharan Africa, DHL Aviation is quite popular for the fruit and vegetable sector in West and Central Africa. "Our volumes from Africa increase every year; we distribute an average of around 10,000 tonnes from that area. We have also recently become active in Central America. DHL Aviation ships the most exotic African vegetables and soft fruit. Our main clients are in Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mexico and the U.S."
He points out that demand for air transport in the fruit and vegetables sector is not growing very quickly. "There is certainly potential, depending on the airline’s footprint. If more capacity is offered to shippers, more products will be transported. We have noticed that airfreight capacity from Africa have dwindled, and as a result there are fewer shipments by air." Loic says there is great competition between airlines. "We differentiate ourselves through several aspects. Firstly, we fly on the scheduled Express way, so this also guarantees express times and short connections at transit points. Everything is done in the quickest manner without sharp changes in temperature. We are able to keep the temperature on our planes low to ensure the freshness of our products is maintained. Additionally, we offer an all-in rate for most services we offer."
Fast connections
Within the EU, DHL Aviation offers a special service. "Over the years, we have developed a service that consists in the delivery of products from the airport to the customer’s door. This is especially the case for fruits and vegetables from Africa and Central America. With products of African origin, departure takes place in the morning instead of in the evening. Our EU hubs, such as the airports of Brussels and Leipzig, ensure fast connections. When the cargo is unloaded, phytosanitary checks and customs clearance are carried out. We ensure that all of this takes place within three hours after landing. Then the products are loaded in refrigerated trucks and transported to various EU markets. We note that this service is very much appreciated by our customers; its quality has been recognised even by Driscolls, from which we received the Cold Chain Champion award in 2014."
There is certainly a good future in the supply of services to the fruit and vegetables sector. "The key to success in this industry is traceability from the grower to the shelves. The added value of our services for the fruit and vegetables sector is the integration of our track & trace system with each agent, which ensures that temperatures are monitored and controlled until the products reach the consumer."
For more information:
Loic Gindre
DHL Aviation EEMEA BSC (c)
PO Box 5741
Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain
Direct line: +973 1732 8805
https://aviationcargo.dhl.com/aviationcargo