Jettainer had a prolific 2015 and the unit load device (ULD) management firm has lofty ambitions this year.

The subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group signed up a further five new airlines last year, taking its total to 18 and says it won every tender it took part in.

Jettainer’s managing director, Carsten Hernig says the company was able to fully meet its target figures in 2015 and is continuing its ambitious growth path into this year.

There has been a growing trend from carriers over the last 12 months once again, to outsource the management of ULD’s and Hernig sees this will continue.

“Still, we experience that more and more airlines identify the outsourcing of their ULD management as one of the last opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce cost. This is of course due to the ongoing cost pressure in cargo and passenger business.

“However, as we continuously gain new customers, this trend is also triggered by our increasing presence in the global market,” Hernig says.

Jettainer has set its sights on winning new ULD contracts and as it is working for more and more recognised airlines, Hernig says its perception is growing: “We also figured out potential customers value our dedicated ULD fleets as well as our dedicated teams based at the airline’s major hubs. We hope this will help us further increasing our presence in target markets such as Australia, South America and Africa,” Hernig says.

He explains one challenge is developing awareness and to educate all parties involved in the supply chain regarding protection of ULDs and prevention of potential damages as these represent a “significant cost factor”.

Jettainer’s new facility JettHub at Frankfurt Airport has helped increase efficiency and transparency, Hernig says.

He adds the firm expects a rising demand for efficiency advantages and need for new innovations in 2016. He expects Jettainer to gain more ULD contracts in 2016, as it has a full sales pipeline, but was unable to name potential clients on the radar.