ULD solutions are set to dominate the 2019 IATA Air Cargo Innovation Awards, will all three finalists coming from the sector.
The companies, selected from a 56-strong field, are: Air New Zealand thermally-insulated aeroTHERM ULDs offering better protection of temperature-sensitive shipments; SITA, Safran & CHAMP for their Smart ULD which combines the latest mobile, Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies to solve major pain-points on ULD management; and Unilode Aviation Solutions’ Digital Transformation concept to introduce IoT to the world of ULD management and the air cargo supply chain.
Air New Zealand’s aeroTHERM, designed by Cargo Composites, is a container fabric door that insulates 25 times better than regular ULDs and curtains, allowing shipments to stay within desired temperature ranges for longer, reducing the use of thermal covers, wraps and heavier temperature controlled ULDs.
The SITA, Safran & CHAMP Smart ULD can be monitored during transport, and offers geolocation, temperature, shock, vibration and pressure alerts and digital damage reports. It aims to reduce loss or misplacement of ULDs, as well as moving ULD handling from paper to digital formats.
Unilode and its partners have developed a Bluetooth-based tracking solution for load devices that will allow customers to use the load device as a proxy for tracking and transmitting status updates of their cargo. It will record temperature, humidity, shock and light information.
The three finalists will present their submission to delegates at the 13th IATA World Cargo Symposium in Singapore. The winner will be announced during the closing plenary of the event on 14 March.
