Jettainer treads on a greener path with its innovative ULDs

November 15, 2017: With the UN Climate Summit underway in Bonn, Germany, the global supplier and manager of Unit Load Devices (ULDs), Jettainer calls for further innovation in hardware and software as well as handling processes. Jettainer has been developing lighter ULDs for years in close cooperation with customers and all major manufacturers – as well as innovative software based on artificial intelligence. There is always room for further improvement of air traffic’s ecological footprint believes Jettainer.

“In the future, we want to make ULD management even more efficient and eco-friendly and therefore want to boost our contribution to protecting our environment. It has been possible to reduce the weight of ULDs by using innovative materials and designs, as much as 40 percent during the past few years since the introduction of the first lightweight units. Jettainer operates the largest ULD fleet in the world with approx. 90,000 pallets and containers that are made available to 26 customers at the moment. Each gram of weight saved helps to reduce kerosene consumption every year. And that means an improved eco-footprint for us and our airline customers,” says Carsten Hernig, managing director, Jettainer GmbH.

Jettainer has been successively continuing to develop the eco-friendly, but robust, lightweight containers in conjunction with all leading manufacturers. The units are usually made of carbon fibres and partly from recycled materials. This improves the loading weight and creates savings in fuel, too. The units help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions for the airline industry.

In addition to improving the hardware, Jettainer’s own software (JettWare) is increasingly playing a role in ensuring even more effective management processes for ULDs. An expert system developed in conjunction with the University of Cologne enables the company to manage customers’ ULDs even more precisely and efficiently with the aid of artificial intelligence. If customers use JettWare with JettAPP locally, the software enables them to optimise their ULD fleet constantly.

“We’re continuing to expand JettWare and are working to make use of artificial intelligence to manage the ULD fleets even more efficiently,” adds Martin Kraemer, head of marketing, Jettainer.

Fleet sizes, empty container miles, return trips and backup stocks are already being reduced continuously. This not only pays off in terms of climate protection but also for customers’ balance sheets: the innovative hardware and software solutions for ULD management enable cost savings of up to 25 percent.

Jettainer also has environmental certification and continually involves all its employees in environmental activities. The internal “Be a Role Model” project visualises the environmental activities that each employee can implement directly in their daily work.