Karl Mayer, a German builder of textile manufacturing machinery, is a well-known name in the industry. It is also a significant shipper of its large knitting machines via airfreight to its global markets.
Karl Mayer is one of the latest European companies to comply with European Commission “known consignor” regulations, or KC as it is now being abbreviated, which became effective April 29. Air cargo shipments are declared as “safe” only if companies had previously obtained the status of “officially accepted known consignor.” Otherwise, shippers endure delays and potential added costs.
“This status is very important for us because it is an important condition for a fast and trouble-free consignment,” Jürgen Schreiber, Karl Mayer’s commercial manager for dispatching, tells Air Cargo World.
Karl Mayer ships machinery by various methods, but airfreight is an important mode, Schreiber says. The company decided to go for the known consignor status last August and set a time frame of nine months and established a “considerable” budget. The process included the appointment of an airfreight security officer and a deputy.
Karl Mayer also modified its logistics center to establish a separate room only accessible after having passed through several predefined safety procedures.
Another German company recently becoming a KC is Diotec Semiconductor, which did so in April. Diotec describes its new status as an “essential component” of its delivery concept.
Both Karl Mayer and Diotec were certified as KC by the German Federal Aviation Authority. Both companies are also using their achievements as a promotional tool on their websites.
Shifting gears a bit, but staying on the topic of semiconductors, there is good news coming out of this industry, which has historically been a big user of airfreight. The Semiconductor Industry Association reported that global sales of semiconductors reached US$24.7 billion in May, an increase of 4.6 percent from April. This was the largest month-to-month increase since March 2010. Year-to-date sales, through May, are 1.5 percent higher than they were in 2013.
Asia Pacific with 5.9 percent and the Americas with 5.6 percent were the leading regions. European semiconductor sales rose by 0.3 percent. Chips used for wireless communication and automotive infotainment applications reported strong global growth in May.
The positive growth supports the forecast in June by World Semiconductor Trade Statistics that the market would recover in 2013 with an overall growth rate of 2.1 percent. WSTS predicts market growth will continue in 2014 and 2015 with increases of 5.1 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.
Perhaps it’s a bit of good news for air cargo.
John W. McCurry is the editor of Air Cargo World.