Page 8 - STAT Trade Times Novemmber 2024 Magazine for Website

coverstory

country and to offer specific solutions for
the different industries.”
He added that, despite uncertainties in
market development, geopolitical factors,
and recent events impacting trade flows,
Kuehne+Nagel remains optimistic. The
company continues to invest in various
areas, including expanding cargo capac-
ity, upgrading facilities, and upskilling its
team members.
Technological innovation and
digital transformation
The industry is witnessing an unprec-
edented push toward digitalisation and
technological advancement. Leading cargo
carriers are investing heavily in artificial intel-
ligence, machine learning, and automation
to streamline operations and enhance effi-
ciency. The implementation of digital book-
ing platforms, real-time tracking systems,
and automated warehouse operations has
become increasingly common.
For instance, American Airlines Cargo
and cargo.one have recently expanded
their global partnership to encompass the
carrier’s entire domestic cargo capacity
on cargo.one’s leading digital booking
platform. This expansion offers US forward-
ers enhanced digital access to American
Airlines' extensive domestic network,
which serves over 115 destinations across
the United States. “The rise of e-commerce has really years ever for annual total air freight (above
“One of the most challenging topics for changed the game for us at United Cargo, 2.75 million tonnes each year), marking
any logistics provider is to find the balance boosting demand for fast and reliable ship- new annual records for the airport be-
between having their own, long term ping solutions. While we see e-commerce tween 2022 and 2024. The recent e-com-
fixed capacity and the ad hoc market. In as a fantastic way to fill the extra space on merce boom, combined with robust trade
recent years, we saw incremental usage our planes and supplement our services, we across established commodity groups, is
of data and tools to help predict the de- believe it can't replace the personal touch driving this continued growth,” says Pineda
mand,” says Randig of Kuehne+Nagel. that comes from direct customer interac- of Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
tion. Being customer-focused is at the heart Randig of Kuehne+Nagel explains that
The impact of E-commerce of what we do, and we’ll always prioritise Kuehne+Nagel provides specialised solutions
According to data from Mordor Intelligence, those relationships. Our approach includes to support e-commerce businesses in the US
the US e-commerce market is projected to expanding expedited shipping options and “Kuehne+Nagel offers e-commerce custom-
reach $1.19 trillion in 2024 and is expected investing in advanced tracking technology, ers access to its global network and solutions.
to grow to $1.86 trillion by 2029, with a com- all while building strong partnerships with In light of the projected e-commerce growth
pound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.35% e-commerce companies. This way, we can of 8%-9%, according to the US National Retail
over the forecast period (2024-2029). The meet their unique needs while delivering Federation (NRF), we work with our custom-
report highlights that the US e-commerce the high-quality service our customers ers to enable them to find the right solutions
market is highly developed due to the pres- expect. It’s all about blending the benefits for their individual needs.”
ence of major vendors and an increasing of e-commerce with the meaningful con- Global logistics company FedEx has also
number of online shoppers. Additionally, nections that truly define our business,” says recently announced a strategic alliance
online shopping continues to gain popular- United Cargo's spokesperson. and investment with Nimble, an AI robot-
ity in the US, driven by growth in internet “In 2021, following years of steady, ics and autonomous e-commerce fulfil-
users, rising demand for beauty and fashion incremental growth, MIA’s cargo volume ment technology company, to scale FedEx
products, and increased mobile adoption jumped more than 18% year-over-year. Fulfilment with their fully autonomous 3PL
and social media engagement. Since then, MIA has logged its highest 3 model across North America.
6 | NOVEMBER 2024 www.stattimes.com