AMI anchors multimodal yogurt shipment

   Air Menzies International has helped complete a multimodal logistical maneuver, working with its customer Forwarding Direct to transport AUS$4.3 million ($4.5 million) of food machinery weighing 24,700 kilograms on an Ilyushin 76. 
   London-based Air Charter Service chartered the plane, which was operated by Jordan International Air Cargo. Shipped from Courville-sur-Eure, France, to South Dandenong, Australia, the goods were destined for the Gippsland Dairy, where they are to be used to triple production of Chobani Greek Yogurt. Gippsland’s purchase of the new machinery is part of a AUS$30 million investment that will create 50 new jobs.
   AMI coordinated flight clearance and moved the goods in six separate crates, while its sister company, Menzies Aviation Cargo, provided ground-handling services in Australia. Once the goods landed at Melbourne Airport, AMI coordinated transportation to the site 60 kilometers away using an extending low-loader, which necessitated additional permitting.
   “The load was a very tight fit, with only a few inches to spare. Winching the cargo from its transit position on the aircraft onto the hi-loader took around 2 hours to ensure that the load and the aircraft would not be damaged,” AMI’s Peter Logan said in a statement. “Although AMI has been regularly involved in arranging aid charters to and from Australia, this was an unusual job calling for special handling and minute attention to detail. Thanks to the airport authority and everyone else involved, it all went off very smoothly.” – Jon Ross