CHEP starts air freight container pool

   Meanwhile, Jettainer just picked up some extra competition in the ULD management field.
   CHEP, a global pallet and container pooling and supply chain services provider, has started a new division aimed at air freight unit load devices (ULDs).
   The new unit, CHEP Aerospace Solutions, will become the world’s largest independent network of pooled ULDs and repair centers, the company said. ULDs are used by airlines for transportation of cargo, baggage and mail.
   “The new service brings CHEP’s longstanding global experience in pallet and container pooling across sectors, including consumer goods, fresh food, automotive, manufacturing and chemicals, to the aviation sector,” CHEP said in a statement.
   CHEP’s parent company, Brambles, recently acquired Unitpool (an independent pooler of aviation containers and pallets) and JMI Aerospace (a specialist in the maintenance and repair of non-flight critical aviation equipment) and has a tentative deal to acquire Driessen Services (a specialist in the outsourced repair and maintenance of ULDs and airline galley equipment) from Zodiac Aerospace.
   “Feedback from our airline customers and the aviation industry as a whole makes it clear that the sector is actively seeking solutions that reduce cost and increase efficiency,” said CHEP President Ludwig Bertsch.
   Once the Driessen Services acquisition is complete, CHEP Aerospace Solutions will manage and service more than 190,000 ULDs and airline galley carts at more than 300 airports globally, the company said.