Air cargo can emerge from the global economic crisis in a stronger position than other transport modes as manufacturers rethink their production and supply chain strategies, says the chairman of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), Ulrich Ogiermann. Manufacturers and other businesses will be more reluctant than ever to tie up vast investment in stock, taking them back to the principle of ‘just-in-time’ production, he said. This, he added “demands the speed, security and reliability of transportation that only air cargo can provide.” Ogiermann, who is also president and CEO of Cargolux Airlines, rejected the theory that cost conscious companies in the manufacturing sector will turn to near-sourcing in which they buy materials and products closer to their final production points in Europe and North America, thereby eliminating the logistics costs of imports from Asia.