The Herculight S Container delivers a major weight reduction – at 55kg that’s 10 kg less than other current designs in the market – with the same durability as their predecessors.
The sales pitch is compelling: With a typical load in a B777-300 of eight PMC pallets and 20 AKE containers, an airline is able to save 350-450kg per trip by replacing their current ULD’s with Herculights.
Key to its slimmed down stature is not so much radical redesign of the overall structure or through the use of expensive materials. Rather it was achieved through an innovative ‘smart’ redesign of key structures of the ULD, such as the aluminum corner pieces, base and extrusions combined with composite panels, according to Bart van Berkel, VP sales catering & cargo equipment at Zodiac.
“We put a lot of pressure on our engineering team,” van Berkel says with a laugh. “It’s not just sheering off of aluminum, but actually a redesign while maintaining the durability of light metals. We believe with the new, smarter design we have been able to develop units that are equal in durability to the previous generation while having the advantage of being lightweight.
“From our point of view, ‘lightweight vs durability vs reparability’ – that is ‘the’ discussion that is going on within the industry right now, so in our design philosophy we do not focus on one aspect alone, we try to make the best mix.
“At the end of the day we know the pallet or ULD is entering quite an abusive environment,” he says adding that with the current focus on weight-reduction combined with current pricing and available materials it’s just not possible to produce an unbreakable container or pallet. “And this is not something airlines are looking for,” van Berkel adds, “rather they are looking for something very strong and if it breaks, it must be quick and easy to repair.”
With substantial research behind the Herculight S, Zodiac is confident that it is the right mix and not that much more expensive than traditional aluminum ULDs, van Berkel says.
Driessen rebranded
Indeed Zodiac has every reason to be confident of its research and products, as the group’s core ULD expertise is that of long-time ULD and galley equipment manufacturer Driessen that was acquired in 2008 and only recently rebranded under the Zodiac Aerospace group.
With that acquisition came Driessen’s production facility in Bangkok that comprises the factory and general engineering with some 200 employees.
Product development is all done in the Netherlands and an innovation centre was also recently opened there.
The centre provides the opportunity for design partners, material suppliers such as composite manufacturers and customers such as airlines and pooling companies the opportunity to work together with engineers on actual products not just on paper, or on a computer. Indeed this is one of the advantages of being part of the Zodiac group as there are lot resources and technical knowledge available.
With a major order for the new lightweight ULD placed by Emirates and testing of the Herculight pallet – which weighs in a full 20kg lighter than existing pallets on the market – by some 15 airlines well underway, van Berkel is optimistic of a healthy order book.
Currently Zodiac has nearly 150 customers worldwide for a 35 per cent share of the global ULD market, predominantly in the US and Europe. It is perhaps ironic that the company has little market share in the region where it produces its ULDs, but van Berkel expects this to change with the new lightweight product line.
Asia focus
“We have been focusing more on Asia in the last several years and what we believe will be the key success factor for conquering the Asian market is the launching of the two new products. I think Asian carriers are acting quite similar to US, European, or Middle East carriers in that they are searching for a light weight durable products and with the launch of these two new products – both the container and the pallet – I believe that we have right tools in hand to attract Asian customers.
“I think our geographic location in Bangkok – not only the sales team, but engineering team as well – provides an opportunity for support and that should give a lot of confidence to customers that we have European design and quality, but produced next door with short lead times and great support if needed.”
With a strong focus on innovation, both in technology and in service, weight and durability are and will be the key features of all its products, van Berkel says, adding: “Our goal is not to make a short term sell, but to be a long-term partner – a partner not just there to offer a product, but to offer a service and serviceable product for many years.” In support of this, Zodiac works with a large number of repair stations and companies around the world to help them support their mutual customers.
