Maximus Air will launch a brand new one-stop-shop in 2015. The new service will combine the Abu Dhabi-based air cargo specialists’ existing oversized cargo fleet with a global network of partners in offering a door-to-door delivery service for the first time.
According to Maximus CEO Mohamed Ebrahim Al Qassimi, the service will have a simple pricing structure and competitive rates. It will also cater to virtually any shipment size and is a conscious decision to diversify existing services, which currently revolves around large and heavy goods.
In addition, Al Qassimi said that creating the single-window service would satisfy customer and industry demand. The announcement was made just a few months after the latest Boeing World Air Cargo Forecast revealed the global air freight industry is set to grow 4.7 per cent a year until 2033.
“The Maximus philosophy has always been rooted in offering customers responsive, practical, and cost effective solutions that benefit from a personal and customer-friendly approach. As such, and in light of increasing demand, we plan to launch a brand new one-stop-shop next year. This will allow customers to send parcels of all shapes and sizes to and from their doorstep,” he explained.
“This is the first time Maximus will offer such a service and this is a key part of our strategy to grow and expand upon the success of our traditional business offering. Naturally oversized cargo will remain at the core of everything we do. However, once operational, the single window one-stop-shop will open new markets that complement the usual array of large cargo that we can transport.”
Freight carried by the service will include air freight, while forwarded sea freight, FCL, LCL, break bulk, and land transport within the GCC region will also be accommodated in the first phase. The one-stop-shop will also offer warehousing and SCM facilities, insurance, and packaging services.
“Instead of focusing on 80 per cent of the market for a 20 per cent share, we aim to focus on 20 per cent of the market and attract an 80 per cent share. For the first six months we will be mainly focusing on existing clients to target their imports and offer them value added services for freight. We expect this service to start to turn a profit within the first half of 2015, with further market segmentation earmarked for 2016.”
The timing of the new Maximus one-stop-shop follows reports that the global air freight market has grown 5.7 per cent over the last 10 years, and Al Qassimi was in an upbeat mood about the potential for tapping into air cargo being transported between the Middle East and Europe – the region’s largest air trade partner – which is expected to average 4 per cent growth a year over the next 20 years.
“Middle East cargo airlines are growing at a tremendous rate, and so too are trade flows between Europe. A new cargo terminal has been proposed that would handle around 2.5 million tonnes of air freight by 2025, and much of that capacity will be consumed by cargo bound for destinations across Europe. With our unique fleet, this is something we are confident of being able to tap into.”
