When it comes to handling air freight, lightweight replacements or options have a certain advantage in helping reduce CO2 emissions and fuel costs.
Imagine another option besides wooden beams for the assembly of air freight pallets, which are made up of 80 percent lighter elements made of cardboard fiber composite material. German manufacturer trilatec is offering such a solution.
The German manufacturer, founded in 1989, is headquartered in Merzig in Saarland with a focus on international spare parts procurement, particularly for the steel manufacturing sector, as well as retail and service sectors. For air cargo it develops technical solutions and market innovations focusing on weight and cost savings, like the squAIR-timber product.
The cardboard fiber composite skids are certified for use in air freight and can be placed under all containers and pallets. These lightweight construction elements are made of 100 percent recyclable paper and cold-glued joints, manufactured according to the carbon principle.
“We use the lightweight squAIR-timber elements as a substructure for all pharmaceutical shipments and they are fully integrated into the processes,” noted Johannes Bruijs, SVP Global Logistics at Cargolux “They have no disadvantages compared to wood, but their significantly lower weight brings many advantages and helps to save a considerable amount of CO2.”
Despite considerable weight savings, these solutions do not compromise load-bearing capacity, trilatec explained. When loaded, one meter of the weatherproof material can carry up to 5 tonnes with a dead weight of just 1.2 kilograms per meter. When using wood, the dead weight is 3 to 4 kilograms per meter.
The use of squAIR-timber also saves a lot of time during handling. Only one person and no need for forklift trucks for assembling and it can be reused or returned to the recycling cycle. trilatec supplies DHL in Frankfurt and Paris, Kühne+Nagel as well as Lufthansa Cargo, Cargolux and Emirates SkyCargo with its unique squAIR-timber product.
Andreas Langemann, Managing Director of trilatec GmbH said the product has proven to be a reliable alternative in global networks. “According to calculations, airlines such as Cargolux can save around 1,200 tons of fuel per year by using our solutions – the equivalent of three fully loaded jumbo jets,” he explained.
