march2022 - 20

Cover Story
Earlier this year, the International
Air Transport Association (IATA)
released data for global air freight
markets. According to IATA, full-year
demand for air cargo increased by
6.9 percent in 2021, compared to preCOVID
levels in 2019 and 18.7 percent
compared to 2020.
IATA officials note this was the
second biggest improvement in yearon-year
demand since the organization
began monitoring cargo performance
in 1990. Only 2010's 20.6 percent gain
was larger than 2021's performance.
The pandemic's influence on consumer
purchasing habits, coupled with
the pandemic's role in slowing production
created a massive demand for
goods and services.
" The demand for goods and services
is at an all-time high, " says Bryan
Del Monte, president of The Aviation
Agency.
" Will it stay at that tremendous
height forever? No. At some point,
things will equalize. But the demand
for goods and services, I don't foresee
as an economist, any reason why suddenly
there would be a contraction, " he
adds. " We're way too reliant on the free
flow of goods. In the past two years, air
cargo filled in that gap. "
With cargo serving a vital role globally,
the need to facilitate air cargo
throughput remains crucial. To assist
the cargo handling segment, many
ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers
are providing solutions to
benefit the ground handling industry.
The following are just a few examples
of those cargo handling innovations.
JBT's Electric Approach
to Cargo
With decades of experience producing
electric and alternative powered ground
support equipment, JBT has applied this
know-how to cargo handling equipment.
The C30i E electric powered main
deck loader debuted in 2018. Later
this year, the company will start production
on a new variation with an
extended range.
The Commander 30i E is part of the
company's continued push to make
clean energy versions for all of its
products, explains JBT's Kevin Cecil,
engineering manager - loaders, and
Gary Walter, ground support equipment
regional director - the Americas.
" The Commander Cargo Loader
lineup has electric versions of the
C15i and C30i available today. C40i
and C60i will be part of the continued
development in the near future, " Cecil
and Walter say.
" The Ranger Cargo Loader is also
available in electric and we have also
done a trial with a hydrogen fuel cell in
place of a battery as a proof of concept. "
By moving to electric products, JBT
officials are seeing more efficiency, less
use of power, less emissions and lower
maintenance costs.
However, Cecil and Walter note that
all new developments come with challenges,
including engineering development,
supplier lead-times and more.
" One place we can see a need across
suppliers is for better standardization
of charging connectors, message
protocols, etc., to allow customers to
have options that work regardless of
the OEM, batteries or chargers they
choose to utilize, " Cecil and Walter say.
" This is an opportunity for the industry
to come together and set standards
for this via SAE, IATA, CE, CAAC or
others as needed. "
Moving forward, JBT is looking to
integrate common design principles
and components across all of its products,
according to Cecil and Walter.
" This will allow for better component
utilization, better reliability, and will
also help with maintenance and training
for customers, " they say.
Beyond its electric offerings, JBT
started production on the Falcon
The Commander Cargo
Loader lineup includes an
electric version of the C30i.
The EasyLift Towbar System on
FAST's M-Series dolly allows
increased control during towbar
motion and lowers the force
required to raise the tow-bar.
20 || Ground Support Worldwide || March 2022
JBT
march2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2022
