New Coolport centre specialises in all goods

The brand new and modern perishable centre in Singapore marks another milestone in the cementing of Changi's position as the preferred air transhipment hub in the region.

The sprawling, spacious 8,000 sq m facility at SATS Airfreight Terminal 2 that was officially inaugurated on 26 November is designed to handle 250,000 tonnes of perishable cargo annually.

Coolport@Changi, as it is called, was built in nine months after consolidating all import operations of SATS' airline customers into SATS Airfreight Terminal 6. SATS, the listed entity that has built up experience and expertise in air freight handling and food services over the last 60 years, took a crucial decision to build Coolport even at the height of the recession when air freight cargo volumes suffered devastating declines especially in the latter half of the financial year 2009-10.

"A different mindset is required for more stringent temperature controls to provide for an ever-increasing demand from consumers, consignees and exporters," Yacoob Piperdi, senior vice-president, cargo services, SATS, told Cargonews Asia about the crucial move to invest US$12.5 million in Coolport.

SATS officials are not only confident that the bold move will pay off, but also insist that it is a commercial necessity that would provide customers with cost-effective and value added solutions. Volumes, for example, already have started picking up along with perishables that constitute about 10 to 12 percent of the total air cargo freight volumes.

"Perishables have always been a part of air freight. This type of cargo is among the fastest growing segments of air freight," points out Piperdi. He sees Coolport as paving the way for greater integrity of the cold supply chain at a time when transhipment volumes at Changi including perishables are rising. Transhipment requires 'seamless' transfer of cargo at multiple points and this challenging task is facilitated to a great extent by facilities such as Coolport.

Chilled meat, for example, is exported from Australia to the Middle East via Singapore and to Europe via Singapore. There are also flowers that come from other locations in Asia with Singapore itself exporting orchids to Europe. Specialised handling is required for each of these products due to the specific requirements for chilled meat and flowers.

"Australian exporters of dairy and meat are typically very conscious about quality and standards," remarks Piperdi, emphasising the need to maintain a good temperature control especially at the transhipment point.

Coolport is said to facilitate this through unique segregation facilities to temporarily house and handle sensitive cargo. Multi-tiered temperature zones ranging from minus -28¼ C to 19¼ C equips the cold warehouse to handle not only a range of fresh produce, including chilled meat, live seafood and fresh flowers, but also pharmaceutical and biomedical products, which require more stringent temperature controls.

"Instead of having cold rooms in air freight terminals as a one-size-fits-all cold room, we now cater to different types of cold rooms with different temperature settings so we don't mix the perishables," explains Piperdi.

And he is quick to draw attention to the fact that Coolport has ensured that its facilities come up to the highest standards. For example, it is the first Halal-certified air cargo hub for perishables in the Asia Pacific region and is accredited for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points that govern food safety standards. Endorsement is also in place for Good Distribution Practice for Medical Devices. Specialised training has been provided to staff to meet these standards.

What all this means is that the supply chain is managed more efficiently that allows retailers to gain by up to five days more of shelf life for certain perishables such as flowers. This in turn benefits end-users avoiding wastage. Typically it is estimated that there is about 20 to 30 percent wastage borne by retailers and the final consumers.

"Maintaining the cold chain integrity gives us a competitive edge as it results in substantial cost savings to our customers," said Piperdi, adding that it also creates bet-ter opportunities for exporters and importers as well as retailers.

There are other spinoffs. Airlines, who are the main customers of SATS, will be in a stronger position to aggressively market aircraft space to provide a better value proposition to their customers through the use of Coolport.

For its part SATS will be able to offer airline customers facilities for storage and distribution. This will not only increase trade flows into Singapore, but will also provide assurance to exporters, said Piperdi.

SATS is also rolling out innovative equipment and methods that extend the concept of Coolport.

Mobile coolers, for example, have been placed at the passenger terminal itself that will enable perishables that have little turnaround time to be kept in cold temperatures instead of leaving them in open ramp areas for three hours or so while awaiting transhipment. Moreover, these coolers are solar-powered that fits in with corporate green initiatives.

"This gives the cold-chain handling of perishables an entirely new dimension," observed Piperdi. "It is eco-friendly, reduces our carbon footprint and provides greater assurance on quality," he added, emphasising that airlines and consumers alike are able to reap the benefits.
(source:www.cargonewsasia.com)