Air France – KLM – Martinair Cargo

What is your business industry category or specialty?
Air France – KLM – Martinair Cargo is the dedicated air cargo business of the Air France – KLM Group.  AF-KL Cargo is currently the world’s biggest non-integrator operator, generating combined turnover of 3.2 billion euros.  The KLM group is also the sole shareholder of Martinair Holland NV.  We offer a wide range of air transport services providing seamless connections throughout the world with more than 350 destinations in 170 countries.

How do you describe your job to people outside the industry? 
My job as V.P. Cargo for the Americas is to coordinate all Cargo related activities.  Within the Americas we contribute $700 million USD in revenue and have a staff of 330 people covering an area from Canada to Brazil.
Our Main markets are Argentina (horses), Chile (berries), Peru (asparagus), Colombia and Ecuador (flowers), Mexico (automotive), USA (pharmaceuticals, oil & gas, cars, aerospace, perishables, live animals) and Canada (fish) and Brazil (automotive & perishables).
All of these products are handled in a time sensitive manner through our dedicated hubs in Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol.
We were recently chosen by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to transport Johannes Vermeer’s  “Woman in Blue” to the China Art Museum in Shanghai, the Museo de Arte in Sao Paulo and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  We will then bring her back to Amsterdam to be on how at the Rijksmuseum.

Who are your main competitors and what differentiates you from the competition? What makes you unique?    
We have various competitors within the industry, but our care in handling specialized cargo and consistently meeting the needs of our customers puts us on top.
We jointly implemented Cargo 2000 and the information is used regularly to discuss our performance with customers.  We conduct a customer satisfaction survey yearly in order to learn where we can improve or consider re-focusing our services.  We offer a variety of products to cover any shipping need and with our extensive network and fleet offer an air transportation solution to almost anywhere in the world.

How was the business started?  
In 1919 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded.  It is the oldest airline in the world.  The start was 345 passengers and approximately 250,000 kilos in mail and cargo.  We now carry over 22 million passengers and over 650 million kilos of cargo yearly.  In 2004 we merged with Air France but continue to fly around the world under our own familiar name.

How many employees does the business have?  
Currently there are 5500 employees globally dedicated to Cargo.

How did you end up in Atlanta?
After merging 4 airlines (Air France, KLM, Alitalia and Martinair), we had various head office locations.  Because of our close link with Delta, the decision was made to consolidate all of the offices under one roof.  We are currently within the Delta premises in Atlanta.

What is your number one business goal over the next year?  
We will continue to strive to outperform our competitors by increasing quality and implementing our New Commercial Policy. We plan to meet and exceed our customer expectations.  This includes  becoming a preferred carrier while providing  easier ways of doing business (E-channels),as well as global main deck and lower deck capacity.

What is the best advice you have received regarding doing business with Americans/Dutch?  
Americans should make good use of the international background and the easy way they are able to adjust to local situations. Dutch should make good use of the entrepreneurial spirit of the Americans.

Any other personal information you would like to share, e.g. hobbies, special interests, family etc…
My wife Manon and my 2 children Max (age 15) and Boris (age 12) have been traveling over the world for the past 20 years with my various job postings.  We have lived in England, Spain, Dubai and Singapore (where the children were born), then Holland, France, Chicago and now Atlanta.  All of us love to travel and try to visit 2 new countries every year.  I myself love sports and play tennis, platform tennis (only known in U.S.) and golf.  I was planning on running the New York Marathon this past year, but unable to because of the cancellation of the event.  I do plan to run again this year.