ACU_December 2016 Final Draft for Approval

COVER STORY
drien Thominet is no stranger
Ato the air cargo industry
having spent more than 20
years of his career sailing through this
tough and rough yet rewarding
sector.
Thominet, the health-buff chief
operating officer of ECS Group, a
Paris-based leading General Sales
and Service Agency (GSSA) providing
complete cargo outsource solution
with presence across 47 countries
dealing with more than 110 airlines,
has every reason to be thankful for in
2016.
The year has been very good to the
company marked with lots of
acquisitions, new deals and contracts
with airlines and firms in allied
industries, across Europe, Latin
America and Asia.
In July, ECS won two new GSSA
contracts in Germany with DHL and
Malaysian Airlines, which is setting up
its cargo operations in the country.
“We're quite happy this year because
we have new contracts, new airlines
and new acquisitions,” the French
entrepreneur told Air Cargo Update in
an interview in Paris on the sidelines
of the Air Cargo Forum held in
October.
This year, Thominet said ECS has
extended its network to at least five
countries in Latin America—Chile,
Argentina, Colombia, Equador and
Mexico.
“These are niche markets. Chile is
b o o m i n g a n d t h e r e a r e a l s o
opportunities in other Latin America
countries,” he said.
Additionally, the company was
awarded the contract to provide total
cargo management to Jetstar Asia, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas
Airlines, which flies to 22 destinations
across the globe.
“Economically, this is very good for
us,” said Thominet, noting that the
company is also eyeing further
expansions in some emerging
markets in Southeast Asia like
Myanmar and Cambodia, where their
expertise is needed.
And their quest for more acquisitions
will go beyond the traditional routes
with Iran even considered to be
served.
“This is something that we're
considering,” said Thominet when
asked about the prospect of doing
business with Iran, which this year
opened up its economy to outside
forces after successfully negotiating
an anti-nuclear deal with the Obama
administration, that among other
things, would yield to some $100
billion in fresh money for Iranians.
Expansion in Asia
With just four countries in 2001, ECS
has successfully maneuvered its way
to penetrate 47 more nations to do
business with within just 15 years.
And it's on a mission to further expand
its network. In November, the
company's chief executive and
c h a i r m a n , B e r t r a n d S c h m o l l ,
announced ECS acquired Asian
specialist AVS as it looked to expand
its presence in Southeast Asia.
Headquartered in Bangkok, AVS
consolidates cargo from the ASEAN
region on its network of flights and
interlines to the rest of Asia, Europe
and the US. Its office network
includes Taipei, Hong Kong, Yangon,
Phnom Penh, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,
Penang, Manila, Cebu and India.