This new agreement will see CHEP managing one of the largest outsourced ULD fleets in the industry, and will meet LATAM's ongoing objective to deliver operational efficiencies. Following the acquisition of LATAM's existing 13,000 ULDs, CHEP will start operations on September 1 2016. As part of the five-year agreement, CHEP will have ULD management staff in Santiago and Sao Paulo, as well as open a regional operations centre in Miami to support ULD management functions across the Americas.
LATAM Cargo Senior VP Operations and Services, Carlos Larrain, commented: "The management of the company's ULDs is a critical business activity, and the decision of LATAM Airlines Group to outsource to CHEP has been preceded by an in-depth due diligence process and detailed analysis of several ULD management options offered in the industry. The unique capability of CHEP to combine ULD management with its global ULD repair services was the decisive factor."
CHEP's Aerospace Solutions President, Dr Ludwig Bertsch, added: "With great honour comes great responsibility and we are committed to providing the highest level of service to LATAM as well as to all our customers. With LATAM's dense network in South America, CHEP now serves even more airports on all continents. The participation of such a strong airline in our unique ULD pooling model will provide further synergies and more benefits for all our customers, which confirms that sharing standardised assets across the industry drives cost savings and improves efficiencies. We look forward to building a successful partnership with LATAM for many years to come."
