Air Transportation Cargo

Aerospace is a term for people's continued effort in engineering and science to fly in the atmosphere successfully. This industry and business deal with inventing, operating, building, and maintaining aircraft and dealing with cargo transfer ventures. In a broader context, aerospace projects tend to promote different aerospace services in the industry as a whole. The value of cargo management and transportation industry has been a centre of attention for years, and it remains an important and useful service (Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition). The reason for such success is that this activity is supported by the combined efforts and commitment aimed at handling and transportation of cargo all over the world. This fact proves how cargo management and shipping entails more than just handling and transporting cargo but also goes to the extent of delivering goods and products globally thus boosting and enhancing economies of different, countries, regions and continents as a whole. It is in-line with this set goals and objectives in the Aerospace industry that my company, Air Cargo 540, is committed to inspect, handle, manage, transport and deliver cargo to various destination in line with customer requirements and existing cargo handling rules and regulations.Company DescriptionMy company, Air Cargo 540, is highly committed to the inspection, handling, management, transportation and delivery of cargo through aerospace and shipping channels. It is among the top 100 globally recognized aerospace cargo and shipping companies as ranked by the Fire Support Aerospace and Défense Marketing. Our mission is to improve on the already existing aerospace systems based on cargo management and work on developing other new and complex systems in the near future. Our activities mainly revolve around customer satisfaction and proper handling of cargo. This makes us to be widely preferred by clients who are looking for trusted partners in the cargo management and shipping field. We operate under a federally funded and profit returns budget which sees to it that our activities are run without any financial constraints. This guarantees the success of activities and helps to increase the quality of our services. Our success also relates to the availability of technically capable and reliable machinery and personnel (Facts, 2016). Regardless of the business that we are in, the company operates as an independent entity.Operation DescriptionThe company’s operations revolve around the relevant field of aerospace cargo management. Our operations mainly focus on providing quality cargo handling services to our clients by ensuring that our services meet or even go beyond their expectations. We also focus on infusing technology in our operation in order to improve on time and safety factors. Our operations are usually guided and run by our employees and technicians (Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition). Our operations are usually carried out in different airports across the U.S. and also globally. The airports are usually situated in major towns, cities and even near sea ports. The presence of our terminals in these airports has helped to increase the availability of our services to different clients and in different countries of the world. The company also carries out shipping operations across the world. This helps to ensure that cargo is delivered in all parts of the world. Our shipping service makes use of top cargo ships and links from major to minor shipping ports in different locations. Equipment or AircraftUnlike other cargo management companies, this company deals with cargo handling and manufacture of cargo handling and inspection equipment. We prioritize the cargo safety by using well and specifically designed aircrafts in our delivery missions. Our aircrafts and ships are usually designed to specification considering the fact that numerous cargos have different handling requirements. For instance, fragile cargo is usually placed in ship chambers or aircrafts specifically designed to handle this type of cargo (Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition). On the other hand, perishable goods are also accorded special care and we have cargo containers and aircrafts designed to handle this category of goods. We also deal with the manufacture of cargo handling equipment which see to it that scanning procedures and loading of cargo is made easier (Refques, 2014). This idea heavily contributes to the success of our cargo management operations since it helps prove to our clients that their preferences are our top-notch priority.Our infusion of aircraft and shipping services in cargo management has made us a unique and standard cargo management brand across the globe, thus making us one of the most preferred and referred to cargo management companies. Maintenance requirementsOur maintenance policy mainly focuses on proper handling of cargos. It also touches on the inspection and maintenance of cargo handling and transportation machines. All these tasks relate to the set principles and regulations attributed to airworthiness cargo compliance (ICAO, Safety and Security in the Air Cargo Industry, 2015). Here, set standards play a major role in maintaining safety and correct functioning of our system. The company’s maintenance activities depend on:Inspection PersonnelChecks and Inspection RoutinesInspection PersonnelInspection personnel mainly deal with maintenance activities related to cargo handling equipment. Our personnel are usually qualified and well conversant with the operations and duties they are meant to perform. Despite the fact that they perform almost the same function, they usually have different qualifications and are accorded different duties.Their main task is to ensure that our equipment is in the right shape and condition to handle cargo upload, transportation, offload and delivery. They achieve this state by following set regulation and maintenance procedures related to cargo management. This guarantees safe and correct functioning of our cargo handling equipment (Corporation, Aerospace Management and Employment Terms , 2017). Regulation of maintenance procedures is top notch in order to prevent technical hitches which could result into massive cargo damages. The personnel dealing with inspection and maintenance activities are usually; maintenance technicians and mechanics.Checks and Inspections RoutineThis category marks another crucial part of our cargo handling procedures. Checks and inspections of cargo is usually conducted over a given period of time. The routine is usually jointly run by individuals and machines. The individuals are mainly tasked with operating and maintaining the cargo inspection machines. Recently, the company adopted the use of automated machines to conduct cargo inspections activities. This new technology incorporates systems that have been designed to ensure that the maintenance campaign is carried out safely and turns out to be extremely reliable (ICAO, Safety and Security in the Air Cargo Industry, 2015). The machines ensure that the cargo being checked is safe and contains the goods or products validated by the client.The company’s use of machines has proven to be effective and has been widely adopted by checks and inspection departments in other cargo management companies. This has made cargo inspection work easier and quick. This technological affiliated action has seen the company incorporate more inspection machines into the program (Aamick, 2016). These machines include: inspection stands, inspection cameras, modern metal detectors and inspection robots.The importance of our cargo maintenance procedure is seen through the huge budget estimates, which accounts for three quarters of the company’s budget activity. Lastly, the company’s maintenance procedures are in line with the provisions accorded by the Professional Cargo Management Association (ICAO, Safety and Security in the Air Cargo Industry, 2015). The incorporation of these two programs has gone a long way in ensuring that cargos in the company’s products are well maintained and handled. Managers roles and responsibilitiesJust like in other industries, management is a key factor in the Air Cargo and Shipping industry. Exemplary management qualities are highly encouraged and embraced by the company. The continued company success is linked to the competence of the previous and current company managers. The company selects top notch contenders who are well fit and qualified for the top job. This guarantees unique leadership qualities and unrivalled management prowess (IATA, Cargo Training Courses: Managing Air Cargo Operations, 2016). The selection of top notch contenders is deeply rooted to the fact that our managers have vast roles and responsibilities. RolesThe key management roles in the company include: cargo handling and shipping planning, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, reviewing audit records, making specialized authorizations and working hand in hand with members of the board of trustees.ResponsibilitiesKey management responsibilities include: leading cargo maintenance and inspection teams with varied experience levels, managing documentation of quality systems, keeping and auditing cargo handling records, monitoring compliance with adequate procedures, monitoring cargo storage and transportation, organizing technical meetings, conducting briefings on new developments, coordinating preposition aspects and addressing customers’ toughest challenges.Staff Qualifications, Certifications and ResponsibilitiesThe company’s dedication to be the global giant in cargo management makes it to seek, recruit and employ a breed of well trained and knowledgeable personnel in the field of cargo handling and maintenance. The recruitment procedure usually incorporates job description, certification, responsibilities and qualifications (Corporation, Aerospace Management and Employment Terms , 2017).QualificationsGood communication skillsSelf-starter, high ethical, can follow instructionsCritical thinking skillsTeam playerPositive attitudeReliable/dependable.CertificationMust have an IATA Diploma in Air Cargo and Shipping Management.Have a Diploma in Cargo Management from a well-recognized and accredited Institution.Must possess a Degree in the relevant field of Job application.Maintenance Engineers must have an MBA in the relevant Engineering field and be able to operate and fix cargo handling tools.Inspection personnel must have robotics-operational knowledge and skills to handle inspection machines. They must also have a Diploma or Degree in the same field. ResponsibilitiesWarehouse Agent: adherence to all safety rules and communication of any safety issues to the company. Cargo service Agent: computer data entry and preparation of flight documents.Courier agent: providing efficient and safe delivery of packages while presenting the company in a professional manner and completing all the related paperwork.Cargo service supervisor: management, coordination and controlling of all cargo operation aspects while overseeing all operational activities related to quantity and quality of workCustomer service agent: providing assistance to customers arriving to retrieve their documents and freight.Shipping agents: Ensure that shipping plans are intact and cargo arrives at given ports in time.NB: All these requirements ensure that the agency has a dedicated team that puts all it has to develop a better cargo management team. (Corporation, Aerospace Management and Employment Terms , 2017).Human FactorsApart from cargo management, human factor also comes in as another important point of focus for the company. This has made the company to deeply study and incorporate cargo management activities that have human factors in mind. The company has made this possible by gathering the needed information on the abilities and limitations of human beings. The gathered information enables our personnel to offer satisfactory services to our clients by considering their preferences. For example, people always require their cargo to be properly store and transported to the destination at the right time frame. It is in line with this notion that the company has a dedicated team that works around the clock to ensure that our clienteles cargo is well stored and transported to the destination in time (Facts, 2016). This kind of service is governed and championed by the fact that; our ultimate goal is to improve the interaction between the company and our clients. Quality RequirementsThe company has numerous standardized quality requirements aimed at improving our services. These requirements play a key role in supporting the success of present and future activities. Here, quality requirement is met through a process driven approach that is aimed at improving and increasing customer’s satisfaction and cargo safety (Aamick, 2016).It is also based on understanding the quality requirements for key regulatory, safety and security bodies. The company is able to meet the quality requirements by employing the use of a systematic, process driven approach and developing a culture that increases customer satisfaction. It goes ahead to recognize and implement the key processes of quality systems by understanding and comparing the relationship between best and normal services within the air cargo industry (IATA, The Air Cargo and Tariff Rules, 2016). These considerations help the company to: maintain high standards of cargo handling and management, quick and in-time delivery, build a special cargo system for fragile and dangerous cargo. Regulations and lawsWe adhere to aviation regulations and laws set by the admiralty law and federal government laws on cargo delivery and shipping standards (McNicol, 2015). We also have company laws and regulations which relate the legal and business concerns in the air cargo industry (IATA, The Air Cargo and Tariff Rules, 2016). Our regulations mainly focus on safety and efficiency interests and include redundancy in our handling services.SafetyCargo safety is at the core of the company’s fundamental objectives. The company is improving safety by sharing safety knowledge with employees, regulators and plant operators. This includes: standardization of cargo management procedures and substantial improvement of general cargo handling safety (Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition). This makes continuous monitoring of safety trends easier thus improving safety chances and opportunities. The company has also embraced new technology to enhance safety. Continued research and development campaigns has paved way for the creation of new and sophisticated technologies that provide unique safety advantages. This machines have been incorporated in our cargo inspection procedures and requirement policies. The machines help to detect any potential threat or unwanted items prohibited by cargo management laws (ICAO, Safety and Security in the Air Cargo Industry, 2015).Apart from the inspection policies, the company also has specifically designed shipping containers and aircrafts that transport dangerous goods. The company also has set laws that prohibit handling and transportation of flammables. This is in order to reduce any risks associated with explosion of the goods while on transit or warehouse storage.SecurityIt is true to say that an efficient, safe and secure cargo management system is virtually integral. Safety and security have always been and will continue to be the company’s top priority in its operations (Doughtery, 1975). The company’s security policy protects our activities from unlawful interferences by providing a comprehensive approach in protecting our cargo services.Our security policy also incorporates the use of software like the Portable Detection Aids (PDAs) to quickly pinpoint any unwanted or unsafe commodity in the cargos (Boeing, 2016). The detection Aids which include scanning machines help in ensuring that cargos and our plant in general are secure. The company also banks on proper documentation of cargo and freight to avoid cases of missing or mixed cargos. This ensures that our clients cargos are secure and that they receive what they were expecting.Environmental ResponsibilityThe company has developed environmental policy in-line with the International Aerospace Environmental Policy which aims at reducing Noise and air pollution associated with the Aviation industry. This policy has made the company to procure and purchase transportation aircrafts and ships that have minimal biofuel emission. Procurement and purchasing of these cargo crafts and planes has proven to be less hazardous to the environment.Other management factors to be consideredOther key management factors to be considered include: improving customer relations, standardizing price of cargo storage and shipping `and partnering with other cargo management companies in the industry. The incorporation of these factors will surely guarantee the success and continued dominance in the field of air cargo and shipping management.ReferencesAamick, L. (2016, November 23). Aviation Quality Requirements. pp. 4-7.Boeing. (2016). Aviation Safety and Aviation Security. New Release Statements, 3-9.Business and Corporate Aviation Management, Second Edition. (n.d.). ISBN 978007181904.Corporation, T. A. (2017). Aerospace Management and Employment Terms . 2-12.Corporation, T. A. (2017). Rules, Laws and Regulations Governing Aerospace Organizations. 2-7.Doughtery, J. D. (1975). Aviation Space Environment: Review of Aviation Safety Measures. Aviation Accident Prevention, 65-73, 82-85.Facts, C. (2016). The Air Freight and Express Industry. E-Commerce Revolution, 4-8.IATA. (2016). Cargo Training Courses: Managing Air Cargo Operations. 3-8.IATA. (2016). Management of Aviation Quality and Service. Civil Aviation, 3-9.IATA. (2016). The Air Cargo and Tariff Rules. 2-5.ICAO. (2015). Safety and Security in the Air Cargo Industry. Aerospace Safety and Security, 2-7.McNicol, J. (2015, April 13). How Does the Government Regulation Impact the Aerospace Sector? Investopedia, pp. 1-4.Refques, B. (2014). Air Cargo Management Solutions. Aviation and Hospitality, 5-9, 12-14.Varma, J. (2014). Why is Safety and Security so Important in Aviation Industry. Journal of Aviation, 3-9.