United Cargo’s new president says collaboration is the key to surmounting air cargo’s troubles.
“The set of challenges our industry is facing now – modal shift, on-shoring and overcapacity among them – is very different from the conditions that existed during the last period of growth,” Jan Krems says. “I believe we can overcome the challenges I just spoke about, but only with the support and participation of all stakeholders in the airfreight process. Statistics prove that other modes have upgraded their technology and their product – we need to collaborate to generate an effective response to these competitors.”
Krems took over as president on July 14, replacing Robbie Anderson, who served as president beginning in 2010.
At United Cargo, revenue for the second quarter decreased 1.7 percent compared to the same period in 2013.
“We’re focused on strengthening our customers’ confidence that we will keep our commitments and deliver on our promises,” Krems says. “This is the key to our future, so we’re devoting all our energies and efforts toward this goal.”
In his nearly three decades in air cargo, Krems served 27 years with KLM Cargo. He was most recently vice president Americas for Air France/KLM Cargo, based in Atlanta. Krems has moved to Chicago for his new role at United.
At KLM Cargo, Krems also worked as vice president Asia and vice president Europe, Africa and the Middle East. As vice president worldwide customer service during and after KLM’s merger with Air France Cargo, he was responsible for the integration of all Air France and KLM cargo offices.
Krems holds a bachelor’s degree in commercial economics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and a post-graduate degree in marketing.
“We have seen some encouraging signs in the industry’s results and outlook recently, with steady volume increases and even yield gains in some markets,” Krems says of air cargo. “Combined with the overall improvement in the global economy, I believe there is reason for cautious optimism for the remainder of 2014 and into 2015.”
United is focusing on its added-value products, including TempControl for temperature-sensitive products, EXP expedited service, QuickPak (small package airport-to-airport service) and UASecure for the carriage of high-value shipments.
“Our goal is to gain customer preference by being highly reliable and easy to do business with, then grow our added-value business to reduce the impact of negative business cycles,” Krems says.
In addition to cargo, Krems also talked about what he does in his free time, including traveling with his wife and two sons.
“In my nearly 28 years in the airline industry, we have been able to experience a lot of the world’s most interesting places,” he says.
Krems also likes to play sports, his favorite of which is platform tennis, which is similar to doubles tennis and played on a smaller court surrounded by screens. Chicago has one of the most active platform tennis scenes in the U.S., so Krems says he is glad to live in the city.