With volumes steadily increasing across all cold chain commodities, Hactl has established the Cold Chain Complex (CCC) to prepare Cargo Handling and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for future market growth.
Read: Hactl’s Cool Chain complex is the largest in HKIA
While this sector can be highly volatile, with frequent peaks occurring in short order, as we have seen during the Covid crisis, it is crucial to have abundant capacity to capitalize on emerging opportunities within the industry.
“This is work that Hactl has been well-resourced for for many years. We have been setting standards ourselves long before they were formalized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA),” explained Wilson Kwong, CEO of Hactl. IATA).”
“When we became the first WHO Good Distribution Practices certified facility in Hong Kong and the first to achieve CEIV Pharma status, the accreditation process was relatively straightforward as little extra work was needed. This has always been the way Hactl has operated: we We identify and anticipate needs before they become demands.
“Currently, this type of traffic does not represent a lot of Hactl’s business. However, we see this as a growing sector, and given the increasing focus from our airline customers, this is important to us.
Fast service
The primary need for all temperature-controlled traffic is to maintain constant temperatures, and this is achieved by compressing the time from aircraft arrival and unloading to the moment imported goods are placed in climate-controlled storage, or delivered. To the customer (and vice versa with exports). That’s why Hactl’s CCC is designed with direct access to the ramp and dedicated truck docks on the landside.
“Our procedures also prioritize this type of traffic: it is unloaded first and loaded last,” Kwong said. “Temperature variations are also prevented at CCC by providing ULD accumulation and breakdown facilities within each climate zone, so processing takes place at optimum temperatures.
“The basic premise of all Hactl services is to make our airline customers as competitive as possible and enable them to exploit every potential new revenue stream.
“This means maximizing the quality and scope of our services. The CCC checks these two boxes: Better handling of temperature-controlled traffic.
Suitable environment
The new facility is designed to create a separate area where hazardous materials, such as certain pharmaceuticals and biomaterials, can be handled at the correct temperatures in a safe and secure environment.
“Every time Hactl adds resources and capabilities, it also complements Hong Kong’s impressive collective offering, underscoring the airport’s uniqueness and protecting its position as the world’s largest air cargo hub,” Kwong stressed.
“If we contribute to the display of Hong Kong International Airport, we help attract traffic, make the cake more significant for the entire air cargo community here, and increase our competitiveness and market share.
“As far as commitment is concerned, significant investments like this indicate that Hactl is here to stay for the long term. Our community needs and deserves this proof of our commitment.”
