Based in Delhi, SpiceJet started services in May 2005; it is now one of the best low cost and budget airlines, operating a fleet of twenty aircraft across India. SpiceJet has followed the lead of US low-cost airline, Southwest, by flying one type of aircraft, the new-generation Boeing 737-800 and 737-900ER, which allows for greater efficiency in maintenance, and supporting the low-cost model.

In an effort to further reduce costs, the airline has announced it has implemented the SAP ERP solution for its financial control, accounts and materials management process. The system, implemented by IBM India, runs on an IBM hardware platform and utilizes SAN-based IBM system storage DS4700 technology.

The implementation of SAP has helped the airline move away from separate systems for airline operations, inventory management, purchasing and accounting. Timely decisions could not be made due to fragmentation of data across the legacy systems. The new SAP airline solution facilitates SpiceJet's financial transparency and analytics. In addition, the deployment will enable the airline to close its financial data on a reduced timeframe.

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Figures from European airlines for May showed a continuing depression in freight volumes. The Association of European Airlines (AEA), which represents 33 European carriers announced a 19.8 percent decline for May, year-on-year. Some AEA carriers have reduced their cargo capacity by a third or more.

ACI Europe, who represents Europe’s airports, announced a drop of 20.1 percent year-on-year in May at the 105 airports it surveyed. There have been a couple of optimistic results. Frankfurt airport in Germany, reported a slowing decline in June, while industrial output in France, Germany and Italy showed slight improvement.

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The growth in the use of palletizing robots in the Indian consumer products market is expected to continue to increase as the Indian economy grows. The industries where palletizing robots are becoming more common include the $70 billion food and beverage industry and the $24 billion fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Palletizing robots supplied by companies like Kuka Robotics can radically improve productivity. The robots are vital in the loading and wrapping of large and heavy pallets found in the FMCG and food industries.

Kuka Robotics offers a number of palletizing robots starting with the KR40PA, made from carbon fiber composite. The KR40PA is able to stack europallets up to 1.6m in height. The largest of the Kuka palletizing robots is the KR 1000 1300 Titan PA, which has a payload capacity of up to 2860 pounds.

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As businesses are unable to ship full containers, the demand for Less than Container Load (LCL) shipping is increasing. In response to this, DHL has announced the launch of its guaranteed weekly LCL services connecting Bangkok to Los Angeles, Hamburg and Tokyo. The LCL market from Asia is expanding as Averitt Express already has a service to Memphis. The service is aimed at by-passing the busy port of Los Angeles as the final destination for cargo and using Memphis instead, which is better for businesses in the south-east US.

DHL’s new Bangkok to Los Angeles LCL service has been part of an increased LCL presence in Asia. Since the start of 2009, DHL has launched ten other direct calls from China, Japan and India to meet increasing LCL demand.

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