Promoting air freight logistics is the primary objective of Aircargo Club Deutschland (ACD), a platform used by over 250 senior figures from leading aviation companies to discuss the latest developments and industry trends.
The members of the club, which was formed in 1963, have now elected a new executive committee.
Ingo Richter, CEO of Logistics Solutions at Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG), is taking over the role of vice president from Achim Martinka, Vice President Germany at Lufthansa Cargo.
Ingo Richter, an electrical engineering graduate, has amassed a great deal of experience during his 30 years working in the aviation industry.
Richter started his career at Daimler Benz Airport Industries in 1992, where he worked as a project engineer for airport equipment and specialized in passenger information systems.
In 2000, he joined CONRAC GmbH – now Data Modul AG – and became head of sales at the company’s site in Weikersheim, Germany.
Since 2017, Richter has been CEO of topsystem Logistics Solutions at EPG, a role in which he is also responsible for the company’s aviation business.
He took on the position of topsystem founder Franz-Josef Leuchter and became an ACD member in the same year on his predecessor’s recommendation.
“Digitalisation remains the megatrend,” Richter says.
“We need end-to-end communication with smart solutions along the entire supply chain to keep logistics chains up and running in the long term – this has become even clearer since the onset of the pandemic.
“As ACD vice president, I intend to leverage my expertise and experience to drive forward the digitalization of the air freight industry.”
Smart data applications and intelligent IT systems were therefore in the spotlight at the club’s first themed event of the year.
As a body that represents the interests of the aviation industry, ACD regularly hosts events like this as well as networking gatherings.
All of the club’s members are in roles in which they hold Germany-wide or international responsibility, with leading representatives from all companies in the process chain – from freight forwarding firms and air freight companies to cargo airlines.
The club’s activities are centered around bringing the worlds of business and science together as well as engaging policymakers and the public.
ACD also harnesses synergy effects through targeted collaborations with a range of institutions and organizations.
The club’s members meet once a month in Frankfurt am Main – Germany’s largest air freight site and one of the most important air freight and logistics hubs in Europe – to discuss the latest developments and industry trends.
Ingo Richter, who helps organize the meetings, has highlighted the importance of these regular discussions.
“Air freight is a volatile business that is impacted by economic cycles and short-term developments, such as the pandemic,” he says. “Short-term sales gains and sudden declines are the norms”. That’s why it’s important for the members of ACD – Germany’s most important industry body for air freight logistics – to meet up regularly to explore the latest topics and industry trends, Richter explains. Together with his colleagues on the executive committee, which is chaired by Prof. Dr. Christopher Stoller, Richter is responsible for establishing networks that might help advance the digital transformation.
