RAMP EQUIPMENT NEWS
JBT to buy LEKTRO TALMA SERVICIOS
JBT Corporation has announced
that an agreement is now in place
for the acquisition of LEKTRO, the
manufacturer and supplier of
all-electric towbarless tow and
pushback vehicles for the
business jet and commercial
aviation market.
“We are excited to be part of JBT,”
commented Eric Paulson, owner of
LEKTRO. “Together, our companies
will provide customers a global
sales and support presence, a much broader
portfolio of products and services and
deeper engineering capabilities for future
product development.”
LEKTRO’s family of all-electric towbarless
vehicles is deemed a useful complement
to JBT AeroTech’s expanding line-up of
diesel-powered tow tractors and other
GSE products that include de-icers, cargo
loaders, beltloaders, mobile stairs, preconditioned
air carts and ground power
units.
Located in Warrenton, Oregon, LEKTRO
will join with JBT AeroTech’s GSE business
unit to provide a useful range of aviation
solutions.
“LEKTRO’s reputation for great customer
service and products that are easy to
operate, easy to maintain and which are
highly reliable makes it an ideal fi t for JBT
AeroTech,” notes Dave Burdakin, EVP and
President of JBT AeroTech.
With the leadership at LEKTRO remaining
unchanged, the focus on products and
service is now set to continue under the
aegis of JBT.
ACQUIRES LASA TO
EXPAND PRESENCE
PERUVIAN company TALMA Servicios
Aeroportuarios has announced the
acquisition of 100% of the shares of LASA
Servicios Aeroportuarios de Colombia,
making it now the largest company
in South America and with the most
operations in that region.
By completing this new acquisition, as
part of its international expansion process,
TALMA will now have operations in
Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Arturo Cassinelli, CEO of TALMA, said
that the acquisition of LASA marked
a signifi cant step in the company’s
international expansion plan, which began
in 2010 with its entry into the Mexican
market, and continued in 2017 with the
acquisition of a ramp services company in
Ecuador.
“LASA and TALMA have many things in
common in terms of the type of services
we provide to the aeronautical sector. We
are going to take advantage of synergies
and development opportunities for our
clients and employees, and consolidate
our leadership position in the continent,”
explained Cassinelli.
Founded in 1991, LASA has its HQ
located in the city of Medellín, Colombia. It
provides ramp services, passenger service
and aircraft maintenance services, and it
has a training school.
IN BRIEF
UK-based and independently owned
manufacturing company Aviramp has
opened its fi rst offi ce in Houston, Texas, in
response to the high demand for Aviramp
mobile passenger boarding ramps and
bridges. The expansion plan will include
the establishment of a factory in 2020.
Expansion and investment
at ACL Airshop
ACL Airshop, a specialist in customised ULD solutions for airlines and cargo carriers,
fi nished 2018, its 35th anniversary year, with transformative technology investments and
strategic expansions to over half of the world’s top 100 air cargo hub airports.
“We have become a technology-driven expert logistics management company, specialised
deeply in cargo control products and services for the world’s air fl eets,” explained Jos
Jacobsen, Managing Director - Global Leasing and Chief Technology Offi cer.
Since early 2016, ACL Airshop has steadily doubled its global operating footprint, with air
cargo support capabilities at 51 air hubs spread over continents. ACL Airshop has a trio of
main gateway centres, these being at JFK New York, Amsterdam Schiphol and Hong Kong
International. The largest networked Operations Centre is near Schiphol airport, and is ACL’s
head offi ce for international ULD fl eet logistics and leasing.
As for the containers proper, the company’s own fl eet of ULDs has now doubled to attain
50,000 units, which is more than most airlines possess. Moreover, the company’s supply
chain has also expanded and now includes manufacturing resources and alliances in South
Carolina, Germany, China and Taiwan. An ultra-modern new factory is under construction in
Greenville, in the US.
ACL Airshop has advanced its proprietary systems (known as ULD Control) for its clients’
ULD fl eet management, and promoted ACL Repair Software to give customers more control of
their repair cost; it is currently working with Bluetooth technology for real-time tracking and
tracing of ULDs. “More and more airlines and cargo clients are asking us about combining ULD
Control with Bluetooth tagging, which yields even better effi ciencies,” observes Jacobsen.
“We provide the best tools for our clients by continuously investing in technology.”
32 February – March 2019 RAMP EQUIPMENT NEWS