September 29, 2026
9H00 – 9H15
WELCOME
Opening remarks
Urs Wiesendanger, ULD CARE
Bob Rogers, ULD CARE
9H15 – 10H30
THE FUTURE OF ULD CARE
ULD CARE is at a turning point: after years of members carrying the load, it is time for professional management — or shut down. The panel debates the $64,000 question: does the industry want representation in the world of aviation?
Deliverable: Clear direction on ULD CARE’s future, feeding into the Day 2 governance workshop.
Moderator- Glyn Hughes, TIACA
Panelists:
Terry Waithe, Air Canada
Tom Pherson, Aerotuf
Owen Martin, ULDigital
Jobies Jose, Ethiad Cargo
10H30-11H00 Coffee Break
11H00- 12h30
DIGITAL FUTURE – TRACKING, E-UCR, RFID AND AI
Logistics adopts digital technology more slowly than other industries, and ULD sits too far down the food chain to get the attention it deserves. AI offers huge potential for analysis and forecasting — but only with decent industry data, where ULD CARE can lead.
Deliverable: Priorities for ULD CARE’s role in driving industry digital and AI adoption.
Moderator – Gert Pfeifer, Jettainer
Panelists:
Owen Martin, ULDigital
Kathanyu Jearachaikul, Unilode
Abedin Dula, SkyCell
Carsten Hernig, Pactl
Andreas Baumann, Jettainer
12H30-14H00 – Lunch
14H-15H30
FIRE CONTAINMENT – A BLESSING AND A CURSE
After some twenty plus years of development, fire covers and fire-resistant containers are now being steadily adopted across the industry. But the pendulum has swung: evidence shows this expensive equipment is often misused and mistreated, wasting airlines’ very considerable investment.
Deliverable: Recommendations on the proper use, care and maintenance of fire containment equipment.
Moderator- Antony Yuen,
DAS – Nordisk Limited
Panelists:
Jüergen Neumann, Airbus
Faisal Al-Abbadi, Total X
Rishani Dissanayake, AmSafel
Pertti Mero, Airport College
15H30-16H - Coffee Break
16H00-16H30
SPECIAL CARGO – OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGES
From generic cartons to pharmaceuticals, livestock and oversized vehicles, special cargo has driven a growth of ULD and sub-ULD types — all requiring proper training and support if they are to function, rather than end up in a far corner of the ULD yard.
Deliverable: Agreed training and support priorities for special cargo ULD.
Moderator – Abedin Dula, SkyCell
Panelists:
Jeremy Instone, Instoneair
Kathanyu Jearachaikul, Unilode
Constantino Fotopoulos, Delta
Corne Nijhof, VRR
Ruud Slaman, ACL Airshop
Frode Eriksen, Nordisk
Lucas Alcântara, Jettainer,
16H30-16H50
SUSTAINABILITY OVERVIEW
Angel de Paz, new leader of the Climate Impact Label project, presents an overview of an initiative that still has plenty of potential to become a main sustainability driver for the ULD community, followed by the award celebration.
Deliverable: Renewed industry engagement behind the Climate Impact Label.
Angel de Paz Marin, VRR
16H50-17H00
AWARDS CEREMONY
Angel de Paz will hand out this year’s Climate Impact Label recipients.
Angel de Paz Marin, VRR
17H00-17H15
WRAP UP
Urs wraps up Day 1 with key takeaways from the plenary sessions, reflections on the day’s debates, a look ahead to next year, and a preview of tomorrow’s workshops and their expected outcomes.
Deliverable: Agreed key messages to carry into the Day 2 workshops.
Urs Wiesendanger, ULD CARE
October 1, 2026
9H00 – 10H30
FUTURE OF ULD CARE
Following on from Day 1’s panel discussion, this working group focuses on both long-term and short-term actions to keep ULD CARE alive and well.
Deliverable: A plan for the future governance of ULD CARE.
Moderator –Tom Pherson, Aerotuf
10H30- 11H00 - Coffee Break
11H00- 12H30
DIGITAL FUTURE
There are probably as many perspectives on digitalization and AI as there are members. This working group offers the opportunity to share opinions and take away both community and individual-level ideas on this central subject.
Deliverable: A blueprint for driving the digitalization of the
world of ULD.
Moderator – Owen Martin, ULDigital
12H30-14H00 – Lunch
14H-15H15
JOINT SESSION WITH RFS
In this first-ever joint session, ULD CARE joins the Road Feeder Service community to discuss cross-fertilisation of ideas and the whole subject of intermodal ULD transportation — hopefully the start of continuing collaboration.
Deliverable: A strategy for future collaboration between the ULD and RFS communities.
Moderator – Bob Rogers, ULD CARE
And the board
15H15-15H45 - Coffee Break
15H45-17H
SPECIAL CARGO
This working group offers plenty of opportunity to discuss the digital, operational, maintenance and other challenges around the wide range of special purpose ULD found across the air cargo industry today.
Deliverable: A strategy addressing the efficient operation of special purpose ULD.
Moderator – Abedin Dula, SkyCell