Market for high-value goods expected to grow
By TOM PETERS
June 21, 2010
The new dedicated cargo facility at Halifax Stanfield International Airport has the potential to make exporters more competitive in the international marketplace. That’s the way Randy MacDonald sees it.
“For us, it is an opportunity to export directly out of Halifax versus having to ship our product into Montreal or even into Vancouver for consolidation for export. Hopefully this facility will make us a bit more cost competitive in the export market,” said Mr. MacDonald, business manager for the Nova Scotia company Van Dyk’s Health Juice Products.
About 10 to 15 per cent of Van Dyk’s business is export. Products are shipped to Korea, Taiwan and some parts of China.
Gateway Facilities ULC and the Halifax International Airport Authority invested jointly in the $15-million, 3,600-square-metre air cargo facility, which was officially opened on June 4.
The cargo hangar has 720 square metres of refrigerated space that can be expanded to 1,620 square metres if the need arises. It is a feature unique to the region.
“There is (no airport) north of Miami or L.A. that has that capacity,” said Steven Christiansen, co-owner of Gateway Facilities. “We can have temperature-controlled perishables come in, be repackaged, or if there is a delay in a flight they can be held over and moved on another aircraft.”
A 757 aircraft and a 747 cargo plane can be brought right to the facility and be offloaded simultaneously.
“What’s key with this type of facility is the opportunity to maintain the quality of high-value perishable goods while in transit and move them quickly from production and manufacturing to global markets,” said Joe Hete, president and CEO of Air Transport Services Group Inc., which represents TNT and ABEX cargo flights that have regular service into Halifax.
Gateway Facilities co-owner Doug McRae said the cargo operation “was created in response to Canada’s growing high-value import and export business and all partners in the supply chain wanting to move goods to and from Canada and the northeastern United States.”
Customers operating at the Gateway facility are FedEx Express, Worldwide Perishables and WestJet Cargo.
The facility has actually been up and running for the past few months and Tom Ruth, president and CEO of the Halifax International Airport Authority, said it is already proving its worth.
“Gateway Facilities ULC has already increased Canadian international trade and air volume by reclaiming some of the traffic that originated in Atlantic Canada but was trucked to airports in the northeastern United States,” he said.
Mr. Ruth reinforced that the market for high-value goods moving over Halifax alone is projected to more than double over the next 15 years, to 65,200 tonnes from 26,910 tonnes. Seafood is a major export through Halifax.
Gateway Facilities provides customers with warehousing, ground-handling, pallet build/break, fuelling and de-icing services.