Wolfgang Schubert Dieter Haltmayer My Life in Freight Special thanks go to my son-in-law Dr. Davyd Melnyk for translating the previously published German version of my book into English. © 2016 Quick Cargo Service GmbH, Mörfelden-Walldorf Design init : feil und partner, Frankfurt am Main Printing Henrich Druck + Medien GmbH, Frankfurt am Main Translated from the German by Davyd Melnyk All rights reserved. This work, including all of its parts, is protected by copyright. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the copyright holder; this also applies to storage in a retrieval system, copying or transmitting in any electronic form or by any other means. 4 Foreword: 42 Years of Quick Cargo Service 6 Personal Greeting: Des Vertannes 8 Personal Greeting: Dr. Andreas Otto 11 Fear of the Hairdresser Dieter’s Childhood and Youth in Dusseldorf-Benrath 21 A Girl Called Maureen Dieter Gets to Know Forwarding … and a Girl 30 The Jet Age: Bad News 33 Big Planes at Last Dieter Moves to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) 42 Christmas at the Haltmayers 45 Moving to Frankfurt Quick Cargo – A New Star in the Forwarding Sky 65 Expansion in Germany The Haltmayers Focus on Expansion and Open an Office in Munich 80 A Philosopher as CFO 83 The Woman for Everything 87 When is an Igloo not an Igloo? The Visionary Dieter Haltmayer Brings the Medium-Sized Forwarders to the Table 110 Potraits: Dieter Haltmayer as Seen by Others 121 The Ship as a Second Mainstay Whoever Offers Airfreight Must Also Offer Seafreight 128 New York by Concorde 138 A Real Survivor 141 Messing About on the River At Quick Cargo They Work Hard and They Play Hard 148 A Dedication for my Wife 152 New Attraction at QCS Headquarters 157 40th Anniversary Party Special Guests: Chancellor Merkel and Marilyn Monroe 190 Chronology 191 Picture Credits FOREWORD 42 Years of Quick Cargo Service Quick Cargo Service is one of the top ten owner-managed IATA forwarders in Germany. Founded in 1974 by Dieter Haltmayer, today the company is repre- sented in Germany by ten branch-offices at key locations, along with interna- tional presences in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London, Basel, Zurich, Copenhagen and Warsaw. In addition to airfreight, seafreight has long been a second mainstay of the business; in Hamburg QCS has its own seafreight terminal. When founding the company Dieter Haltmayer built upon his 15 years of experience as freight-manager for British European Airlines (BEA), British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and Air Canada. Now the company is run successfully by two generations of the Haltmayer family. The operations of the company have largely been passed onto the founder’s children: Stephan (Managing Director), Heidi (Administration) and Dr. Jennifer Melnyk (Finance). For airfreight QCS is a reliable partner for global shipments. The high departure frequency and firm capacities with carriers ensure consistent quality and high-performance connections around the globe. When it comes to international seafreight Quick Cargo Service offers intelligent, tailor-made logistics solutions. The selection of shipping-lines according to strict criteria secures a continually high level of quality. In the industry QCS is well known for forging alliances. Aptly marking the start of the new millennium, in the year 2000 Dieter Haltmayer initiated the group known as IGLU Air Cargo GmbH: a name based on the German phrase “Interessengemeinschaft Luftfracht”, meaning “association of common interests in airfreight”. IGLU is an association of 23 medium-sized airfreight forwarders based in Germany, created to pool their collective bargaining power as medium-sized forwarders. Together the IGLU members load 1800 tonnes of airfreight every month to 80 destinations around the world, matching the levels of multinationals. The IGLU founder’s son, Stephan, has also shown a talent for alliances, going on to co-found the China Cargo Alliance (CCA), the Aerospace Logistics Group and SSF-Pharma. The year 2014 saw a notable pair of anniversaries: Dieter Haltmayer’s 80th birthday and 40 years of Quick Cargo Service. This book was originally conceived and written in German to mark these anniversaries. At the request of many friends and business partners an English version has now been produced. The company has also continued to develop. QCS has now entered the perishable goods market and installed a refrigerated warehouse on the ground floor of the company headquarters in the Kurhessenstrasse. And since the beginning of 2016 4 FOREWORD the main entrance is graced by the showpiece of a tail fin from a Boeing 737. The management quartet of Quick Cargo Service: Dieter QCS Dusseldorf has also moved into superior new premises off airport: a move Haltmayer, Heidi Haltmayer, that could be replicated at other branch offices as rent costs at the airports are Dr. Jennifer Melnyk and very high and there is often no room for the firm to expand further. Stephan Haltmayer Quick Cargo Service has continued to focus on expansion: the firm currently employs around 200 employees in Germany and Europe. 5 PERSONAL GREETING Dear Dieter, They always say ‘behind every good man (and/or business), is a woman’. In the case of Dieter Halt- mayer and Quick Cargo-Service it’s been an extraordinary woman and three equally talented children! I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Dieter for many years, as an industry colleague, supplier, partner and most importantly a friend. By sheer coinci- dence our careers followed parallel paths to begin with in the sense that Dieter and I both worked initially for British Airways and Air Canada, except he was a generation ahead. Let me highlight how I came to know and respect Dieter. This begins when I was General Manager-Cargo for Air Canada in UK & EMEA all through the 90s. Air Canada at that time had a glut of capacity to fill through frequent opera- tions of 747 combi-aircrafts. Konrad Bossdorf and Freddie Friessem were courting many of the major forwarders as were our key competitors. Dieter managing a modest but efficient forwarding business was always demanding and expecting the courtesy of equality with the multi-nationals and so formed a consortia of like-minded independent forwarders called IGLU. The rationale being that their combined businesses could command equivalent pricing to that of the major multinationals. This creative thinking proved a success and the entity remains so to this day. Dieter has always been vocal, outspoken when needs to be but always courte- ous, visible and accessible. His sacrifice to place customers and business partners first and foremost, at the expense of family, is well known but having the family then embrace the industry is quite extraordinary and unique, particularly when you consider that two of his children were daughters in what is still largely a male dominated industry. Dieter was also known to financially support the air cargo industry over the years through sponsorship at many of the major events. He was always solicited by his contacts within either the media or trade associations and rarely did he say no. He was a regular at the Cargo Airline of the Year at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London each April and it came as no surprise when he was recognized for his lifetime achievement at the same event in 2009. His many friends span the globe and they still continue to invite him whenever and wherever they opt to host their events. 6 PERSONAL GREETING When at Menzies Aviation at the turn of this century, I wanted to expand the concept of wholesaling in Europe, I looked to Germany and the first people I approached were Dieter and Stephan. Following initial talks they felt there was merit in this enterprise and having gained family approval, the AMI franchise remains part of the Haltmayer Group of businesses under QCS. Looking at the success of QCS amidst the many challenges the industry has faced particularly over the past decade and a half, you have to admire the energy and the focus that the Haltmayer family have invested. In Stephan, Heidi and Jennifer, Dieter has the perfect Board representation with differing skills and competencies. Stephan as the MD is the commercial guru, frequently travelling the globe cementing relationships with both network partners and customers. Jennifer is the CFO so maintains a tight rein on the purse strings like every good financial institution leaving Heidi to manage the office, the HR elements, communication, marketing and everything else that goes with it. Latterly while at IATA, I have been advocating the need for the industry to evolve towards a paperless environment through adoption of e-freight and initially the e-AWB. Even here Dieter, Stephan, Heidi and Jennifer have not hesitated to listen to the reasoning and the benefits and agreed to pursue this path. This demonstrates that the character of the company is to always assess where it can improve efficiency and evolve to enhance their own capabilities and value proposition. To analyse QCS and simply bracket this as a family business would do it a great injustice because its success is built so solidly on a foundation of prin - c iples such as hard work, dedication and determination to succeed. The fact that Dieter can now reflect and celebrate the 40th anniversary of QCS is quite extraordinary and I for one am extremely proud to be considered a close partner, colleague and friend of them all. I offer them my heartiest congratulations and I know Gloria and my two sons Desi and Andy who have collaborated with them do the same. Des Vertannes, previously IATA Global Head of Cargo 7 PERSONAL GREETING Dear Dieter Haltmayer, Dear Quick Cargo Team, At a time when it seems natural for footballers or actors to publish a (first) biography in their mid twenties, it seems almost remarkable when the first biography of a notable personality appears on their 80th birthday.