Swiss WorldCargo, the airfreight division of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., and its partner ground handling companies Cargologic AG and SATS have concluded a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at further enhancing their cargo handling and information services. The MoU, which was signed in Zurich last month (Dec 2014) by Oliver Evans, SWISS's Chief Cargo Officer, Marco Gredig, Managing Director of Cargologic, and Alex Hungate, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS, outlines the basis for the partners' future collaborations and alignments in areas such as quality, e-initiatives, temperature-controlled transport management and specialized handling solutions. The new agreement establishes a unique and innovative "quality alliance" among the three partners that will position itself as a knowledge, innovation and quality leader with a special focus on providing value-adding services and superior facilities. Within the new alliance, Swiss WorldCargo, SATS and Cargologic will share knowledge and best practices and will collaborate in the fields of information technology, facility development, joint training, staff/ management attachments and joint innovation workshops. The concept of the agreement is not only to bring the three parties to the agreement much closer together, but to facilitate exchange and mutual learning between the respective air cargo communities of Singapore and Switzerland, including the administrations, as both states share a number of characteristics and values including a commitment to a liberal aviation market innovation and quality leadership. In the temperature-controlled transport management field, the three parties have agreed to actively cultivate Good Distribution Practice (GDP) at both Cargologic's certified cool chain facilities and SATS network stations across Asia (particularly Zurich and Singapore) to promote pharmaceutical and other temperature-controlled airfreight for Swiss WorldCargo. The same network stations will also see specialized handling solutions adopted to promote the carriage of premium and care-intensive airfreight such as valuables shipments for Swiss WorldCargo, as well as the provision of new value-adding services. Swiss WorldCargo, Cargologic and SATS also intend to develop joint e-initiatives that will simplify work processes and drive efficiency, explore preferred service partnership arrangements and collaborate on such other projects of common interest as may be identified from time to time.