Speed logistics specialist, time:matters, reports revenues of 114.8 million euros in fiscal 2019. It is the company’s second-best annual result since its inception in 2002. However, the
current year looks gloomier for the Lufthansa Cargo subsidiary as economic slowdown caused by the rampant Covid-19 pandemic tends to affect its business adversely.

Speedy Gonzales
To start with, the positive effects of the company’s 2019 performance deserve to be emphasized: Second to none, the enlargement of the international Sameday Air network now including China,
Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, pushed the business up. Currently, it consists of 11 stations in the Far East with presumably more to come. This also applies to 16 stations in Africa that were
added to the Global Express Airfreight network last year, turning the supplier into a second kind of Speedy Gonzales by becoming the fastest international delivery service across and within
continents in most marketplaces. The African advance is coupled with the decision to set up a new hub at Brussels Airport, making use of local carrier Brussels Airlines and its many flights to
sub-Saharan destinations, this way offering customers ultra-rapid rapid deliveries of urgently needed goods, including personalized transports accomplished by ‘Airmates’, the name it gives to its
onboard couriers. 
In line with the global spread, time:matters also expanded its service portfolio last year, adding dangerous goods to its list of express transports.

Broadened product portfolio
The main growth sectors that time:matters highlights in its 2019 annual report are medtech, life science, aviation & aerospace, cell and gene therapy logistics, and high-tech & semicon
segments. On-Board Couriers add to this service portfolio, with which time:matters has been setting industry standards since 2017, as stated in its release. Thanks to its broad spectrum of
professional OBCs, the number of shipments transported by couriers doubled in 2019.
The company emphasizes that these personalized services are conducted climate-neutral, as they are part of a long-term CO2 offsetting program kicked off by myclimate, a Swiss non-profit and
science-based organization for effective climate protection.
“We took the right decision in 2019 to continue investing in expanding the global network, in spite of difficult global business conditions, and our customers have rewarded us for this,”
Alexander Kohnen, CEO of time:matters, underlines.

Positive thinking prevails
Concerning further digitalization plans which include customer centric product developments and automated booking capabilities, the management says that the progression of the project depends on
the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Looking ahead, the manager points out that 2020 will be a challenging year for his company with only few flights taking place until further notice, torpedoing the business model of ultra-rapid
air transportation of urgent goods. However, he remains positive, stressing that “the last few weeks in particular have shown that we can still offer our customers the right transport
solutions, tailored to their needs, in spite of the dynamics of the current situation and the limited air freight capacities – something they extremely appreciate.”
He goes on to say: “This is made possible by our expertise as well as our very broad partner structure of more than 500 global partners and airlines. Depending on how the pandemic progresses,
we plan to further expand our business this year in Europe, Asia, and the USA.”

Covid-19 offers new opportunities
COO Lars Krosch adds to this that “our primary focus right now is on protecting the health of our employees and ensuring operational performance for our customers. In these unprecedented
times, we are proud to play our part and find ways to secure global supply chains as best we can.”
On the other hand, the crisis also offers great opportunities for speed logistics experts such as time:matters thanks to its expertise in the quick transport of medical products, life science
goods or urgent genetic samples. Business sectors in which the company has a proven record and a strong foothold in the market.
Pessimism is therefore limited and t:m employees prefer to look ahead optimistically.

Heiner Siegmund

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