This podcast is a new home for anyone with a professional interest in international trade, shipping, procurement, logistics and air cargo. Each episode your host, award-winning journalist Mike King, will be speaking to leading decision-makers, analysts, journalists, operators and shippers to get their take on current freight and logistics markets and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Latest Episodes

Lufthansa Cargo’s Carolin Gerstenmaier on Semiconductors, Pharma and Ten Flights Per Chip

July 13, 2026 richard 00:14:56 Comments Off

Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, joins the Freight Buyers Club at Air Cargo China in Shanghai to talk through the two highest value, fastest growing industries in air freight: semiconductors and pharma. She walks through why a single chip can involve up to ten separate air...

CargoTech’s President on Consolidating Air Cargo’s Software | Exclusive

July 6, 2026 richard 00:23:14 Comments Off

Recorded at Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Mike sits down with Cédric Millet, President of CargoTech, for an exclusive look at how one company is pulling air cargo's software under a single roof. CargoTech is a holding company, backed by the same owner as ECS Group, the world's largest cargo...

Straight From Shanghai: China’s Shipping and Air Cargo Read

July 2, 2026 richard 00:18:53 Comments Off

Mike King is in Shanghai for Air Cargo China, and he sat down with Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, for a fast read on what is really moving across ocean and air. Container rates have climbed since March, and Kathy explains the mix behind...

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Important conversations at a critical moment for global trade.

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Such insightful speakers and great content, Mike. You are one of my essential listens!

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The Freight Buyers' Club

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Years before it had to, Apple built a separate iPhone supply chain in India. No tariffs forced the move, no obvious reason to spend on it. Then the second Trump administration hit China with tariffs on smartphones, and Apple simply pivoted to India while everyone else scrambled.
Chad Bown explains why that quiet bet paid off, and what it teaches anyone sourcing product. Chad is the co-author of How to Win a Trade War and the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a former Chief Economist at the US State Department.
From The Freight Buyers' Club, produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
#SupplyChain #TradeWar #Apple #Logistics #GlobalTrade

YouTube Video VVVOVE1CZnFjbzV1U1J3VXY5WDdZUHV3LjVTUmYwQ1llTFRz

Apple's Brilliant Move to Escape US Tariffs #apple #india

Could an AI startup just build its way into air cargo? CargoTech's President Cédric Millet doesn't think so. At Air Cargo China in Shanghai, he told The Freight Buyers' Club why domain expertise, not technology alone, is what sets his companies apart from the tech newcomers: "we know cargo."
Full episode out now. Brought to you by Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #AirFreight #Logistics #CargoTech #Dimerco

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"We Know Cargo": CargoTech's Bet Against Big Tech

A single semiconductor chip can cross the sky ten times before it's ready for market. Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, explains how design in the US, raw materials from Southeast Asia, assembly in China and packaging in Europe add up to a genuinely global supply chain, and why that complexity is only going to grow.
Full episode on The Freight Buyers Club.
This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Learn more at https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #Semiconductors #SupplyChain #LufthansaCargo #FreightBuyersClub #Shorts

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"Ten Flights, One Chip"

Recorded at Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, breaks down the two industries driving the highest value growth in air freight: semiconductors and pharma.
She explains how a single chip can require up to ten separate air freight transportations before it reaches a customer, why Asia's share of semiconductor manufacturing has grown from around 20% to roughly 80% over the past 30 years, and why radioactive cancer medicines have to reach a patient within 24 hours or the dose is unusable. She also covers sustainability demands, AI-driven tracking, and how Lufthansa Cargo is adapting its network to geopolitical shifts.
This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Learn more at https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #LufthansaCargo #Pharma #Semiconductors #Logistics #SupplyChain #FreightBuyersClub

00:00 Introduction
00:41 Pharma and semiconductors: the growth outlook
01:56 How semiconductor demand has shifted to Asia
02:56 Why semiconductors aren't a one size fits all business
03:57 Building a consistent modular offer across the supply chain
04:41 China plus one and the shift in manufacturing origin
06:04 Lufthansa Cargo's role across the supply chain
06:41 Pharma: the second largest growing industry
07:38 Blockbuster medicine versus specialised, individualised medicine
08:52 Cold chain, speed and flight critical logistics
09:24 Sustainability and AI driven tracking
10:59 Geopolitics, tariffs and network adaptability
12:14 Compliance, certification and the GDP/CEIV framework
13:37 Where semiconductors and pharma go next

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Inside Lufthansa Cargo's Fastest Growing Sectors

The AI boom isn't just driving more air freight, it's changing where that freight comes from. New data from Maarten Wormer, head of consulting at Aevean, shows US high-tech air imports soaring in Q1 2026: computer and server imports up sixfold year on year, networking equipment up threefold.
Richard Broekman, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability at Atlas Air, explains what's behind the surge: the hyperscaler race to build AI infrastructure, the massive capex driving demand, and a major shift in sourcing away from China towards Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand. He also describes a fascinating secondary flow, with entire server racks now shipping out of the US and Europe to the Middle East and Australia as data-centre infrastructure gets configured and redistributed.
Data courtesy of Aevean. With thanks to Maarten Wormer.
This is a clip from the June 2026 episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, featuring guest Richard Broekman. Watch the full episode for analysis on rates, de minimis changes, Atlas Air's A350 order, sustainable aviation fuel, and more.
👉 Watch the full episode: [link to https://youtu.be/YaBr1ly-R2Q]
Air Cargo Unpacked is a Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. Learn more: www.ontegos.cloud
#aircargo #airfreight #AI #datacentre #AtlasAir #logistics #supplychain

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Server Imports Up Sixfold. Now They're Flying Back Out Again

Trade is moving out of China, into Mexico, Latin America and West Africa. The decisions are not. Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, explains why more than half of that freight is still managed by Chinese companies, and why the shift carries on even without the tariff pressure.
From my interview in Shanghai for The Freight Buyers' Club.
Watch the full interview: https://youtu.be/L3ZqyKD7yM8
Dimerco Express Group: https://www.dimerco.com
#SupplyChain #Shipping #China

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China Plus One: Who Really Controls the Freight

CargoTech says it already covers about 75% of what an airline needs. At Air Cargo China in Shanghai, its President Cédric Millet told The Freight Buyers' Club where it's heading next: cargo operations, plus compliance and sanctions checks.
Full episode out now. Brought to you by Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #AirFreight #Logistics #CargoTech #Dimerco

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CargoTech Just Revealed Its Next Target

Sustainable aviation fuel and jet fuel now cost about the same. So why aren't airlines switching? Richard Broekman, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability at Atlas Air, explains the real dynamics behind SAF adoption.
Richard makes an optimistic case: SAF and jet fuel were both around $5 a gallon in May 2026, so cost parity is closer than many realise. Customer interest is growing, particularly in certain regions, and adoption will increase over time. But the market makes the switch tough. Because the wider industry runs on jet fuel, competitive pressure keeps everyone tied to it. Closing that gap, and scaling new production technology, is what moves SAF from niche to mainstream.
This is a clip from the June 2026 episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, featuring guest Richard Broekman. Watch the full episode for analysis on rates, de minimis changes, the hyperscaler data-centre boom, Atlas Air's A350 order, and more.
👉 Watch the full episode: [link to https://youtu.be/YaBr1ly-R2Q]
Air Cargo Unpacked is a Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. Learn more: www.ontegos.cloud
#Aviation #Sustainability #aircargo #airfreight #SAF #logistics #supplychain

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Why Airlines Won't Switch to SAF (Yet) #Aviation #Sustainability

Air cargo demand is being driven by AI and the data centre build-out. Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, explains why Taiwan to US has become the hot lane, with capacity tight and rates well above the past, and why she expects the air freight market to pick up further into the third quarter.
From my interview in Shanghai for The Freight Buyers' Club.
Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/L3ZqyKD7yM8
Dimerco Express Group: https://www.dimerco.com
#AirCargo #AirFreight #SupplyChain

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Taiwan's Air Freight Boom Explains Everything About AI #DataCenter #Taiwan #Shipping

At Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Mike sits down with Cédric Millet, President of CargoTech, to unpack how one company is pulling air cargo's software under a single roof.
CargoTech is a holding company, backed by the same owner as ECS Group, the world's largest cargo GSA, that brings together specialist software companies, each focused on its own domain. Millet's pitch is a simple one: "we know cargo." He argues that because the portfolio's leaders came out of airlines, forwarders and GSAs, their software is built to solve cargo's real pain points, a claim he draws in contrast to the wave of generic tech newcomers now entering the space.
In this conversation:
• Millet's case for why a group of specialists beats one do-everything platform
• The "we know cargo" argument, and why he thinks domain expertise wins
• How the group aims to cover the airline's full commercial chain: capacity, revenue management, forecasting, distribution, charters
• His claim that CargoTech covers around 75% of airline needs today, and plans to expand into cargo operations, compliance and sanctions checks
• The 105 airlines and 20,000+ forwarders he says are connected
• The new Kuala Lumpur hub
• Why he sees clean data as the foundation
• Where AI actually fits: Millet frames co-pilots and agentic automation as tools, not the headline
🎙️ This episode of The Freight Buyers Club is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, your forwarding partner for transport from Asia to the rest of the world. Big thanks to Dimerco for supporting independent journalism. https://dimerco.com/
👤 Guest: Cédric Millet, President of CargoTech | Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, ECS Group

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Why CargoTech Thinks Specialists Beat All-in-One Platforms

Peak season has arrived early on the transpacific this year. Kathy Liu of Dimerco explains why cargo is being pulled forward from the third quarter into the second, why the surcharges are already in, and why an early peak may also mean an early finish.
From my interview in Shanghai for The Freight Buyers' Club. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/L3ZqyKD7yM8
#Shipping #OceanFreight #supplychainsecrets

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Peak Season's Starting Earlier Than Expected #freight #supply chain

For years Chad Bown made the economist's case that nobody wins a trade war, so you shouldn't fight one. Now he says we have no choice. In this clip he explains what changed. Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
#TradeWar #SupplyChain #Logistics #Freight #GlobalTrade

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The Trade War Nobody Wanted, and Can't Avoid

Mike King is in Shanghai for Air Cargo China, and he sat down with Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, for a fast read on what is really moving across ocean and air.
Container rates have climbed since March, and Kathy explains the mix behind it: vessels tied up by Middle East disruption, a shortage of empty boxes at key Asian origins, and shippers front-loading ahead of tariff deadlines. Peak season has arrived early on the transpacific, though underlying demand is flat, so it may fade early too. She maps where congestion has moved, from an automated Shanghai that is coping to multi-day berth waits at Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore.
On air cargo, the AI and data centre boom is rewriting the map. Taiwan to US capacity is tight and rates are high, a run Kathy expects to last three to five years. Components are being pulled towards AI builds ahead of laptops and PCs, which points to a consumer electronics squeeze later in the year.
She closes on the sourcing shift into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa, and why Chinese companies still hold most of the freight decisions. Her advice for shippers: stay agile, and watch the market daily.
#Shipping #AirCargo #SupplyChain #Freight #ContainerShipping
________________________________________
Timestamped show notes
00:00 Live from Dimerco's Shanghai office, ahead of Air Cargo China
01:00 Dimerco's China footprint: 70-plus offices, air, ocean, customs and bonded
01:30 Why ocean rates have soared since March
02:30 The empty container shortage at Asian origins
03:30 Fuel surcharges, transit times, and shippers switching to sea-air and cross-border trucking
04:30 An early peak season, but flat underlying demand
05:30 Port congestion: Shanghai coping, Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore not
06:30 The Red Sea and Hormuz knock-on for congestion
07:00 Carrier consolidation and what shippers actually care about
08:00 EU de minimis ends, and why e-commerce volumes are holding
09:30 The AI and data centre boom driving air cargo
11:00 Taiwan to US capacity crunch, and components diverted from laptops
13:00 Is this structural or a spike? Kathy's three to five year view
14:30 Sourcing shifts into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa
16:00 Why Chinese companies still control the freight
17:00 Kathy's advice for shippers in a black swan market

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YouTube Video VVVOVE1CZnFjbzV1U1J3VXY5WDdZUHV3LkwzWnF5S0Q3eU04

The View From China: Rates, Air Cargo & Sourcing

Chad Bown explains what has really changed in global trade. Not just China's old system of subsidies, state-owned enterprises and five-year plans, but Xi Jinping's dual circulation strategy: a world where China depends on no one, and everyone depends on China. When Beijing cut off rare earths and permanent magnets, it nearly shut down the auto industry across the West and showed exactly how far that dependency now runs.

This is a clip from the full episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, where Mike King talks to Chad about the China squeeze, where it leaves Europe, whether reshoring is real, and what a normal sourcing decision looks like ten years from now.

Have a listen or a watch to the full episode:

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-companies-win-trade-wars-chad-bown-petersen-institute/id1668766055?i=1000774693098

🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41nbuGwWePXchB1sXtqrnW

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PljaSe17j8

🌐 Website: https://www.thefreightbuyersclub.com/podcast/how-companies-win-trade-wars-chad-bown-petersen-institute-ex-state-dept/

Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a former Chief Economist at the US State Department, and co-author of How to Win a Trade War with Soumaya Keynes.

This episode was produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.

#ChinaSqueeze #TradeWar #SupplyChain #Logistics #GlobalTrade

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The China Squeeze: How Beijing Weaponised Supply Chains

How do companies survive a trade war? Chad Bown, co-author of How to Win a Trade War, says the ones that come through are the ones that stop chasing cheapest and fastest and start making themselves indispensable. Build strengths, so that when the next shock comes, people come to you.
This is a clip from the full episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, where Mike King talks to Chad about the China squeeze, where it leaves Europe, whether reshoring is real, and what a normal sourcing decision looks like ten years from now.
Watch or listen to the full episode:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-companies-win-trade-wars-chad-bown-petersen-institute/id1668766055?i=1000774693098

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41nbuGwWePXchB1sXtqrnW

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PljaSe17j8

Website: https://www.thefreightbuyersclub.com/podcast/how-companies-win-trade-wars-chad-bown-petersen-institute-ex-state-dept/

Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a former Chief Economist at the US State Department.
This episode was produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
#TradeWar #SupplyChain #Logistics #FreightBuying #GlobalTrade

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How Companies Survive a Trade War, with Chad Bown

Frederic Brun, VP Sales and Marketing at Liège Airport, on why the airport calls itself Cargoland, what "cargo is queen" actually means, and the 2040 plan to double capacity to 2.4 million tonnes. Filmed at Air Cargo China in Shanghai.
Full interviews on The Freight Buyers' Club.
With thanks to our sponsor, Dimerco Express Group. http://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #Cargoland #LiegeAirport #AirFreight #Logistics #SupplyChain #Shorts

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Liège Airport does Skyfall in Shanghai | Cargoland, where cargo is queen

Why are air freight rates at their highest levels since the Covid pandemic? Neil Wilson, editor of TAC Index, breaks it down. Rates spiked sharply in March 2026 following the start of the war in Iran, remained elevated through April, and while May saw some easing, they're still at very high levels — higher than any peak in 2025, 2024, or 2023.
Neil explains the historical context: the air freight market is roughly 50% dedicated freighters and 50% belly-hold capacity. During Covid, belly-hold capacity disappeared overnight, creating a massive capacity loss that drove rates to crisis levels. Today's rates are the highest since that period, though still below the pandemic peak.
This is a clip from the June 2026 episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, featuring guest Richard Broekman, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability at Atlas Air. Watch the full episode for discussion of de minimis changes, the hyperscaler data-centre boom, Atlas Air's A350 order, and more.
👉 Watch the full episode: [link to https://youtu.be/YaBr1ly-R2Q]
TAC Index is the leading global price reporting agency on air freight rates and calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices.
Air Cargo Unpacked is a Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. Learn more: https://www.ontegos.cloud/
#aircargo #airfreight #rates #TAC #balticindex #logistics #supplychain

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Why Air Freight Rates Are at Their Highest Since the Pandemic

Trade wars used to be something economists told you to avoid. Nobody wins one, so you don't fight. That argument is over. In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King talks to trade economist Chad Bown about why the old rules-based system has gone, and what that means for anyone who sources, ships or moves cargo for a living.
Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, host of the Trade Talks podcast, and a former chief economist at the US State Department. With Soumaya Keynes he has written How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy.
We get into China's drive for one-way dependence, the weaponising of rare earths, the squeeze on developing economies, and why Europe is suddenly on the front line. Then we bring it back to the people listening. Where do you source when the map keeps changing? How do you find the hidden risk in your own supply chain? And what did companies like Apple do early that the rest are now scrambling to copy?
If you buy freight, run a supply chain or decide where the factories go, this one is about the decade ahead.
Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
Trade wars used to be something economists told you to avoid. Nobody wins one, so you don't fight. That argument is over. In this episode of The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King talks to trade economist Chad Bown about why the old rules-based system has gone, and what that means for anyone who sources, ships or moves cargo for a living.
Chad Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, host of the Trade Talks podcast, and a former chief economist at the US State Department. With Soumaya Keynes he has written How to Win a Trade War: An Optimistic Guide to an Anxious Global Economy.
We get into China's drive for one-way dependence, the weaponising of rare earths, the squeeze on developing economies, and why Europe is suddenly on the front line. Then we bring it back to the people listening. Where do you source when the map keeps changing? How do you find the hidden risk in your own supply chain? And what did companies like Apple do early that the rest are now scrambling to copy?
If you buy freight, run a supply chain or decide where the factories go, this one is about the decade ahead.
Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
Notes:
Shoumitro Chatterjee and Arvind Subramanian, “China’s mercantilist squeeze on developing countries,” PIIE Working Paper, May 2026.
Arvind Subramanian talks to Chad Bown. https://tradetalkspodcast.com/podcast/215-how-chinas-trade-is-holding-back-developing-countries/
#FreightBuyersClub#SupplyChain #TradeWar #Logistics #FreightBuying #GlobalTrade

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Trade Wars: Nobody Wins, But You Still Have to Fight

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We integrate air and ocean freight, trade compliance and contract logistics services to make global supply chains more effective and efficient. The majority of our global shipping projects connect Asia’s logistics and manufacturing hubs with each other and with North America and Europe.

Started from a single location in Taiwan in 1971, we now serve customers from 150+ Dimerco offices, 80+ contract logistics operations, and 200+ strategic partner agents throughout China, India, Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe