As airlines and service providers grapple with the dual pressures of reducing emissions and enhancing operational efficiency, the ability to track and manage unit load devices (ULDs) in real time has become a competitive necessity. Across the logistics landscape, digitalisation is redefining how freight moves, where costs are cut, and how sustainability goals are met. At the forefront of this shift is the widespread adoption of smart technologies—specifically, the integration of digital tags and IoT-enabled tracking systems into cargo handling equipment. These innovations are driving unprecedented gains in transparency, asset utilisation, and service reliability.
For Ross Marino, CEO of Unilode Aviation Solutions, the shift is more than technological—it’s transformational.
“Tracking visibility of our assets—knowing where they are at any given time—was a tremendous issue for the industry,” he said. “Digital has reduced our lost assets down to less than half a percent, and unreported assets to well below four percent.” This kind of operational clarity not only improves logistics but also allows airlines to slim down their fleets without compromising performance.
“A lot of our big customers, we’ve been able to reduce the number of ULDs by 15 to 25 percent, which is a big cost saving,” Marino explained. “And it’s good for sustainability because we’re doing more with less.”
That mix of innovation, customer value, and environmental responsibility helped earn Unilode the “Industry Service Provider of the Year” award—an accolade Marino views as a reflection of collective progress.
“We’re incredibly proud, and it’s a real testament to what our people do day in, day out,” he said. “This is an award that’s been voted for by our customers and our partners, so we’re incredibly proud.”
Smarter strategies
While digitalisation plays a vital role in asset visibility, Unilode’s sustainability strategy also heavily leans on pooling and repair optimisation. Traditionally, airlines have maintained their own stockpiles of ULDs globally, anticipating failures by holding excess inventory. But Unilode’s pooling model—where airlines share ULDs from a common stock—eliminates that inefficiency.
“What pooling does is it enables customers to use assets across our network. They don’t need to have buffer stocks,” Marino said. “That can mean significant savings—up to 25 percent reduction in assets.”
This reduction doesn’t just ease operational costs; it also slashes carbon footprints. ULDs operate in punishing environments—frequenting cargo warehouses, ramps, and other harsh zones where damage is common. The traditional approach saw airlines flying damaged containers back to hub locations for repairs, a process laden with emissions. Unilode now repairs ULDs on-site at one of its 50+ global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities. “With a network of 50 MROs, we’re able to do those repairs at the source of damage,” Marino explained. “That fuel burn, the CO2 emissions as a result of that, is gone.”
Unilode has also revamped its internal operations to align with sustainability goals. “All of our facilities have got LED lighting—that’s reduced our CO2 emissions by 88 percent in our warehouses. Our fossil-fuelled forklift trucks are all being phased out. Within the next year, we hope to have an entirely electrified fleet,” Marino said. Facilities are also shifting toward renewable energy and aiming to meet BREEAM Excellent standards, further solidifying the company’s green credentials.
Strategic placement and partnerships
Behind Unilode’s operational success is a precise strategy for facility placement and customer alignment. The company doesn’t simply aim to be present in every major city. Instead, it evaluates routes, asset flow, and logistical needs to determine where MRO hubs should be established.
“We choose really strong hub locations,” Marino said. “Hong Kong, where we have Cathay Pacific, or Santiago with LATAM—wherever we have a big operation and a lot of ULD repairs, it’s logical to have an MRO facility there.”
This approach also extends to locations like Singapore, a key cargo transit point even without a base carrier relationship.
“We also put them in locations where we know there’s a big operation,” Marino added. “We need critical mass to make it financially viable.”
The opening of a facility in Delhi, following the acquisition of a new contract with Air India, exemplifies this tactical expansion model. The company’s relationships with its more than 50 international airline customers are rooted in mutual trust and long-term service.
“The biggest single strength we can have is scale,” Marino stated. “The more customers we have, the more assets deployed, and the more all of our customers benefit.”
Bringing new partners into this system is not without complexity—but it’s managed through Unilode’s structured onboarding processes.
“We have a fantastic team of people that work in our Operations Control Center in Bangkok, which operates 24/7,” he said. “They know where the assets need to be for each particular customer.” Dedicated customer success managers and an onboarding team ensure smooth transitions.”
