Joint Cathay Cargo and GLS team wins Jettainer ULD Challenge at IATA ONE Record Hackathon

A joint team from Cathay Cargo and Global Logistics System (GLS) is the winner of the Jettainer ULD Challenge at this year’s IATA ONE Record Hackathon, securing the award with its innovative solution for tracking cool passive pallets. The hackathon took place from April 24 to 26 at Cathay City in Hong Kong. The Event gathered international teams of programmers, working on one of four challenges that aimed at advancing digital solutions for the air cargo industry.

The Jettainer ULD Challenge addressed the question: How can the storage and handling of cool passive pallets be ensured to always remain within the correct temperature range? Given the strong growth in temperature-sensitive shipments in the global air freight sector, ensuring consistent conditions throughout the entire transport chain is crucial for maintaining product integrity and safety.

By building a tracking device from the ground up, including corresponding analytics platform, the team developed an end-to-end solution for pallet tracking that delivers real‑time monitoring, ONE Record integration, and instant insights for every shipment. The proprietary device is equipped with a suite of environmental sensors, including temperature, humidity, light intensity, and vibration. To ensure seamless connectivity and real-time data transmission, the device integrates Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS – forming a fully connected intelligence ecosystem that delivers actionable insights at every stage of the shipment journey. This enables continuous monitoring and ensures compliance with defined exposure limits.

“This is the second time we have participated in the hackathon with a ULD Challenge, and we continue to be impressed by the creativity of the competing teams. Among many strong concept ideas, the Cathay Cargo and GLS team stood out and is a well-deserved winner. We warmly congratulate them on their success,” said Dr. Jan Wilhelm Breithaupt, CEO of Jettainer. “As supporters of the ONE Record initiative from the very beginning, we are committed to drive its development forward. In combination with our latest IoT tracking solutions, we see significant potential to further enhance our ULD management services, offering added value to our customers”.