Opssys,
We are along the same lines but the 'no Dispatcher' model I was referring to is a legacy international (shorthaul and longhaul) operator that carries huge amounts (and a large mix of DGR) of cargo on most it's LH services. And it all works well without a designated 'Dispatcher' or, God forbid, Turnround Co-ordinator.
One of the main issues in today's industry is that there are too many Dispatch/Traffic/Ops 'managers' who do not, themselves, fully understand the fundamentals of mass and balance and have no appreciation of the more complex areas of the expertise required for certain types of aircraft. Just think of a young(ish) Traffic person who joined 6/7/8 years ago at a regional airport - most of the market is lc, the larger carriers are clc with a few 'self m&b' customers as well. The said person makes manager and then does a good job at his/her airport and then gets promoted to a large hub airport where there is a need for specialist m&b. He/she has no grounding for the expertise nor experience required to meet this requirement. The potential for a falling of standards is almost inevitable.
And it gets worse as these individuals climb their corporate ladders.
Enough moaning, back to some graft....
GH