CARGO AND IT
APPS OF CONCENTRATION
The sector is swimming in paper, and change seems slow to occur. Yet, as the
Editor discovers, some far-sighted players have already seized the digital initiative.
Let’s begin with a question:
could your operation
benefit from slicing
30 hours off its monthly
workload?
On the basis that responses
are likely to be in the
affirmative, then it becomes
necessary to describe just how
this can be achieved, as well as
the other benefits accruing to
those whose operations revolve
around cargo warehouses.
Check-it is the name of the
technology in this instance
and it is the brainchild of
Belgium-based Nallian.
What the company offers
the cargo sector isn’t exactly
new, though; indeed, the
first examples of its software
were actually put into the
marketplace back in 2015.
But the solution has made
the news recently because
Brussels Airport Company has
now acquired the technology;
with that in mind, Nallian has
been busy further developing
the solution, since the airport
is looking to integrate the
technology with its established
cloud systems.
According to Nallian’s
Joke Aerts, the reason for
putting this solution under the
spotlight is that by integrating
Check-it with the wider
portfolio of the ecosystem,
it creates new opportunities:
the stand-alone app will be
able to integrate with other
apps of a CargoCloud to share
valuable information, and in
addition the technology will
be integrated with other data
capture processes to enable
users to gather whatever
data they may need. Here
one might cite the freight
forwarder who doesn’t
necessarily have (or want)
a warehouse management
system but who nonetheless
desires a record of the flow
of goods in the warehouse.
As Aerts observes: “We see a
growing need for visibility on
the different steps of cargo
processing, which requires
this flexible control and data
capture.”
Towards the digital dream
As is the case with the
implementation of the
e-air waybill, adoption of
paper-free solutions within
the freight chain has been
somewhat slow, albeit progress
is being made. By digitising
the checking process, not
only can time be saved but
staff can be redeployed – and
efficiencies enjoyed.
As mentioned, this
technology has been around
for a while. Ground handler
Swissport signed up for it in
2015 at Brussels and such has
been the positive feedback
that it went on to roll out the
solution at its Frankfurt and
Basel stations. At the time of
writing, Aerts mentions that
further stations are also being
discussed: clearly, then, here
is something that gives the
handler a competitive edge.
But Swissport is not alone:
Menzies, Worldwide Flight
Services and Lachs Air Cargo
Handling are also using the
paperless solution; and other
key players are said to be at the
negotiating table. Aerts adds
that he is seeing interest, too,
from self-handling airlines
(AirBridgeCargo is already
enjoying the benefits of the
36 December 2019 www.airlogisticsinternational.com
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