Category Archives: Technology

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal took a comprehensive review of initiatives taken by the various ports for facilitating Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Operational Efficiency Through Technology (OETT) to boost growth under PM Gati Shakti National Plan in presence of Union MoS Shantanu Thakur, Secretary Dr Sanjeev Ranjan and chairmen of all major ports. PM GatiShakti – ‘National Master Plan’ aims to lay foundation for holistic infrastructure that will pave the path for integrated growth of the country’s economy. Urging the chairmen of all the Major Ports to put emphasis on promotion of Atma Nirbhar Bharat mission and skill development, the Union Minister said, “Integrated efforts which are being taken by ports and others will add speed to development works around the country. PM Gati Shakti will help the people, farmers, fishing community and strengthen India’s economy.” During the review, Secretary Dr Sanjeev Ranjan spoke on multi-modal connectivity, highlighting the seven pillars of growth under PM Gati Shakti, Smart, Mega and Green Ports, EoDB and Maritime India Vision(MIV) 2030.

Amerijet International Airlines will implement SmartKargo’s cloud-based cargo management solution to offer improved efficiency and a streamlined user experience for its customers. SmartKargo offers a suite of integrated tools and solutions to support essential cargo functions from customer management, pricing and sales, operations, and warehouse management, to loading and unloading and ramp operations. “SmartKargo will take Amerijet to the next level. Our customers and employees will find it easier to use than any other tool,” said chief executive Tim Strauss. “SmartKargo’s end-to-end platform is accessible from any device, our global network will be delighted with this change.” The partnership with SmartKargo comes at a time when Amerijet is deploying a series of strategic digital investments that aim to transform, automate and improve the service provided to its customers. Amerijet, one of the first dedicated all-cargo airlines in the world to adopt the SmartKargo platform, operates its own dedicated fleet of freighters from its primary hub at the Miami International Airport to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and Europe.

Envirotainer, the global market leader in secure cold chain solutions for air transportation of pharmaceuticals, has launched its latest innovation, the Releye® RAP. This is complemented by the new Control Tower managed service. The Releye® RAP sets a new benchmark for temperature-controlled 5-pallet solutions. The largest of the new generation Releye® containers, the RAP is the only one of its type in the world, combining big capacity with superior features. Designed to meet the strictest requirements in pharmaceutical air freight, the integrated live monitoring enables a unique insight into product condition, location and progress of the shipment. With its increased efficiency and capacity, it reaches outstanding CO2 reductions per shipment, and is the future solution for secure cold chain shipments. All monitored and maintained with the new service Control Tower. The Releye® RAP is the second in a family of advanced temperature-controlled air freight containers Envirotainer is developing. It joins the 3-pallet Releye® RLP launched in 2021. The foundation of the Releye® platform are the five pillars: Control, Monitoring, Autonomy, Value and Sustainability.

To mark the occasion of the Chinese New Year, Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, today launches a Mandarin edition of its website, etihadcargo.com. With China contributing to more than 20 per cent of Etihad Cargo’s operations, the country represents one of the UAE national carrier’s biggest markets. The launch marks a key milestone as Etihad Cargo looks to further strengthen its position within the Chinese market. Starting 8 February, all visitors to etihadcargo.com from China will automatically be routed to the Mandarin version of the site, where they will be able to access information about product offerings, as well as station capabilities, feedback options, and claims’ details in the local language. “Launching the Mandarin version of etihadcargo.com aims to facilitate access to information for Etihad Cargo’s customers and partners in the Chinese market,” said Jacqueline Han Lin Ni Area Manager North Asia Pacific at Etihad Cargo. “The new Mandarin website is another step to cementing Etihad Cargo’s strategic footprint with the Chinese market,” added Ni. “The carrier is also working on a Mandarin version of the new booking portal, demonstrating Etihad Cargo’s commitment to its partners in China, as well as its intention to help improve and expand its digital portfolio and streamline its services for customers. “With the addition of a Mandarin-language version of the portal, Etihad Cargo is confident of strengthening and solidifying its position in the Chinese logistics industry”.

Ground handler dnata will invest over €200m investment in a fully automated cargo centre at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). The 61,000 sq m dnata Cargo City Amsterdam facility, located at Schiphol South-East, will be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Scheduled to become operational in 2024, the facility will handle all types of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles. dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by Lödige Industries The cargo centre will be fitted with two separate automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using technology from Lödige Industries, for import and export with twelve stacker cranes. A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In addition, separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating transport vehicles (ETV). dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGV) from Lödige Industries to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal. Smart gates will automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming consignments by scanning them in 3D, thus significantly speeding up handling and improving the quality of service. All elements will be integrated into a warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its operations and service at AMS.

Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation in particular are central to Qatar Airways Cargo’s corporate strategy. In November 2021, it became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and has since been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers. The initial milestone was recently reached with the introduction of a cargo carbon emission calculator. Available under the eServices menu on the airline’s website: https://www.qrcargo.com/calculate-emissions, the calculator quickly determines the shipment’s total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference. The user simply enters the shipment’s origin, destination, flight date, and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions. “Following our joint Qatar Airways Cargo-IATA project pilot to launch a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments, Qatar Airways Cargo is now proud to unveil our Emission Calculator,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, announces. “To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo. This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview their shipments’ carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA.”

o9 Solutions, a leading enterprise AI software platform provider for transforming planning and decision-making speed and quality in companies across industry verticals, announced that it has received equity investments totaling $295 million from General Atlantic, including BeyondNetZero, its climate investing venture, Generation Investment Management, a pure-play sustainability investment manager, and existing investor KKR. This significant investment will help o9 build on its momentum and accelerate growth for its AI-powered Integrated Business Planning platform it calls the “Digital Brain” across industry verticals and markets. It will also help o9 drive continued innovation in R&D, industry knowledge models and partner ecosystem development that will help companies implement o9’s game-changing platform faster and realize greater value. Today, leading companies across varied industry verticals that include retail, consumer and industrial products manufacturing, high-tech and semiconductor, life sciences, automotive, telecom, and oil and gas leverage o9’s Digital Brain platform for transforming their supply chain, commercial and integrated business planning capabilities. These companies are using o9’s Digital Brain platform to build a live, digital model of enterprise data and knowledge that helps them detect demand and supply risks and opportunities, forecast demand more accurately, and evaluate what-if scenarios all in real time. By matching demand and supply intelligently and driving greater alignment and collaboration between customers, internal stakeholders and suppliers across the integrated supply chain, clients can realize significant value from their commercial plans and decisions while making measurable positive impact to the environment.

Hikvision, an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency, announced a new technology partnership with Irida Labs, a vision AI solution provider from Europe, to integrate its IP cameras and HikCentral software with Irida Labs’ PerCV.ai Industry 4.0 Package. The integration provides intelligent vision AI solutions for manufacturing and logistics sectors to manage warehouse and plant in real time. Utilizing the Hikvision Intelligent Security API (ISAPI) protocol and Embedded Open Platform Program (HEOP), the integration allows the PerCV.ai algorithm to run inside Hikvision DeepInView camera series for edge processing. Operators can easily monitor manufacturing and logistics processes using PerCV.ai Industry 4.0 Package user interface. The combination of video, AI, and edge computing empowers real-time pallet and parcel monitoring, product inspection, forklift and truck monitoring, personal protective equipment (PPE) detection, and critical equipment interaction monitoring. The real-time AI-powered analytics also enables actionable business and process insights. “We are excited to join the Hikvision Technology Partnership Program (TPP). Now, our AI vision software PerCV.ai supports Hikvision DeepinView cameras and HikCentral software through this program,” says Vassilis Tsagaris, CEO at Irida Labs. “We would like to thank Hikvision for working closely and supporting our team during the last few months, making this integration truly added-value for our customers.” “The combination of the AI-enabling camera platform and the intelligent algorithm of PerCV.ai really makes a strong and flexible package for the users. With solutions like this, staff safety and warehouse processes are taken to a new level,” added Adler Wu, Global Technology Partner Alliance Manager at Hikvision.

Cargolux Airlines has launched a new online booking portal as part of the freighter operator’s investment in its digital capabilities. The new portal enables customers to log on, request an instant spot quote according to personalised criteria, as well as having visibility of allocations, “thereby enabling for the selection and booking of the best option”, the company said. “The online portal offers transaction options for all customer profiles, from international groups to local independent forwarders,” Cargolux said in a release. Mathieu Weber, vice president digital sales & marketing, added: “With this new portal, Cargolux is moving closer to an omni-channel connectivity experience for customers. The portal offers tailored quoting and booking in a few clicks and we are confident that this handy and timely solution will be highly appreciated by our customers.”

Cargoes Customs provides an intelligence-enabled, unified customs operating model that optimises border management and revenue collection activities. The system empowers customs agencies to facilitate trade, secure global supply chains, and increase compliance. At the same time, it minimises revenue leakage for government agencies. The platform is built to assist global customs organisations in reforming and modernising processes by streamlining digital transformation through the latest technology and tools. The Cargoes Customs platform is based on the belief that with technology as a foundation, any customs organization can vastly improve its digital capabilities and better integrate with key agencies and other countries, while also satisfying any regional agreements. The system is further enhanced by its powerful risk engine which detects revenue leakages. This technology improves visibility and traceability, and is based on WCO best practices, thereby optimising the customs clearance process. As an intelligent risk engine, it helps enforce compliance and promotes seamless collaboration between authorities, government departments and stakeholders. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “Trade is a key driver to help economies around the world to recover fairly and sustainably from the economic shock of the pandemic. At DP World, we are doing our part to make trade flow as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, and with Cargoes Customs we really help customs authorities around the world to become dramatically more efficient – now and for the long term. This new digital solution connects customs officials and traders through an easy-to-use interface and a suite of custom-built tools. We will continue to invest in our digital platforms to bring simplicity, transparency and efficiency to global trade – at customs, and beyond.”