Category Archives: Technology

Global logistics company DP World operated International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam Cochin unveiled a solar power plant with production capacity of 1122 MW (megawatts)/per annum. The plant was inaugurated by P. Rajeeve, Honourable Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, Government of Kerala, and Hibi Eden, Member of Parliament (Ernakulam), Kerala. The plant is set up across 3.4 acres of land with an investment of over INR 3.7 crore. It has a peak production capacity of 830 kilowatt-hours. The solar plant will help reduce 905 tonnes/per annum of CO2 emissions which is equivalent to CO2 absorbed by approximately 41,580 trees in a year. The plant will produce over 12% of the terminal’s total annual power consumption. DP World is committed to sustainable practices across all its facilities and is undertaking several measures to achieve Carbon footprint reduction targets in a time-bound manner. This solar plant is part of the many planned milestones towards DP World achieving Carbon Neutrality across all facilities in India by 2030.

In keeping with his commitment to nation-building and fostering a conducive atmosphere for the fruitful public, private and academic partnerships, Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) on Thursday, 23rd September 2021. While congratulating NITIE for this initiative and reminiscing about his past association with the institute when his father was a visiting faculty there, Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, highlighted the tremendous scope of global business supply chains in driving the nation’s economy. He urged all the students and faculty members to take into consideration the importance of efficiency and the geographic spread of industries and factories today, while committing to drive India’s progress – not just for themselves but also for the marginalised and underprivileged sections of society.

CargoBooking, also known as CargoBooking.aero is a global digital air cargo booking platform providing real time capacities and rates for airlines. Launched in August 2020, it also looks after the airlines’ General Sales Agents (GSAs) to deliver instant air cargo quoting and booking with Application Programming Interface (API) integration to freight forwarders. The solution, powered by global IT service provider and software development company Awery Aviation Software, gives a consolidated view of all connected airlines and GSA prices on possible flight and truck routing options. “The digital transformation of the air cargo industry is gaining momentum, enhancing efficiency and cost effectiveness across the supply chain,” said Tristan Koch, Awery’s new Chief Commercial Officer. Our in-house team has been working together for over 12 years to develop aviation software solutions to support the digitisation of the industry, and with CargoBooking, we are delivering a streamlined user experience connecting capacity and demand.”

The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, announced today the launch of NETWORKING services, the first business matchmaking marketplace in the shipping and logistics industry. Based on the similarly named service launched in 2020 as part of the CMA CGM+ range, this unique and unrivalled digital platform puts the Group’s customers directly in touch with their business partner in a seamless and secure mann The new NETWORKING services marketplace enables the Group’s customers to expand their business worldwide, to create new business opportunities and to find the suppliers or customers that best fit their needs, all while saving on cost and time and reducing the hassle and risks associated with business development.

Budapest Airport is a member of the consortium which won nearly 25 million euros of support from the European Commission, as part of a sustainability project called STARGATE. The airport operator’s task will be to develop and put in place a cloud-based, paper-free air cargo handling system, together with other sustainable projects concerning mainly the terminal, energy efficiency and traffic developments. As part of the project, Budapest Airport can implement developments to a value of 1.53 million euros, 70 percent of which (1.07 million euros) is provided by the European Union, with the rest funded by Budapest Airport. Reducing carbon emissions is a key pillar of Budapest Airport’s sustainability efforts. In recognition of this, it has been awarded ACI’s carbon neutral certification for the fourth year running. In line with its objectives, the operator of Budapest Airport thus joined a consortium consisting of Brussels Airport, Athens Airport and Toulouse Airport, along with 18 other non-airport members, which submitted a successful EU funding application dedicated to tackling sustainability in the aviation sector. Following several months of preparatory work, the contract between the consortium and the European Commission was signed on 6 September 2021.

Mammoth Freighters LLC (“Mammoth”) is embarking on a long-term partnership with GDC Technics (“GDC”), a global aerospace company with extensive expertise in Engineering and Technical services, Modifications, Electronic Systems, R&D, and MRO services. The aim is to invest in a widebody maintenance and modification facility to support its Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER passenger-to-freighter conversion programs. Located at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, GDC has a state-of-the-art facility with 840,000 sq feet and six widebody hangar bays for modification and maintenance work on 777 aircraft. Mammoth Co-CEO Bill Tarpley said, “By partnering with GDC, our Mammoth 777 -200LR and – 300ER freighter conversions and support initiative will be centrally located in the US in a facility designed specifically for 777-200/300 aircraft and with a skilled labor force in place.”

In a major development, Pickrr, a SaaS-based logistic startup offering end-to-end logistics and warehousing solutions to SMBs and D2C brands, has announced the launch of its easy-to-use mobile application which aims at giving the logistic competitive edge to brands in tier 2 and 3 markets. This development is in line with Pickrr’s long-term commitment to empower small brands with data driven operational efficiency, access to data intelligence and a robust communication suite for its customers. Pickrr is also the only brand in logistic space that offers its dashboard to 10 regional languages. The state-of-the-art app is built on a robust technology framework and is designed to enable a seamless logistics experience for e-commerce sellers through its advanced yet easy-to-use features. With Pickrr’s app, they can get a comprehensive analysis of their business performance and revenue generated on the go. The users of this app can also stay updated about their customers’ complete order processing journey, track their orders and calculate freight rates of packages in real-time, and avail 24×7 customer service support for any queries or issues.

project44, the global leader in real-time supply chain visibility, has acquired Austin-based Convey, the last-mile technology leader. Together, the two companies now serve the global supply chain end-to-end, providing real-time visibility and actionable insights from raw materials to the front door to help brands deliver differentiated direct-to-consumer and eCommerce experiences for their customers. Covey has direct-to-consumer delivery experiences for more than 200 of the world’s largest brands, including The Home Depot, Nieman Marcus, Ferguson, Ingram-Micro, and others. Convey, recognized as a Challenger in the Gartner 2021 Magic Quadrant for Real-Time Visibility Platforms, combines real-time visibility, post-purchase experiences, and machine learning-powered analytics to improve the overall customer experience.

ANA Cargo has joined Pharma.Aero, a non-profit organization with its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, family as a full member to exchange and build market knowledge and expertise. “Pharma.Aero continues to pursue its vision in achieving reliable end-to-end air transportation of pharma cargo by expanding its global network and inviting more stakeholders across the pharma air supply chain in our collaborative projects. In the near term, we wish to jointly forge quality pharma trade lanes and develop new standards and guidelines”, said Nathan De Valck, chairman, Pharma.Aero. Dai Yuasa, senior vice president of global marketing, ANA Cargo added, “We are very honored to join Pharma Aero, which brings together top global pharma companies, pharma hub airports, airlines and forwarders that focus on pharmaceuticals. We are looking forward to making further contributions to the pharma air transport sector. ANA has been focusing on the air transport of pharmaceuticals. In 2017, ANA became the first Japanese airline to obtain CEIV PHARMA certification. Under current COVID-19 situations, air transport plays a more significant social role in the transportation of vaccines, therapeutic drugs and PPEs. At the same time, we have to consider sustainability issues. It is important that we continuously improve our services such as temperature, time and container management to maintain the quality of each pharma shipment. By participating in Pharma.Aero, ANA hopes to learn and co-operate with those who are leading the pharma air transportation, so that we can deliver pharma products to the world with higher quality service.”

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) and Total Touch Cargo Holland BV (TTC) join hands within the framework of the airline’s sustainable aviation fuel programme. Under the partnership, AFKLMP Cargo will use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on selected cargo flights from Nairobi – Kenya to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, carrying TTC’s fresh agricultural and horticultural products. Cargo CEO/owner Harry van der Plas was at the AFKLMP Cargo headquarters at Schiphol to sign the formal documents. The agreement includes a fixed annual investment from Total Touch Cargo that will allow AFKLMP Cargo to further expand development and procurement of SAF. TTC’s contribution will be used to cover the cost differential between conventional aircraft fuel and SAF.