Category Archives: Technology

Lufthansa Cargo, one of the world’s leading companies in the transport of air freight, has been making significant strides in the direction of embracing sustainability and digitalization – one innovation at a time. The German cargo carrier has been on an interesting path of forging a future built with sustainability goals in mind and has rolled out a number of decisions exhibiting this especially under the leadership of Dorothea von Boxberg, Chairperson of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo who took charge this March. This also comes close on the heels of the air carrier having clocked an impressive year after its revenues reached historic highs, even as the global air cargo demand has reached above 2019 levels. Despite global air freight capacity crunch leading to a fall in sales, there was an improvement in its cargo load factor and yields were up in all regions served by Lufthansa Cargo.

Digitisation has always been important in enhancing efficiency and increasing real time visibility in every part o the value chain. Says Ashish Asaf, MD, S.A. Consultants and Forwarders, “The pandemic has accelerated the digitisation by years. It is no more a choice but a necessity. However I would insist on building a balance between technology and human expertise. Cloud based data has become the norm. also the pandemic has changed the perception towards technology, which was earlier considered a cost is now pondered upon as investment to improve logistics operation. We need to train our people in such a way that they treat technology as an enabler rather than a burden.”

Each adversity brings us a bigger opportunity! Pandemic did the same. It was like 4-5years of digitalisation packed into one and delivered to all of us. Says Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics solutions, “Earlier words like Artificial Intelligence, IoT’s, Blockchain etc. scared all of us. But with pandemic, these same words have become the norm. India has a drone policy now. This should have happened long time back since the world relies on India for technology. It is considered as the world’s IT back-office. Today, with pandemic many logistics companies have already adopted various technologies to remain operational. There was tremendous increase in digitisation in India.

Redefining Air in the last one-and-half-year as Agility, Innovation and Resilience. Tushar Jani, Chairman, Cargo Service Centre Group, says “The cargo industry needs a human face of technology. If our mindset is ready to adopt technology, what the primitive technology in the face of email and others have achieved, think of a situation where with integrated technology approach as whole, what transformation will it do to the Air cargo industry. I think we can be number one in showing the technology path to the world. We have the capability to do it. All three pointers, Agility, Innovation and Resilience can be achieved through technology. After digitalisation, our next step should be digitisation. If we do that, we will be increasing our cargo infrastructure by at least one hundred times!”

Cargo Talk sixth digital conclave on Digitalisation was a big success. The virtual conclave had eminent speakers from the trade. With the focus on Digitisation in the new normal world, the summit discussed at length the significant role played by digitisation. In just a few months, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way Logistics companies across the globe do business. The companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations. Speakers included were Tushar Jani, Chairman, Cargo Service Centre Group, Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics Solutions, Ashish Asaf, MD, S.A. Consultants & Forwarders pvt. Ltd.

CargoTalk is back with its yet another digital conclave on August 12, 2021 at 11 am. The virtual conclave will have eminent speakers from the trade. With the focus on Digitisation in the new normal world, the summit will discuss the significant role played by digitisation. In just a few months, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way Logistics companies across the globe do business. The companies have accelerated the digitization of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations. Speakers will include Tushar Jani, Chairman, Cargo Service Centre Group, Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics Solutions, Ashish Asaf, MD, S.A. Consultants & Forwarders pvt. Ltd.

EL AL Israel Airlines is accelerating its digital presence with real-time eBookings, access to live rates, and visible air cargo capacity through WebCargo, a Freightos Group company. With the pandemic fueling digital adoption among both carriers and forwarders, EL AL is tapping into WebCargo’s platform. EL AL Cargo will be rolling out on WebCargo across a network covering the United States, Europe, and Asia, offering freight solutions for all types of customers and freight. This engagement enables more than 2,500 WebCargo forwarders across over 10,000 global branches instant access to capacity, pricing, and booking on EL AL Cargo. “Digital adoption has always been a top priority for EL AL, and as air cargo demand continues to rise, providing our customers with instant and accurate information is essential,” said Mr. Ronen Spira, head of EL AL Cargo division.

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has taken its first step into robotics with the opening of a new Automated Parts Store (APS) for its giant container- and loose cargo handling systems. The new, robotically-operated parts dispensing system enables urgently-needed spares to be quickly accessed around the clock, both for routine maintenance and in the event of occasional breakdowns. Hactl’s automated and highly complex Container Storage System (CSS) has 11 levels, is 260 m long, features a giant ULD racking system that holds 3,500 units and stores and retrieves up to 8,000 tonnes of air cargo per day. Meanwhile, its automated Box Storage System (BSS) handles loose cargo, using 10,000 stillages that run on tracks between the cargo pick-up and build-up areas.

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) is now on the cusp of a digital transformation, with an Internet of Things (IoT) based solution to monitor temperature-controlled cargo all set to enable real-time supply chain visibility. Currently available at Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore (MABB), one of the Cargo Terminals at BLR Airport, the technology will enable live monitoring of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceutical and perishables, including fruits, vegetables, meat, sea food, dairy products, cut flowers etc. The TAGBOX-developed technology will provide shippers and agents real-time temperature data of the shipment from the time it leaves the warehouse to the point it is loaded onto an aircraft at BLR Airport. The battery-powered Tag360 sensor, attached to each small SKU, box, or pallet tracks the product’s temperature, at every step of the journey. Shippers and agents can monitor the end-to-end health of their products through a central monitoring dashboard via a web or mobile interface.

PHDCCI organized the 3rd Edition Virtual Supply Chain Excon: Future of Global Supply Chain and Logistics on 22 and 23rd July 2021. The two days ExCon witnessed exhibition and four technical sessions on different subjects: The Chief Guest for technical session on Revolutionize Urban Logistics was Vikas Chaube, JS, Logistics, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The eminent speakers were Shashvat Somany, Chairman, Retail Committee, Dr. John Gattorna – CEO, Gattorna Alignments, Adil Zobair, Vice President, Sedres Shipping, Virendra Sharma, AVP – Supply Chain, Jockey India, Arvind Kalra – Supply Chain Professional, Virendra Sharma, AVP – Supply Chain, Jockey India and Dr. Rakesh Paras Singh, Chairman, ISCM