Andrea Oliveri, Air Freight Manager at SEATRAM, a multimodal freight forwarder based in Genoa (Italy), explains why technology alone is not enough to improve efficiency and quality in the air cargo industry and why the company has chosen CARGO START as their partner for digital transformation.
Q. Digital innovation is revolutionizing the air cargo sector by facilitating data exchange and allowing a more effective use of data. Where do we stand in the process?
A. The digital revolution is definitely at full speed, but I think data are not at all used in an effective way. A lot of progress has been made in the last few years in terms of data exchange, but there is no real standardization yet. The e-Freight and e-AWB initiatives in particular have significantly contributed to accelerating data exchange by introducing electronic messaging guidelines; nevertheless, the implementation of such guidelines is not yet fully compliant, and messages transmitted are still subject to misinterpretation. As we all know, every single air cargo shipment involves many different players worldwide, and there are still too many gaps and black holes in the data flow, which do not guarantee 100% data quality.
Q. Which one is the most critical step in the air cargo supply chain? And how does your company cope?
A. SEATRAM relies on the support of CARGO START with their Cargo Community System (CCS) service and their solution CARGO GATE, which plays a vital role in facilitating data exchange with all our stakeholders, especially with airlines. Nevertheless, there are still gaps and unfulfillments at every level. Data exchange with customs is still one of the most critical areas.
For example, recently the Canadian Customs has introduced some new security regulations, and to custom-clear our shipments to Canada we have to transmit data to a Canadian provider beforehand, which slows down the whole operations tremendously. Isn’t it ironic for a business like air cargo which is all about speed? Ideally, there should be some system facilitating platforms to interface globally along all the steps of the way, to ensure a seamless information flow. Some projects are already in place, but the way to go is still long.
Q. SEATRAM has been one of the pilot users of the air cargo tracking system STAR TRACKING by CARGO START; why did you choose it?
A. Shipment tracking has become more important than ever after the pandemic outbreak, which had a tremendous impact on the entire logistics sector; since March 2020, delays, irregularities and disruptions have occurred more often than ever. So, it was the right timing for our company to invest in a new, more reliable airport-to-airport tracking solution. StarTracking is quite unique, in fact, because it is the only existing system based on data that are not filtered by airlines. Moreover, it offers a sophisticated notification function which meets the needs of most of our customers who still prefer to receive shipment status updates via push e-mails than to access an online platform.
Q. What do you think is the way forward to succeed in the digital transformation journey?
A. Technology alone is not enough. It is a matter of connecting technology with processes, data and, ultimately, people. There are more and more digital platforms in the market for pricing, booking, tracking, you name it. They are very user-friendly and very well designed, but in most cases, you can tell there is no business know-how, and process engineering behind the tool.
It takes intelligent process coordination to ensure the right information is reaching the right person at the right time and to improve business efficiency overall. Air cargo players need to work with digital partners that combine IT and air cargo expertise. We have chosen Cargo Start because they are real industry experts who understand our needs to the full; I believe their tracking solution Star Tracking, which is constantly optimized according to the users’ feedback, has great potential to improve data quality and transparency overall in the industry.
More information at seatram.com