Emirates Skycargo Bringing In Advanced Systems
Emirates SkyCargo unveils plans for the world's most advanced IT system Building a New Generation Cargo System for the
future
Emirates SkyCargo has announced that it is developing a state-of-the-art New Generation Cargo System that is designed
to fully satisfy its customers' expectations and manage its own phenomenal growth.
Emirates SkyCargo has been uplifting increasingly large loads of cargo out of Auckland on its Boeing 777 and Airbus
A340-500 flights three times a day to Australia and Dubai, carrying general cargo, fresh produce and seafood.
The new multi-million dollar system will have a host of modules catering to every aspect of the air logistics industry.
It makes core legacy systems obsolete and ushers in cutting-edge open technology, providing Emirates SkyCargo the
flexibility, adaptability, reliability and scalability needed for the future. Co-developed by Emirates' IT division
Mercator, the system will reaffirm Emirates SkyCargo's star status in the industry.
Ram Menen, Emirates' Senior Vice President Cargo said: "Emirates SkyCargo is gearing up for the challenges of the new
business environment in which flexibility and speed to market are the key drivers of success.
"The New Generation Cargo System will give us and its users ? our customers, suppliers and other partners ? direct and
firm control over logistics, processes and costs, while providing an advanced tool that both manages and boosts
productivity and profitability."
The core of the new system consists of modules that manage reservations, flight management and related activities,
enabling Emirates SkyCargo to provide its customers with end-to-end logistics management solutions as well as vertical
and horizontal integration.
Designed for continuous evolution, the system will have a firm focus on creating the best user-friendly environment with
the world's leading technology, liberating Emirates SkyCargo and its customers from the dependency on old standards and
communications protocols.
The new system will be the first in the cargo industry to deploy bar-coding and embedded chip technology that uses Radio
Frequency ID (RFID) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for tracking equipment and shipments, informing customers about
the exact whereabouts of their shipment in real time.
The new system will serve as an extension to the manufacturer's supply chain, tracking vulnerable and high value
commodities throughout the shipment's progress from the factory to the store.
This also will enable Emirates SkyCargo to track its own ULDs (Unit Load Devices) and other equipment in airports around
the world, reducing significant losses currently incurred on these.
Slated for roll-out by end-2005, the new generation system will offer customers a seamless, transparent communication
pipeline that accurately and conveniently captures information at source to serve multi-purpose functions ? increasing
efficiency and eliminating errors.
Using new access mediums like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet PCs, mobile printers and other mobile data
capture devices, the system will improve mobility, efficiency and productivity of staff and customers alike.
Distributed using Internet mediums the system will reduce long-term unit cost of automation significantly and increase
efficiencies in the entire logistics chain, thus contributing positively to Emirates SkyCargo's vision.
The new system also will serve as a powerful tool to develop commercial modules that focus on niche and segmented sales
management and revenue management, helping Emirates SkyCargo streamline its processes and better focus on its customers.
It will free Emirates SkyCargo from the barrage of paperwork currently required by various authorities, as it will
provide the capability to transact commercial documentation electronically - setting the foundation for a truly
paperless cargo world in line with Montreal Protocol 4.
It will also liberate customers and users from the rigidity of Air Waybills and open a whole new world to integrate with
the customers order processing cycle or Electronic Product Codes (EPC).
Executives can avail of a basket of flexible and advanced management reports from performance measurement, key
performance indicators (KPI) and benchmarking to measuring service delivery, job cost management and profitability
analysis, what-if analysis reports and any other user-definable reports.
Current systems offer few options, suffer from outdated platforms and long delays, expensive distribution, rigidities of
fields and action codes, control exercised by multiple airlines and regulatory authorities. The new system will provide
Emirates SkyCargo and its customers considerable flexibility, placing them firmly in the driver's seat.
ENDS