Author: Jeganathalwar Thangaraj

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] Memphis, Louisville, Ted Stevens, Miami, and Chicago’s O’Hare Airports are among the list of top 20 airports in the world in terms of cargo traffic. Memphis handled 4.32 million tonnes in 2019 and stands second in the world next only to Hong Kong. Precisely, Airports in North America and more specifically in the USA are nothing but a hub...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] In a time when major car companies such as Jaguar Land Rover are shipping auto parts across the world in suitcases and huge quantities of perishable goods are stranded at origin or destination ports and airports. Therefore, it is difficult to be confident in predicting for next 12 months. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has thrown thousands of programs generating...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] Since the 1970s, the Middle Eastern region has grown exponentially, and this growth is attributable to the global Oil and Gas demand. Also, in the upcoming years, these nations widely invested in various other industries too and now this region is the world’s epicentre for all reasons. Well, its geographic presence connecting the superpowers in North America and Europe...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] The phrase ‘data is the new oil’ has entered the world of freight logistics to suggest a commodity without which the industry grinds to a halt. That’s certainly one interpretation – many sectors of industry would become redundant if data stopped flowing. But there has always been data, and to understand the impact of the phrase, it needs to...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] A wave of automation and integration is now engulfing the logistics value chain. The past decade has witnessed a tremendous growth in marine transportation. Rising competition among ports and technical progress in ship design, resulting in higher capacity vessels, has put enormous pressure on port operators to develop an efficient container handling system. With more than 12 major and 40...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] By the end of 2020, COVID-19 vaccines are set to hit the markets for the public. When it comes out, the first question popping up will be the distribution model. Already, World Health Organization (WHO) is working with logistics and supply chain experts to build a well streamlined network to distribute the vaccines. Given the current scenario, the pandemic is...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] Cargo theft in the air freight industry is becoming rampant and gradually increasing every year. The latest estimates by IATA estimates a minimum annual loss of US$1 billion due to Cargo Theft. North American and European markets are relatively the most affected due to this. IATA and other regulatory bodies along with the governments of all countries globally are...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] For the past few months, cargo-only flights are being operated across the globe to keep the vital supply chain of medical supplies and essentials active. While, the operations are resuming slowly across the globe with relaxing lockdown and cross-border trade norms, there has been a 360 degree transformation in the industry. Traditionally, air cargo has been slow in terms of...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] Even though several functions in the maritime ecosystem remains manual, to some extent the port authorities did attempt to leverage technology. Anyhow, technology adoption in the Port ecosystem with the legacy systems have remained the same for quite some time. Reportedly, Forwarders/Consolidators, Shipping Lines, Container Freight Stations and others in the Maritime ecosystem find it challenging to upgrade to...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] As the world is now becoming more digitised, every industry is relying on automation to fast-track the process of manufacturing etc. Logistics and Supply Chain operations are becoming more responsive to technology. Be it the implementation of Cargo Community System, Port Community System, Regulatory Single Window System or standalone ERP applications such as an Air Cargo Management System/Yard Management...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]In the past few months, there has been a humongous amount of transformation happening in the Logistics sector alone. Airlines/Shipping Lines are rapidly switching to online slot bookings, emphasis on innovative technologies such as Cargo Community Systems, Freight Corridors are increasing and a lot more. While some continue to say, this is already...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]As nations are now inclining more towards a Single Window System for trade facilitation, the requirement for integrated platforms rose. Then came the Port Community System that essentially integrates resources and enables seamless information interchange among stakeholders in the maritime ecosystem. Well, a Port Community System is pretty lucrative and way more...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Delivery Order is an essential document in both Maritime as well as Air Cargo. Like other documents, Freight Forwarders are subject to wait in long queues to obtain this document. Added to this, a significant cost is spent on physical documentation. This not only poses threat to the sustainability goals, but also...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Digitisation in the logistics industry took trade facilitation to new heights and enabled simple operations. Long standing issues such as real-time visibility, truck dwell time, delay in processing, data inaccuracies to name a few were resolved. But the question remains, how long will this digitisation will last. Will it last forever or...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Logistics industry has traditionally been sticking to manual operations, which caused highly disjointed functioning and a siloed infrastructure. This led to longer dwell time, high cost on data handling and lack of communication between stakeholders that further led to data inaccuracy. Due to these loopholes, there is a lack of proper communication...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Blockchain are among the most utilised technologies across the logistics domain. Added to this, there was a requirement to instantaneously convert PDF or static documents into EDI messages that can be triggered. That’s where Optical Character Recognition (OCR) came into the fray. Well, there are...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]But for the COVID-19 pandemic, the world would have seen the advent of 5G technology. Experts suggest when 5G is deployed with the existing network architecture, it can increase visibility, data accuracy and cost saving. These benefits are more driven towards ocean cargo. This can increase the operational agility of terminals and...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the talking point across the logistics spectrum. Be it air or maritime, the logistics industry found itself held back by rigid processes. Anyhow, in the recent past, the dynamics began to change. Optimising processes, automating functions and more precisely, creating flexible processes are the key elements. Also, tracking end-to-end...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] [vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text] Automations are the key word engulfing Cargo Handlers, Forwarders, Customs Brokers and Airlines at the current times. Thanks to the pandemic, which has pushed everyone to the brink and think digital. Apparently, a major number of Cargo Handlers are now choosing an Air Cargo Management System or a Cargo Community System to...

[vc_empty_space height="20px"] Digitization is engulfing the logistics industry with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Shipping Lines, Freight Forwarders in maritime ecosystem and Cargo Handlers in Air Ecosystem are fast embracing digital technologies. The ones who only planned to have digitisation as part of their long term plan, are now rapidly implementing it. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) EDI is a key module in an ocean...