THE IT SECTION\\\


Panalpina joins the Cargo 2000 club


P


analpina has been certified for Phase 1 of Cargo 2000,


recognising the company’s use of IT in its processes, including cargo tracking. Although Panalpina was a founder member of Cargo 2000, it had not previously reached the level of excellence required for certification. “A lot of companies talk about


being an active member of Cargo 2000, but not many actually are,” says Rolf Bosseloar, global head of airfreight standards and governance at Panalpina. “The benefits for us is that it provides us with better visibility of our cargo and and agreement with all parties on when an event should happen and what to do if it doesn’t. We basically agree a route map for


every consignment. “For example, we all agree


when cargo should be delivered to the ramp, when it should be delivered to destination, and so on. If something doesn’t happen when it should, an alert is sent to relevant parties. We speak the same language with all 19 airlines involved with Cargo 2000 and with any forwarder partners. If we are using an airline not in Cargo 2000, we have to engage with them and translate their language into ours.” Phase 1 of certification manages


airport-to-airport movements, such as shipment planning and tracking at Master Air Waybill level. Phase 2 requirements for managing door-to-door shipments are more complex and will require


changes in Panalpina’s IT systems - something already in the planning stage. “We are carrying out a feasibility


study to see if we can become certified for Phase 2 by the end of 2012 or early 2013,” Bosseloar says. “If not, we will have to wait until our new core application system is implemented in 2013. “But even with Phase 1, we are


achieving much closer cooperation with other stakeholders. We are all more involved with each other and, when there are issues to resolve, we work more closely together to achieve a joint solution. If, for example, cargo doesn’t fly as booked, instead of pointing the finger, we ask ‘why not, and how can we fix it?’.”


Ferrymasters gets rid of the empties


New software has slashed empty running


Issue 6 2011


29


FullScreen View


Shippers demand more IT support


S


hippers and 3PLs are still at loggerheads over the amount


of IT support service providers can and should give their customers. The 16th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study carried out by Capgemini Consulting, Penn State University, Heidrick & Struggles and Panalpina revealed that shippers want more IT expertise available to them than they are getting. “The gap is narrowing,” admits


Steve Wilson, VP supply chain at Cap Gemini, “but not enough. Shippers want the largest 3PLs to come up with standardised solutions instead of coming to the market with individually developed systems. This would make it easier and cheaper to implement new sites, such as new branch offices. It is beginning to happen, but slowly. DHL, for example, is trying to standardise all its customer-facing systems across the company. “A move towards portals helps,


P


&O Ferrymasters has reduced empty mileage, cut haulage


costs and simplified its pan- European forwarding operation - all thanks to advanced planning and scheduling soſtware from Quintiq. “Before we got Quintic, every


one of our 20 forwarding offices in Europe managed its own operation,” explains MD Bas Belder. “Without a global view, we couldn’t take advantage of all the return trip or combined load opportunities that are available. By creating a central platform, everyone can see all the loads, what is coming to them and what other depots might be sending out.”


All loads are entered into Quintic,


which then works out the best option for moving that load efficiently. For example, a load going from Poland to France could be combined with one going on from Paris to Milan, so the driver that drops in France picks up for Milan. Alternatively, the French office may have a load going to Poland to provide the Polish haulier with a back haul - or there may be a load going from Antwerp to Poland, which the Polish driver can collect on the way home. The benefits can be surprising.


Italian inbound business had “dried up”, says Belder, making it harder to find space out of Italy. Since the new


system was installed, Ferrymasters has been able to encourage hauliers to take loads to Italy as they are combined with multiple legs of a journey. “We don’t run our own lorries for


our forwarding operation,” Belder points out. “But we are optimising trips for our sub-contractors. This gives us better control over our sub- contractors, while allowing us to give a better service to customers.” The first phase of Quintic went live


in March. Initial indications show a 2% cost savings, but Belder thinks Panalpina is exceeding that. Phase II, which will add route scheduling, goes live before the end of the year.


as that enables all parties to communicate without having to adapt new systems. Transporeum, a German company with a global reach, is a portal offering carrier management for shippers - everything from slot booking


By Marcia Macleod


to auctioning space; it is also a


communications engine to get information to the haulier, telling him when and where to turn up, consignment details, what documents are required, and so on.” Both shippers and 3PLs are transactional their


focussing on Shippers


IT. want service


providers to be experts at transport management systems so they can rely on them to carry out all


two days before the shipment and estimate the time of collection. If a hauler is not providing enough vehicles to meet the plans, they may be ‘demoted’ when the contract is due for renewal. “Shippers are more inclined to


keep strategic activities in-house and outsource transactional ones,” Wilson adds. However, the survey was


transactional activities. “This


can comprise two levels,” Wilson explains. “One is the planning stage, getting the 3PL to plan route scheduling, whether they own their own vehicles or sub-contract; the other is operational, in which the 3PL secures the right number of vehicles per day, week or trade lane. “At the granular level, they want


3PLs to calculate how many of what type vehicles are required one or


focussed on large companies. “Smaller organisations may indeed keep logistics in-house,” Wilson admitted. “Larger ones have more clout when buying services and more volumes, which means their logistics needs become more complex.” Specific areas of IT that are now


considered key to a successful 3PL operations include track and trace and the development of advanced bar coding - but not RFID.


Logical!


When we started looking for a new system, the one thing we valued most highly was a good integrated job costing system. But we also wanted to produce documentation, do customs entries, produce quotes and handle sales enquiries. Forward Computers offered all that - plus the best training and support to get us up and running in the shortest possible time.


Geoff Hogg, Managing Director, Unsworth Global Logistics


Speak to the freight software experts today call +44 (0)115 938 0280 or email sales@forwardcomputers.co.uk


www.forwardcomputers.co.uk K9890_fbj 70x133-aw.indd 1 06/09/2011 09:47


FORWARD FOR 25 YEARS


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40