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Good news and bad from Radio Africa


An intelligence portal, www. portoverview.com, has been launched for those exporting to and importing from Africa with the aim of providing up-to- date information on trade and maritime conditions. SeaIntel Maritime Analysis


developed the portal to help forwarders, shippers and others deal with the changing, oſten dramatic, situation in this most difficult continent. “We have people on the ground


giving us independent, impartial updates on any issue that affect international trade,” explains Victor Shieh, editor in chief of the portal and mangaging partner of Appropriate


Communications,


which helped develop the portal. “Since its launch in January, we have covered things like the explosion of a vessel at Tin Can Island, a number of port strikes, and the political situation in Egypt. We’re publishing daily updates on Egypt at the moment, because the protests are affecting trade. “We’ve also reported on heavy


By Marcia Macleod


rainfall leading to transport disruption; the reversal of a planned


clearance procedures; a


change in customs and


tropical cyclone bringing 120km per hour winds to the continent. So far, 41% of the incidents reported have been intermodal, force majeure events, or challenges posed by local governance or industrial relations. “But not all news is bad: we’ve


also covered the opening of and extension of


terminals, which


provide more capacity and more options for those wishing to trade with Africa, and a US$185m investment by a Chinese company in terminal activities.” Many African countries are


trying hard to open their doors to international trade. “We have


seen an influx of international terminal operators, carriers, and supply chain solution providers,” points out Lars Jensen, SeaIntel’s CEO. “But the logistical challenges facing the continent will remain significant over the coming years. Many parts face significant capacity challenges, as well as the urgent need to improve hinterland connections.” Access to the portal is by


subscription, at a cost of Euro 99 per quarter per user or Euro 350 per annum per user. Special rates are offered for companies with more than five users. So far, most subscribers have


been freight forwarders who not only use the updates themselves, but pass them on to their shipper customers.


Drewry branches out into air freight benchmarking


Drewry is branching out into the airfreight market with an airfreight rate benchmarking project. Hitherto known as a maritime research and advisory specialist, it has turned to WACO-System, the global freight management and logistics organisation, to help provide airfreight rate information. “We have long been known for


our maritime rate benchmarking service,” says Simon Heaney,


consultant and research manager. “But many of our maritime clients also use airfreight and have asked for a similar service to cover that part of their business. They want more visibility of their airfreight rates.” “This agreement provides our


network with access to Drewry’s specific industry intelligence to help members manager their business with shipping lines,”


adds Richard Charles, executive director at WACO-System. So far, WACO-System, which


is made up of independent freight forwarders, is helping to benchmark 21 east-west


routes,


but this will be expanded to meet demand. However, at the moment there are no plans to offer an airfreight service benchmark to match the maritime product produced by Drewry.


Precision postcoding


International hauliers know the difficulties in finding addresses in unfamiliar countries. It’s hard enough matching post codes and addresses with routes in your own territory, but when you’re dealing with places you’ve never heard of, the problems multiply. And as Exact Logistics’ German


business increased, it decided it needed a new freight processing system to help. The result was Palsist, developed by local IT company


Karus Soſtware Exact’s specifications. to Palsist verifies addresses


anywhere in Europe. “Post codes from other countries don’t always fit into the UK system,” explained Simon Gilbert of Exact. “They don’t have the same number of characters as British post codes do. Palsist ensures we have the right address - and, at the same time, provides order confirmations and generates the data we need to create invoices.” Exact reckons Palsist has saved


the company 130 work days a year. Now Karus is looking at


how it can expand the package to add value for customers. “We are thinking about adding functionality,” says Wayne Russell, MD of Karus. “This could include the calculation of trailer loads by cube and weight, so the user will know that they cannot put that last pallet on a trailer because it will go overweight, or they can see at a glance how much space is leſt. We could also link to other soſtware to import consignment information, giving the haulier a single view of its jobs through one programme.”


Rational!


Since choosing the ForwardOffice software package, and Forward Computers as IT partners, we have not looked back. The whole system has been the bedrock of our Company since 1999 and the advances, past, present and future, help us to stay at the forefront of our specialised fi eld of NVOC services.


Bob Andrews, Managing Director, Globelink-Fallow


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


www.forwardcomputers.co.uk K10110_fbj 70x133-aw.indd 1 25/04/2012 11:44 The


Issue 2 2013


A celebration of soſtware Association of Freight


Soſtware Suppliers celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with the addition of five new members, two of which are based in Ireland. ABM Data Systems and CustomsMatters both offer a customs clearance system which helps to ensure entries are complete and accurate. Other


new members are


i2i (Innovate to in Integrate), aimed


at shippers; Minster


Logistics Soſtware, specialising in warehouse management and in-cab communications; and Logisoſt, a suite of products


designed for forwarders. “We are now completely


international,” points out Ken Gower, who runs AFSS. “KSD Soſtware is a Norwegian company - and the first to have a system that could handle ICS


(Import Control System)


throughout Europe, while AEB is German. We have 29 members - a record for the Association.” AFSS began when Brian Friday,


who helped set up London’s computerised customs system, Pace, in the 1980s, retired from the Port of London Authority. CEOs of many of the soſtware


23


companies - most of whom he knew well - began asking if he would attend the time- consuming customs meetings on their behalf and report back to them the outcome of the meetings. “We’re very well respected


now,” adds Gower. “Customs will even call us to see what our members think about new developments.” But at the end of this year,


AFSS begins a new chapter, as Gower plans to retire. He has begun looking for a replacement now. Any takers?


Soſtware manual ‘too expensive’ warns ASM chief


The pricing of a new soſtware manual could be a disincentive for the industry to switch to electronic cargo messaging, says Peter MacSwiney, chairman of specialist soſtware firm, ASM. The International Air


Transport Association (IATA) has announced that it will issue the last revision to the Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (CIMP) legacy soſtware in 2014 and will no longer provide enhancements for messages written in CIMP. The idea instead is to


encourage airlines and freight forwarders to design messaging in


the CXML commercial


Internet language. There would be long-term benefits in making code more accessible to soſtware houses and writers and, by encouraging the uptake of electronic cargo messaging, it would benefit the industry – but mainly the airlines, who would no longer have to re-key data. However, much of the cost of switching to CXML would be


borne by forwarders and others who would not directly benefit. IATA has set the price of the CXML manual at US$1,540 (about £1015) which could be a disincentive for many companies, especially forwarders, to write messaging to the new standard. Moreover, as there will be no measures to actively force companies to switch to CXML, the industry could well drag its feet in making any such move, in MacSwiney’s opinion. He said: “I’m not sure how a


move to CXML by 2014 is going to


happen when currently


there’s only a move to suggest or recommend CXML as an alternative to CIMP.” “The last revision to CIMP will


be issued in 2014 – but that does not indicate any withdrawal of support for existing messages and systems. In this case the statement only indicates that they will not be enhanced. That leads me to think that some airlines will inevitably drag their feet as existing CIMP messaging


will still work just fine, unless of course there’s a requirement for any new data.” He added:”The latest version


of CIMP includes all the security data


currently required. As


a result it may be some time before there is any overriding reason to move to CXML. “Having just been advised


that the CXML manual published by IATA, which gives all the information you could ever need, such as schemas and business rules, to implement the XML messaging is now available, I’m staggered that the CXML manual costs US$1,540. In these times of austerity when hardly anyone has any funds available to do anything other than keep heads above water would any organisation want to fork out US$1,540 for something they may not need and the requirements for which are unenforceable? And there is still no clear evidence of cost benefit to anyone other than the carrier.”


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