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Issue 1 2021 - Freight Business Journal


///IT


Siemens’ smart slots speed up shipment handling


Import and export customers of dnata are now benefiting from the Appointment and Dock Management (ADM) system on Siemens’ AX4 logistics platform. The digital solution enables freight forwarders to book an appointment with one of dnata’s cargo terminals for the delivery or pick up consignments. ADM considers parameters


such as shipment characteristics, flight details, vehicle types and other business-relevant factors to determine an optimal slot for the delivery or acceptance of freight. According to Siemens, a unique feature of the platform is its capability to ‘intelligently predict’ appropriate slot time and duration based on the historical behaviour of the forwarder concerned and the relevant flight schedule. ADM has reduced the average


freight handling time at dnata’s Dubai cargo terminals by more than 60%, to an average of just 30


minutes, confirms the handler. It also allows terminal operators to see demand in real time, enabling them to plan resources and serve customers in a timely manner, while ADM also co-ordinates with Dubai Customs to schedule inspection. As vice president consulting of


Siemens’ Digital Logistics soſtware and consulting arm, Jürgen Schulz was directly involved in the dnata project. As noted above, ADM is based on the logistics collaboration platform AX4 offered by Siemens Digital Logistics, a platform that supports various supply chain execution processes, Schulz tells FBJ. Some of these processes involve


slot management, and ADM represents one such example, where it has been specially adopted for requirements and business processes relating to air cargo handling. The AX4 platform was fully


Nallian expands its reach into the US


Dallas/Fort Worth International has become the first US airport to start using Nallian’s Cloud-based data sharing platform for cargo customers. Within its Cargo Cloud offering,


Nallian provides a range of apps underpinned by a data-sharing platform for logistics hubs that are designed to allow collaborative transactions across chain.


the supply


In time, the aim is for DFW’s cargo community, united by Nallian, to


take in freight forwarders, shippers, ground handling agents (GHAs), third-party logistics providers (3PLs),


Border Protection and trucking companies. The technology will reduce the


amount of time and paperwork required for cargo passing through DFW. A dedicated slot booking application allows truckers and freight forwarders to request and reserve dock door slot times, eliminating wait times while


airlines, Customs and


developed and is still maintained and operated by Siemens Digital Logistics. In operation with dnata at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), the ADM solution has been running at both locations for import cargo since December 2019. The export cargo handling aspect of the system went into operation late last year and the platform has been in operational use in Dubai 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he says. ADM offers significant potential


for digitalisation, collaboration and optimisation of cargo handling with particular strengths in cross-enterprise processes and collaboration, Schulz declares. Aligning business


and cargo


handling processes helps to reduce handling times for users such as dnata; it also enables optimised resource utilisation, reduces waiting times at warehouses and improves customer satisfaction, he


reducing roadway congestion and harmful emissions. Future enhancements are


expected to include real-time pharmaceutical shipment tracking and monitoring capabilities. Its introduction at DFW is said to represent one part of the airport’s wider digital transformation strategy. DFW handled 971,000 tons of


cargo in the 2019 financial year, and it is an important freight hub for the surrounding region, as well as a link between the US and Latin America. According to its executive vice president of global strategy and development, John Ackerman: “DFW Airport


“The biggest challenge has been


the integration of dozens of other existing systems, ensuring an orchestrated process of all steps of cargo handling and customer requirements. “The now fully operational


asserts. These benefits can of course be


leveraged at other cargo gateways as well as those in Dubai. In fact, says


Schulz, “Siemens Digital


Logistics is known for providing tailored customer solutions. We are already providing various solutions


for small, medium


and large enterprise industry customers. Providing solutions similar to ADM to other customers and gateways is our core business.” It offers especially noteworthy


solutions in these days of pandemic, he believes, asserting: “Siemens Logistics applies IoT [Internet of Things] technology and analytics to track and monitor


continues to focus and invest in our cargo business. This new platform makes processing cargo through DFW more by


providing accurate


efficient and


timely information to our cargo community.” Nallian chief executive, Jean


Verheyen, enthuses, “With Nallian’s mission in mind – ‘to make the world operate as one’ – we are thrilled to see how our infrastructure also empowers forward-thinking airports such as DFW and their partners to leverage the power of digitisation on a global level.” Alex Driesen, his co-


entrepreneur at Nallian, tells FBJ that Nallian’s Cargo Cloud is “perfectly geared”


to empower


Forward thinking, Forward moving Since purchasing ForwardOffice in 1998, our business


has evolved considerably. ForwardOffice has developed with us throughout this period. We have developed a


fruitful relationship with FCL and see them very much as a strategic partner, rather than just a software supplier.


Jerry Cook, IT Manager, Meachers Global Logistics


large hubs such as DFW to streamline their cross-company operations. But it can also, he says, offer significant benefits for smaller airports that bring together a limited number of actors, ones that are typically looking for process visibility, efficient planning and efficient execution of inspections and Customs-related processes. Today, other cargo hubs that


forwardcomputers.co.uk


Nallian is currently working with include Brussels Airport (with BRUcloud), London Heathrow, Liege, Luxembourg, Vienna and a major airport in Asia (whose name


Clear on expectations


Bernd Struck, senior vice president, UAE cargo and DWC airline services for dnata, tells FBJ that development of the ADM system was a collaborative process. He recalls: “Although dnata was clear on its expectations for such a system, we worked hand in hand with Siemens for over two years in a mutual learning process to develop such a tool on the base of the existing Siemens AX4 platform.


Driesen won’t disclose). Belgium-headquartered Dallian


recently opened an Asia-Pacific office in Singapore, about which Verheyen comments:


“The fast-


growing Asia-Pacific air cargo market is presenting a wealth of opportunities for Nallian. This new office will help us to accelerate our coverage of the region, and work even more closely with our local clients.” Despite Nallian’s ongoing


success, it is not complacent, Driesen advises.


and ecosystem of collaborative ecosystem of


applications “Our platform are


continuously enriched, fuelled by the input from the communities we are working with, who drive the digital roadmap together with us.” Just last year (2020), for example, Dallian


extended its


Landside Management Suite with features such as dynamic slot booking, which enables trucking companies who offer road feeder services (RFS) or operate far from the cargo hub in question to also gain the benefits of slot booking. As for the ongoing effect of


the Covid-19 crisis on Nallian and such technologies, Driesen believes that the pandemic has further increased attention on the importance and value of air cargo.


high special care shipments, such as pharmaceuticals” – extremely important in these Covid-ravaged times.


ADM solution from Siemens is a crucial element in our overall digital transformation program,” Struck asserts. “The tool seamlessly integrates into our existing air cargo supply chain community trading platform, connecting over 800 supply chain partners with 2,000 users.” As we saw from Schulz, systems


like ADM might very well be a feature of the future, but there are obstacles to be overcome, Struck considers. “The implementation of such systems requires significant investment,” he points out. “I see airports with community systems (like Calogi in Dubai), which provide the main interface to their customers land and airside, in the lead for this. “I don’t think that these systems


can be developed in time for the anticipated Covid shipments, however.”


But the sector is facing one of the biggest challenges in its history in terms of the logistical complexity of shipping Covid-19 vaccines. “Having operational visibility,


transparency and efficiency throughout the cargo chain has never been more important,” he suggests, but adds that this is exactly what Nallian’s Cargo Cloud enables. The need to protect workforces distancing and


through social


the consequential need to limit physical touch points makes the need for such solutions as Nallian’s apparent, he considers. This is a serious challenge as cargo operations are traditionally paper- based and involve many touch points such as crowded rooms where truckers wait to be assigned to a gate, registrations at a front desk, handover of paperwork and so on. “By digitising the entire process


flow - covering landside pick-up or delivery processes, through slot booking and assigning digital release rights to driver registration, execution


of inspection and


acceptance checks - Nallian’s collaborative apps eliminate these physical touch points and paperwork as everything is registered and shared in a digital way,” Driesen points out.


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