READY FOR E-COMMERCE?


involved, all with their own interests to pretend this can be remedied easily, we will miss the “Value” higher yielding new business as well.


But e-commerce demands for service are not being addressed properly by the scheduled airline logistics chain, and we must come to grips with this changing reality or we will not extract the potential “Value” that is there for the taking.


There are basically two courses of direction to go. One is to do it the old way and try to get everyone around tables and reorganise every bit of the industry. Option two is to forget about what is, how that came to pass, and start with a fresh page.


‘Course One’ has a wide spectrum to cover. It will also be time-consuming. But at least it already has a platform, although The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) will have to revamp itself completely and its committees towards


a top-structure of topics like “Rethinking customer expectations”, “Dashboards for transparency”, “Training and professional development”, “Integrity” “and more.


In order to stay focused in working this out into practical matters and tools, it needs a blueprint that is shared among all. The “closed-loop, integrator style” approach is a natural one, as virtually the whole industry has always been quite like an integrator. It encompasses all the needed elements but forgot to close the loop due to an overwhelming mistrust. In working from the top down the trick is to not blueprint in terms of parties, i.e. airlines, forwarders, airports, GHA’s etc., but in tasks, accountabilities and responsibilities to make a new system work. Parties monopolising tasks and hiding information and “control” has been part of what has upset the current industry model.


We need to cooperate on the converging points; such as Customs or Cargo


‘But e-commerce demands for service are not being addressed properly by the scheduled airline logistics chain, and we must come to grips with this changing reality or we will not extract the potential “Value” that is there for the taking.’


10


Community Systems where the total scheduled cargo chain is served. Here is where processes come together. A network of CCS’s that talk to each other seamlessly would already provide a mini-platform of integration. It would be in everyone’s interest such as Airports, GSSA, GHA and RFS companies as well as last mile service providers to differentiate such platform services with dedicated “plug-ins”. Examples of such plug-ins could be e-commerce, dedicated customers, customs, security, last mile services, trace and track or whatever.


“Plug-ins” offer an excellent way of learning what the world of users need and ensuring exporters and importers have transparency. This is vital in drafting a product portfolio of services with clearly defined options for volume as well as for value. And through cooperation and coordination, what goes in at origin can come out on arrival with complete transparency and certainty to quality, meaning we can be a player.


Considering what the above entails so far, ‘Course Two’ begs the question: Why not practice what we preach and actually go one step further and organise as a scheduled cargo industry into a “virtual integrator” model?


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