Air cargo will be a critical zone of durability for airlines and airports in near future, provided management makes it priority to introduce integrated and digital solutions to automate entire process, says Gautam Mandal, Director, Products, Cargo Flash Infotech.
CT Bureau
How do you design tech-enabled logistics solutions, assisting clients and their supply chains to evolve an integrated logistics?
In recent times, digitalisation of the logistics supply chain has been one of the factors, resulting in noticeable improvements in efficiency and agility of the operations across the globe. Observing the upsurge, Cargo Flash is designing future-ready systems to collaborate with the stakeholders of the air cargo industry. Cargo Flash is adhering to implement digital solutions in air cargo management. The company’s single-platform solutions are allowing the aviation stakeholders to access real-time info—a harbinger for Proactive Data Analysis—leading to a better cargo product definition.
With seamless and intuitive solutions, we aim to draw potential stakeholders and spearhead the idea of how technology can simplify the air cargo ops as we effectively digitalize its management worldwide. Cargo Flash customised Integrated Cargo Management System (ICMS) based on the client’s needs. We have also introduced the e-commerce management system integrated into the ICMS, which empowers an airline to tap into the potential market of the e-commerce movement.
Explain your loyal clientele globally?
Our Middle East clientele comprises Air Arabia, Sharjah Aviation Services and Salam Air to name a few. These apart, we have 25 clients across the world, including Philippine Airlines, Kenya Airways, JamboJet, Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, Pelita Air Services, Nepal Airlines among others. Most of our clients are currently experiencing issues to streamline logistics operations with minimum time and manpower, yet with maximum efficacy and output.
We have enhanced our systems to cater to unique local processes. To cite an instance, at the Sharjah warehouse, the cargo is accepted not on House AWB or Master AWB, but on a document called SLI and after all, processes are consolidated into HAWB and MAWB. Keeping digital support in mind, Cargo Flash has been consistent in delivering its existing and customized solutions to its respective clients.
Elaborate on how you identify pain points, while providing business solutions to air freight stakeholders?
The biggest pain point remains shifting from the legacy system operating in silos to the modern technology integrated structure. When it comes to addressing the other sore spots, we have witnessed clients to be subjected to a dearth of operational transparency, and data or financial security other than the limitations in capacity utilization and deficiency of real-time and accurate market intelligence and data.
Furthermore, we have seen client expectations rise along with the propensity to use e-sales, in particular digital distribution platforms, which streamline elements of booking and shipping process. The need for digital booking platforms and capabilities has, therefore, become urgent, touching a catalyst to the long-sparking requirement for digital innovation in this sector. Hence, Cargo Flash is continuously simplifying its reservation system with maximum automation and real-time data transfer.
How do you exploit technology to create value for your clients? Can you name the tech in demand that is used by transport and logistics industries?
Cargo Flash boasts advanced application development that includes programming, documentation, testing, and bug fixing to create and maintain applications and frameworks involved in the ecosystem of software development, resulting in software production. Also, we are a Microsoft Gold-Certified Partner for Application Development and Cloud Platform. The company is delivering cutting-edge solutions, established on Microsoft products, for over a decade and its partnership with Microsoft enables Cargo Flash to implement solutions quickly, efficiently, and profitably.
Cargo Flash products are deployed based on the Microsoft Cloud architecture, and, while designing we have ensured to exploit the technology in such a way that our nGen Cargo System not only enhances operational transparency and streamlining, but also creates commercial value for the airlines.
The nGen has its Target and Budget Management System and Sales Planning Automation module, allowing the management to define their budgets and follow them in real-time, but monitors the entire sales cycle. Coupled with future indicators, which give an early warning of target breaches and dynamic pricing, the system ensures to strive for revenue maximisation. The nGen is already using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques for its Revenue Management and Optimization solutions and is in the process of using these in the operation process as well.
SaaS solutions are being deployed using cloud-based solutions to ensure highest availability and scalability standards. How do you ensure zero disruption?
All our systems are hosted on MS Azure Clouds with availability and disaster recovery. This set up ensures high demand scalability, no matter how much the data volumes increases, the services will never get disrupted. We provide the industry’s best uptime SLAs of up to 99.99 per cent and, coupled with high availability and disaster recovery in case of an eventuality, the RPO is just five to 10 minutes. Data loss presents risk to any organization.
The impact of lost revenue during the downtime and the effort required in a bid to reconstitute the information can cost a company hundreds of thousands of US Dollars if a suitable and business continuity procedure is not in place.
With our solutions, all the elements related to information security are included with the service, and our customers gain access to the latest in threat prevention and detection technologies. A disaster recovery plan requires multiple built-in
redundancies, while achieving time-to-recovery objective and thus, we can create recovery plans that include replication, failover, and failback procedures.
Do you think technology industry has the skill sets to provide solutions and, if the global
logistics industry is ready to embrace the same?
Those companies exclusively dealing with growing costs have trouble scaling their processes. They are unable to forecast the demand and rely heavily on manual labour. Now is the high time for innovation. Advanced technology must be embraced and, subsequently, the new technology will increase efficiency and show real-time performance that leads to a eco-sustainable operation, which, in turn, will lead to better decisions and increasing returns.
The air cargo is a critical zone of durability for airlines. The airports in the future make it a strategic priority that the management introduce simple, integrated, and digital solutions to automate the entire process, end-to-end. The implementation of technology and automation in the longstanding air cargo management has become more of a compulsion now.
Anything new that you have instituted for committing to innovation and marketing approach in your contracts in the past few years?
We have improvised our company ethos to ‘Creating Value; Creating Face Value.’ We are focused on simpler solutions and speedier application. We endeavour to recognize and resolve the untapped complications of every existing and potential customer. Cargo Flash has been ahead of the curve by introducing advanced software for Air Cargo ecosystem globally. Our vision is an efficient air cargo industry relying on paperless management.
Our actions will reinforce disseminating our vision.
