CCS-UK User Group, the body that manages and commissions enhancements to the CCS-UK community system, provides a free-of-charge Advanced Info module to speed airfreight handling.
CT Bureau
CCS-UK User Group is working on a new module that will speed-up deliveries to and collections from transit sheds at London Heathrow Airport. It follows the recent launch of CCS-UK Fallback, which provides an electronic safety net in the event of a major outage of the customs computer. The latest module, CCS-UK Advanced Info, will enable freight agents and transport companies working on their behalf to pre-alert handling agents of loads being delivered, down to House AWB level, as well as submit Electronic Consignment Security Declarations (eCSD).
The advanced information, including vehicle, driver, cargo being delivered, handling agent and ETA, will be submitted either through a web portal (for smaller, occasional users), or (in the case of larger and more frequent users) messages sent direct from the forwarder’s own system. The information will then be accessible to all relevant parties in the supply chain. Deliveries to multiple shed operators will be automatically split by the system and only data applicable to each handler will be seen by them.
Agents using the system will benefit from pre-allocated truck doors, cutting down or eradicating queuing. Handling agents meanwhile will receive cargo information direct into their systems, eliminating re-keying, speeding up vehicle processing and enabling more efficient use of their resources.
In CCS-UK Advanced Info, the emphasis will be on simplicity and speed: integral data stores of all users, drivers, vehicles and transit sheds will be used to populate new shipment entries, avoiding the re-input of previously-used data.
Future-proofing is also a feature of the CCS-UK Advanced Info concept: import release notes, and ETSF (External Temporary Storage Facility, formerly ERTS) day sheets will be among further documents that will eventually be replaced with electronic messages. It is also planned to advise forwarders and their transport companies of the status of the handling of their trucks. A further planned enhancement for imports will be the transmission of messages from the handler to the agent, requesting him to send or not send a truck, or to send a truck at a specified time. Steve Parker, Chairman, CCS-UK User Group, says, “CCS-UK Advanced Info is a major step towards eliminating inefficiency and cost in the UK air cargo industry. It provides tangible benefits for everyone and, as with our recently-launched CCS-UK Fallback system, is being provided completely free of charge to all our members.”
