FedEx Express Europe has implemented new package sorting technology at its Stansted Airport facility in the UK to help meet rising demand.
FedEx said the new automated scanning and sorting technology “speeds up the flow of exports through the site’s operations”.
Around 80% of shipments bound for international markets are being scanned and approved by the new sorting machines.
The upgrade is part of an ongoing redevelopment of the facility and follows a previous expansion of the building in December 2020.
Work is also underway on a new FedEx import sort system expected to be completed in 2023, with the total value of the work estimated at $25m.
Alun Cornish, managing director, ramp and gateways operations for Northern Europe at FedEx, said: “With this investment we’re demonstrating our long-term commitment to the region, for the upcoming peak season and beyond.”
Stansted is the UK’s third-largest cargo airport and handles over 258,000 tons of cargo annually.
CargoAi and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste have partnered to enable freight forwarders and shippers to reduce their carbon emissions.
Digital solutions provider CargoAi now offers the possibility to purchase Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel when making a cargo booking.
This can be done in the booking flow – either after a booking is confirmed or when the cargo is being tracked.
This complements CargoAi’s Cargo2ZERO sustainability offering launched in October 2022. The use of SAF significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from air transport.
Said Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi: “Building on the CO2 Efficiency Score already available in our Cargo2ZERO solution, will further encourage forwarders to enter into discussions with their own clients about what is needed for the industry to move forward towards reaching the industry’s Net Zero targets together.
“We are also enabling access for smaller freight forwarding companies in 110 countries to purchase SAF in smaller quantities.”
Said Jason Reichow, vice president business development, renewable aviation, at Neste: “Through this partnership, Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel is made available to CargoAi customers for any cargo booking to reduce the emissions of their shipment while utilizing CargoAi’s innovative digital booking platform.”
During the booking or tracking phase, freight forwarders will automatically be prompted with data of the CO2 emissions that their shipment will emit, calculated based on IATA standards.
They will then have an option to purchase varying percentages of SAF to reduce emissions. Neste ensures the purchased SAF volumes are delivered and used by partner aircraft operators.
The emission reductions achieved will be reported back and can be used to report against sustainability targets.
Said Magali Beauregard, chief commercial officer of CargoAi: “We designed Cargo2ZERO as a suite of solutions for integrating and accelerating climate action into the air freight procurement process.
“Purchasing SAF remained until now a hard-to-navigate, resource-intensive process and often required purchases of large volumes, which made reducing emissions at the transactional level very difficult.”
Beauregard continued: “With the direct purchase of SAF now embedded in the booking execution and tracking flows, we’re taking the next steps to empower climate action by offering our clients straightforward, user-friendly and verifiable means to ensure reduced emissions.
“We are extremely delighted about this landmark partnership with Neste and confident that this will enable clients of any size to take effective climate action without further delay.”
SAF is acknowledged as a key element in helping to reach aviation’s ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Using Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80%* over the fuel’s life cycle compared to using fossil jet fuel.
It is produced from sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste.
Awery Aviation Services has entered into separate agreements with Airnautic and AD Aviation which will see them integrate Awery’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform into their current software.
The system will streamline both companies’ sales, operations, and finance functions, as well as supporting bookings through Awery’s CargoBooking system.
Airnautic, a general sales and service agent (GSSA) founded in 1958, is an air cargo specialist headquartered in Switzerland.
General sales agent (GSA) AD Aviation has provided air cargo management, sales, and operation for a variety of carriers since 1991.
“Over recent years the speed of air cargo digitization has been relentless as the measurable benefits for both GSAs and GSSAs have been indisputable,” said Vitaly Smilianets, Awery chief executive.
“Awery’s tech was designed and created as a tool to drive efficiencies for GSAs and GSSAs and these two new agreements are indicative of just that.”
Philippe Queloz, COO, Airnautic said, “Our goal is to reach the next level of operational excellence and to serve our customers in the best possible manner.
“Our partnership with Awery Aviation Software will integrate their latest technology to our service enabling us to further grow and expand our business over all.”
Awery’s ERP platform provides full connectivity of all business and operational activities using the latest AI (Artificial Intelligence) to automate previously manual tasks.
Real time analytics will enable the two companies to provide better customer service, deliver optimal flight management, and make more informed commercial decisions.
“We found in Awery a partner who understands our changing needs, with high flexibility in delivering a tailor-made solution for our operation from A to Z.” said Udi Dror, general manager of AD Aviation.
Latin American airline Avianca Cargo has placed its capacity on the online booking portals of Cargo Ai, Web Cargo, and cargo.one.
Gabriel Oliva, CEO of Avianca Cargo, said of the carrier’s digital transformation plan: “In Avianca Cargo, we are transforming our business through digitalization. We are committed to offering our customers a reliable service with more options every day.
“Partnering with the top portals of the industry will allow us to continue strengthening our position as one of the leader carriers in the region and provide users the opportunity to find rates and available capacity in real-time, book our products and receive an immediate booking confirmation”.
By expanding its digital offer, the Latin American carrier can promote its services in more than 10,000 freight forwarders across more than 100 countries.
The integration with the distribution platforms was also possible through the work developed along with IBS and the implementation of iPartner Customer, a solution that enables connectivity with multiple selling channels.
Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi, said: “Avianca is firmly committed to strengthening its cargo business, and that includes an intense digitalization strategy.
“Avianca Cargo recently completed the implementation of our digital innovation partner, IBS Software’s unified air cargo management platform, iCargo. With iCargo as its digital foundation, this meant that the integration of our Marketplace and API Suite products was particularly quick and easy.”
Through digitalisation, Avianca Cargo aims at making its customer experience a more transparent and simpler one.
“We’re committed to working with airline partners like Avianca Cargo to improve the efficiency of global trade” said Camilo Garcia, WebCargo’s VP Global Business Development.
“With forward-thinking airlines like Avianca Cargo, we are making air cargo more accessible and efficient. What starts with APIs ultimately leads to tangible benefits for all consumers, like fresher, more affordable roses”.
Freight forwarders will have more autonomy and enhanced information to make faster and more convenient decisions, said Avianca.
Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one, commented: “Following extensive partnership experience with many of the world’s leading cargo carriers, we are delighted to expand Avianca’s digital footprint to thousands more forwarders in all corners of the world.
“With our unique partnership approach, cargo.one teams will support Avianca to drive customer centricity, and navigate the technological and organizational steps needed to gain maximum advantage from their digital distribution.”
Cargo Community Network (CCN) has launched CUBEforall, an open data collaboration platform.
CUBEforall allows freight forwarders and logistics players to create a unified, efficient workflow for sharing data and optimize processes through collaboration and reusing business information.
CUBEforall is designed to improve transparency and productivity by implementing open standards. It is compatible with a range of external systems and will be made available for logistics service providers with the technological capability to offer their clients a global service.
In an effort to provide superior customer service, CCN has invited products of its competitors to join its agnostic platform thereby assembling together the leading logistics providers in a single global network.
This adoption of a multi-vendor platform represents an acknowledgement of the need for diverse service providers collaborating in the global supply chain. This shift away from a reliance on a single-vendor solution will give freight forwarders more freedom and options to choose from to meet their requirements.
CUEBforall, launched officially at the Singapore Expo, has already established itself with several logistic partners and has now added ** CO2 Connect, Convoi, Eurora Solutions, and Logship to the list. With these new partnerships comes the ability to choose from a variety of providers and bridge any gaps in their user’s logistics chain.
** CO2 Connect helps transport and logistic companies embark on their sustainability journey by tracking and managing their carbon emissions. Convoy, a pioneer in the building of a digital supply network, specializes in providing logistics services for full truck load (FTL, FCL).
Eurora Solutions enables eCommerce sellers and logistics providers to manage cross-border compliance. Logship provides a platform that helps local retailers reduce logistics costs and increase the efficiency of their distribution of goods.
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