CARGOCONNECT JULY2024 - Flipbook - Page 51
tomer experience. By providing greater
traceability through data, businesses can
elevate their customer service standards,
thereby justifying premium pricing or commanding greater value for their o昀昀erings.
In essence, the integration of traceability
and data utilisation has immense potential
to revolutionise customer experiences for
air cargo just like it does in e-commerce.
Has the IBS platform reached a critical
mass in adoption? What is the anticipated
timescale for widespread implementation
of your service solutions in the freight
and logistics sector?
Our solution, iCargo, stands as a comprehensive ERP system designed speci昀椀cally
for cargo airlines, streamlining all aspects
of commercial airline operations. It seamlessly integrates with ground handling
operations, ensuring a smooth work昀氀ow
across the board.
At present, the cargo business volumes
in the aviation industry is predominantly
represented by the top 50 carriers in freight
tonne kilometres (FTKs), with this metric
in mind, customers of our solution holds
a notable 50 per cent market share for IT
systems supporting core cargo business
processes.. This, together with our growing
GHA customer base, places us at a unique
advantage to create a connected ecosystem in
air cargo with seamless 昀氀ow of information
and highly integrated processes.
However, our vision extends beyond
mere market leadership; we aim to leverage
our position to enrich our customer base
through a collaborative community approach.
This community-driven strategy allows us
to collectively leverage as well as in昀氀uence
industry standards and take advantage of
diverse perspectives and business needs.
Through strategic partnerships with
industry organisations like the International
Air Transport Association (IATA) and our
community, we are actively involved in
pioneering initiatives such as the IATA
Cargo ONE Record program.
Ultimately, our market standing empowers us to deliver substantial value to stakeholders, fostering positive transformations
and innovation within the aviation landscape.
Amidst the anticipated push from the
community and increased promotion of
the platform, alongside the transformative impact of AI and ML on business
operations, where are your current
investment priorities directed in terms
of deep-rooted tech development?
Our commitment to our customers extends
beyond implementation; we view ourselves
ing continuous value through technology
integration and partnership.
A staggering 60 per cent of cargo
remains grounded, presenting
significant inefficiencies in
planning, resource allocation, and
cargo throughput. Addressing
these inefficiencies through
data-driven approaches holds the
promise of tangible improvements
in operational efficiency.
as partners in their ongoing journey. This
involves being in step with their evolving
goals and exploring opportunities to enhance
the platform’s capabilities. We understand
that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t
su昀케ce. Hence, we o昀昀er a diverse portfolio
of solutions, allowing customers to select
and prioritise modules and functionalities
according to their speci昀椀c needs. That’s how
we support them in advancing their digital
journey over time.
When considering new technologies to
o昀昀er business solutions, let’s take a look into
how we’re integrating AI and ML. Rather
than simply presenting a standalone AI or
ML solution, our approach is to seamlessly
embed these technologies into our overall
solution framework.
From the initial stages of planning, we’ve
implemented AI and ML-driven revenue
management solutions. This leads to the
capability to deliver capabilities such as
upselling during sales transactions, drive
higher ancillary revenue and to optimise the
overall commercial functions. Additionally,
we’re working towards incorporating AI
into operational processes to boost efficiency, especially in areas like cost and
resource optimisation where there’s room
for improvement.
Furthermore, we’re applying AI in functions that typically are ignored in traditional
AI applications – such as in back o昀케ce cargo
accounting to enable automated, accurate
and timely invoicing, thereby enhancing
cash 昀氀ow and time to revenue. Across the
board, we’re actively working on initiatives
that harness these technologies and deliver
tangible value to our clients.
In essence, our approach is customercentric, iterative, and focussed on deliver-
How do you perceive the trend of airlines
building their own cargo systems and
airports deploying systems of developers?
Do you believe these developments drive
the necessity for your own platform
development?
In the past, there was a prevalent mindset
among airlines and airports to develop their
own systems, believing that uniqueness
requires custom-built solutions. However,
this mentality has shifted significantly
over the last decade or so. Now, the focus
is on core competencies, such as network,
product, process and people to create strong
and di昀昀erentiated o昀昀erings, and leave the
development and operations of IT systems
to specialists. Customers are increasingly
choosing to collaborate with specialised
providers like us to drive innovation at a faster
pace and to delivery value to the business.
There has also been a transformation
in hosting preferences, from on-premises
deployment to cloud based solutions,. This
shift has not only accelerated innovation
but also underscored the advantages of
community-driven approaches. The realisation that collective innovation yields greater
results than individual e昀昀orts has become
apparent. Moreover, we’re enabling customers to innovate on top of our core solution
by providing customisable hooks into the
product in the form of APIs.
How do the industry shifts impact your
strategy across the Indian market?
What are your views in terms of digital
advances that can support and accelerate businesses and the entire sector to
remain competitive?
While our global presence is significant,
including dominance in markets like Japan and
Korea, and partnerships with major carriers
in the US and Europe, our involvement in
India’s air cargo ecosystem is relatively limited.
Although progress has been made in
areas like community systems and customs
integration, there’s still work to be done to
align with global standards. Regulatory
frameworks play a crucial role in this, and
striking the right balance between robust
regulations and 昀氀exibility for enterprises is
key to fostering a uni昀椀ed and competitive
ecosystem.
In summary, while India’s air cargo
industry has evolved over the past few years,
there’s room for further growth and alignment with global standards, with a focus
on regulatory frameworks that support
innovation and competitiveness.
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