Increased efficiency through digital data transfer in cargo acceptance and delivery
Lufthansa Cargo is now offering its customers wide-ranging, digital cargo acceptance and delivery services as part of its eFreight initiative. Valuable time can be saved through the use of self-service terminals and related apps for mobile devices as well as the digital transfer of shipment data and status updates between the airline and customers. Before delivery, the PreCheck service verifies the completeness and consistency of the data transferred. This further boosts data quality, significantly reduces laborious and time-consuming corrections during cargo acceptance and can even help to prevent returns.
“We are delighted to have again created genuine added value for our customers with our new digital services. We are striding into the digital future of the air cargo industry with our customers – with offerings that are faster, simpler and less error-prone”, said Dr Jan-Wilhelm Breithaupt, Lufthansa Cargo Vice President Global Handling Management.
After the PreCheck, Lufthansa Cargo customers receive an electronic shipment status update and get the green light in real time to deliver or collect their goods. This may eliminate waiting times for truck drivers in the future, which will allow customers to deploy trucks even more efficiently. On arrival, drivers can check in at a self-service terminal and get their ramp assignment.
In selected locations, parcels are registered via scanner during cargo acceptance. Smartgate, a fully automated volume scanner, automatically determines the size and weight of the parcels, and this information is compared with the data already to hand.
The new digital offerings from Lufthansa Cargo were thoroughly put through their paces during a pilot phase involving approx. 100 customers. They are now available to customers at the Lufthansa Cargo Center in Frankfurt and another 15 stations in Germany and abroad. They will be rolled out to further locations in the months ahead. www.lufthansa-cargo.com/en/eservices/efreight
