Country for PR: Australia
Contributor: Medianet International
Wednesday, February 19 2020 - 12:00
AsiaNet
Air Cargo Industry Needs Rapid Cultural Change and Digitisation to Remain Competitive and Secure, Unisys to Present at Air Cargo India
MUMBAI, India and BLUE BELL, Pa, 19 Feb. 2020/Medianet International-AsiaNet/--

-Fresh approach required to reduce dwell time, create new business models and 
capture new market opportunities, Unisys to tell global cargo leaders-

Unisys Corporation (http://www.unisys.com/)(NYSE: UIS) today announced that 
Niranjan Navaratnarajah, cargo industry director for Unisys, will present at 
the Air Cargo India (https://www.aircargoindia.aero/) conference in Mumbai on 
26 February, and discuss why a fundamental cultural change is essential for the 
air cargo industry to remain nimble, economically viable and combat escalating 
physical and data security threats.

"In the increasingly competitive air cargo industry, the whole ecosystem – 
spanning airlines, warehouses, freight forwarders, booking agents, customs and 
road/rail transport – must accelerate its digital transformation, to be more 
efficient, and remain economically viable, as well as enable new business 
models and better secure the data and goods that are in its care. Some players 
have made great strides in adopting new technologies, from online marketplaces, 
to IoT and drones. However, for most of the industry, a fundamental cultural 
change is required to evolve and create a truly connected supply chain, where 
stakeholders can work together to share inventory and securely share data with 
only those who need it," says Mr Navaratnarajah.

Navaratnarajah cites three areas where cultural change is required in air cargo:

1) Make inventory visible across multiple sales channels to create new business 
models – Reducing shipment dwell time in warehouses is key to improving 
efficiency. Smarter processes in the warehouse are a first step, but the 
industry also needs to develop new channels to market. Traditionally, deals 
were struck via networking and playing golf, but today’s buyer uses portals and 
online marketplaces such as Digi-Portal ( 
https://www.unisys.com/industries/commercial/transportation/executive%20brief/digi-portal-id-3116) 
 to make buying decisions on the spot through an independent channel. Cargo 
inventory needs to be made available across multiple selling channels – in the 
same way consumers can buy hotels and flights via independent online comparison 
sites. Airlines must change their approach and work together to offer a range 
of route options for customers to buy at their convenience outside of the usual 
airline distribution channels. This will create multiple routing options for 
freight forwarders and allow airlines to quickly introduce new products and 
value-added services. The efficiency and fast pace expected in a global online 
market will drive the industry to go digital in order to cut dwell time and 
reduce transport cycles. As two in three shipments now use eAWBs[1], 
centralised accurate and real-time data is already available in a format that 
is easy to share. The biggest hurdle is simply the cultural change required to 
pull down the walls and work together.

2) Focus on both data and physical security – Going digital is key to 
addressing both the cyber and physical security challenges. We must recognise 
that the data captured about the shipper and the shipment is extremely 
sensitive and is a valuable target for malicious attacks. IATA’s ONE Record ( 
https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/e/one-record/) initiative creates a 
standard for data sharing and a single record view of the shipment, improving 
the ease and accuracy of accessing the data. To take advantage of One Record, 
we must balance security with accessibility. Ultimately the customer owns their 
data –the eAWB, and should only be accessed when needed by those who have the 
need and authority to do so. In an environment where ransomware, denial of 
service attacks and human action (either accidental or malicious) can – and 
will – occur, the industry must move to a Zero 
Trust(https://www.unisys.com/offerings/security-solutions/zero-trust) approach 
to security to prevent breaches and isolate and minimise their impact when they 
happen. 

Similarly, physical security is a weak point for the industry and securing 
warehouses is key to securing the supply chain. It is almost expected that a 
certain percentage of goods will be lost, pilfered or damaged. Warehouses need 
to do a better job of knowing who is on site. Only the right people should 
access freight for the right reasons and any deviation should be identified and 
swiftly stopped. Mobile biometric applications enable a smartphone or tablet to 
verify if someone should be granted access – with additional multi-factor 
authentication used to screen access for the most sensitive, and valuable 
cargo. Warehouse operators could use the security of a location to develop a 
trusted origin program, similar to the passenger trusted traveller program. 

3) Respond to market demand for specialised cargo – while traditional cargo has 
become commoditised and general cargo volumes decline, demand for special cargo 
such as perishables, pharmaceuticals and live animal transport has increased[2] 
driving demand for specialised services such as cooltainers, thermal blankets 
and environmental controls. These services require connected smart technology, 
such as embedded environmental sensors, combined with rules for automated 
alerts and responses to identify distress fast and fix it early. For example, 
to alert temperature changes before perishables spoil. Ultimately, the industry 
needs to harness technology advances to meet the needs of this important and 
growing segment in order to access its high revenue and yields. Again this 
requires a fundamental cultural change to move from dealing with problems 
reactively, post-event, to being proactive to prevent them worsening or 
happening at all.

Unisys has more than 55 years of experience providing innovative IT solutions 
to the travel and transportation industry. Unisys cargo solutions are used by 
many of the world's leading carriers, who collaborate via the Unisys Cargo User 
Group (UCUG). Unisys and UCUG members have worked with the International Air 
Transport Association (IATA) for more than 20 years on initiatives such as 
e-Freight, Cargo iQ and XML messaging. Over 100 airports worldwide and 21 of 
the top 25 airlines depend on Unisys solutions. For more information on Unisys’ 
air cargo logistics transportation sector services capabilities, click here( 
https://www.unisys.com/offerings/industry-solutions/transportation-industry-solutions/digistics-(logistics-solutions)). 


1 – IATA e-AWB international monthly report – December 2019 ( 
https://www.iata.org/contentassets/6c6b8373246b4b2db532ff9c89bee5a7/e-awb-monthly-report-r17.pdf)

2 – WorldACD market trend data December 2019: general cargo fell -4.2% YOY 
while special cargo grew +3.3% YOY (http://www.worldacd.com/trends)

About Unisys 
Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, 
security-centric solutions for the most demanding businesses and governments. 
Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation 
and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative 
software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing. For 
more information on how Unisys builds better outcomes securely for its clients 
across the Government, Financial Services and Commercial markets, visit 
www.unisys.com . Follow Unisys on Twitter(http://twitter.com/UnisysCorp) and 
LinkedIn(http://www.linkedin.com/company/unisys).

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SOURCE: Unisys