Cathay Pacific adopts new Cargo iQ warehouse tracking milestones

Cargo iQ’s newest freight planning and monitoring milestones, Freight into Warehouse control (FIW) and Freight out of Warehouse control (FOW), have been implemented by Cathay Pacific Cargo in Hong Kong to bring enhanced visibility of cargo during warehouse and ramp handling operations.

In collaboration with its ground handling subsidiary Cathay Pacific Services Limited (CPSL) and its Cargo iQ Data Management Platform (CDMP) provider Global Logistics System (HK) Co. Ltd (GLSHK), the airline has become one of the first to integrate the FIW and FOW milestones, which were added to Cargo iQ’s Master Operating Plan (MOP) in March this year.

Cargo iQ’s MOP outlines the individual milestones for measuring the end-to-end journey of air cargo shipments.

The addition of FIW and FOW to the MOP brings previously lacking visibility and planning capabilities to the point of shipment handover between the warehouse handler and the ramp handler at the airport.

“The implementation of the FIW/FOW milestones brings collective benefits for airlines, ground handling agents, and the CDMP provider,” said Frosti Lau, General Manager Cargo Service Delivery, Cathay Pacific.

“The handling agents have a clearer view on the planned offsets for operational planning, while airlines will gain more visibility of the handover process.

“This visibility could help to identify any potential areas for improvement in the handling activities, and we are dedicated to refining our process to ensure shipments are ready for customers as planned.”

Cathay Pacific Cargo has worked closely with CPSL and GLSHK to capture and update FIW/FOW data, with the whole project in Hong Kong taking around six months from planning through to implementation.

The airline already plans to roll out the new tracking milestones across its global network.

“We believe airlines and ground handling agents are the parties who would see most benefits of having visibility on the two milestones, and ultimately this assures the delivery promise to customers,” added Lau.

With these latest milestones, a Cargo iQ Route Map for an airfreight shipment is gradually expanding to monitor every segment of the supply chain, with the ultimate goal being full supply chain visibility.

“With their great commitment to implement these new events, Cathay Pacific Cargo and their partners in Hong Kong are reinforcing the importance and usefulness of monitoring the point of handover from warehouse to ramp and vice versa,” said Laura Rodriguez, Manager Implementation and Quality Assurance, Cargo iQ.

“With this information, the industry will be able to identify pain points and make vital improvements to operational processes.

“It also gives us, for the first time, the possibility to visualize the complete warehouse process from start to end within Cargo iQ.

“We are currently supporting all our members in the implementation of these milestones, and we look forward to seeing the benefits of uptake on an industry-wide scale.”