Hermes extends contract with Groundforce Portugal to support digitalization drive

Hermes Logistics Technologies (HLT) is set to upgrade long-term customer Groundforce Portugal to its latest cloud-based Hermes 5 cargo management system, Hermes Software as a Service (SaaS), bringing major enhancements to security and increasing the speed, volume, and accuracy of cargo processing at three of the handler’s Portuguese stations.

Groundforce Portugal’s operations at Lisbon, Porto, and Funchal airports will all benefit from the migration to Hermes SaaS, with Faro station expected to follow in the near future.

The upgrade represents the expansion of a long-term collaboration between HLT and Groundforce Portugal, the Portuguese leader for ground handling services and HLT customers of more than fifteen years.

“Hermes SaaS is our best software solution to date, representing the optimal way to host a cargo management system, allowing Groundforce Portugal to focus on their core business whilst benefiting from better system performance at a lower cost,” said Yuval Baruch, Chief Executive Officer, HLT.

“The system upgrade pays close attention to improving Groundforce Portugal’s messaging, with the solution customized to meet specific local requirements to increase the speed, volume, and accuracy of the data that is processed.”

The migration of the cargo management system from a server to the cloud will bring increased security for Groundforce Portugal, which will also benefit from HLT’s full NG ecosystem, a collection of applications including NG Business Intelligence and Datalakes, Track and Trace, and NG Landside Management.

Key highlights of Hermes SaaS include a new import flight monitor, which provides a comprehensive overview of the status of each import flight, as well as a one-button manual NOTOC, which can be prepared before a shipment has been loaded.

“Our long-standing use of Hermes’ software has proven to be stable, problem-free, and a perfect match for our digital and operational needs, so upgrading to Hermes SaaS was a natural next step for us,” said Paulo Colla Carvalheiro, Planning, Processes and Innovation Director, Groundforce Portugal.

“Upgrading to Hermes SaaS will help push forward our digitalization strategy, and we will gain additional functionality, reliability, and the promise of scalability for our full operations network.”

Groundforce Portugal serves major airlines flying to Portugal, namely TAP, SATA, Air France, KLM, Royal Air Maroc, Azul, Delta, United Airlines, and Beijing Capital Airlines, having processed more than 165,000 tonnes in 2022, an increase of 18% compared to 2019.

Yuval Baruch, CEO, and Marcus Campbell, Chief Technology Officer, HLT, will be on hand to discuss the latest developments to Hermes SaaS at the IATA World Cargo Symposium from the 25th to the 27th of April.